Improving the walk

[HopOnTrot]

Horse has the slowest walk in the world, trot and canter are fine, horse is naturally very very laid back. But we need to work on our walk. FWLR is more Lose Power Shuffle Along...

Even out hunting the walk doesn't improve, we just get a jog.

I did notice today that the offer of breakfast in the field produced an okay pace. Shall I just dangle a carrot in front of horse?

 

[HufflyPuffly]

I found a new exercise that might be of help, when walking nudge with the heel for a longer stride every third walk step, once they have lengthened to where you want them leg off and let your seat keep the momentum. Then ask for shorter steps with your seat only and then ask for longer with the heel nudges.

It really helped my youngster to relax and get the walk swinging along. I had to be disciplined in asking only every third stride and then legs off when she achieved it, and only asking for longer strides for say half a circle before asking for shorter strides. Also making sure you aren't blocking the forwards with a stop aid (rein or seat). If they try to jog/ trot then just bring them back and ask again.

It was really simple but very effective, Beryl can be very backwards thinking and was quite tense being somewhere new (for a clinic) and this did a great job!

I do like the carrot idea though Beryl is also ruled by her tummy!

 

[JackFrost]

A slow walk could partly be caused by lack of physical mobility. Polework/ground work might help, and talk to a physio about how to help horse carry itself better.
Perhaps lunge to explain to the horse what you are asking for, and so you can see what the issue is.

 

[sbloom]

I'm with @JackFrost, always worth starting by being really objective about the horse's development, straightness, posture. I would caution against poles, even when given by some physios, the horse needs to be able to move correctly over them for them not to simply strengthen the current dysfunction, and this applies to so much groundwork, and ridden work! Even lunging, if a horse cannot move on two tracks on a circle, with soft neck etc, then you'll just make things worse overall, even if forwards improves temporarily.

We tend to forget how much extra work it is to carry a rider, not just in terms of physical effort but in how differently they need to move in order to carry us without compromise, and so often we ignore the basic issues going on under us and instead micromanage them, asking for more roundness, more bend etc, when their fundamentals haven't been addressed first. Not an accusation but way more common than most people realise.