The value of walk

[oldie48]

Mr b and I are both finding the weather a bt too hot but we've kept going. i've reduced the amount of canter, (do it early in the schooling session) and doing much more in walk. Well, what a relevation! Walk is rapidly becoming my new best friend, just moving him about in all the lateral work making sure I've got the shoulder and he is properly listening to the leg is teaching me so much. Getting him to stretch then picking him up is teaching us both a lot about contact and walk piris (which we both find quite hard) are just brilliant for getting him soft and through. It has improved hs trot work and when I start to lose control of the canter, it's great for getting him back on the aids and for me to get my seat again.

 

[lamlyn2012]

Yes, we've been doing similar too. There's a lot you can do in walk and surprisingly haven't got bored. Also done a lot of work without stirrups and am now riding a hole longer.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

Walk is very underrated! It's the first thing anyone sees as soon as you walk into any ring.

 

[little_critter]

My schooling session must have looked very dull earlier this week. My mare tends to go tight and quarters in. So we spent quite a bit of time just walking round the school, making sure at the short ends she stayed forward, relaxed and straight. It was actually quite mentally demanding for her.

 

[Red-1]

We have been doing a lot of walk schooling on our hacks. Moving the shoulder round, using direct and indirect aids, leg yielding, picking up and letting back out, moving the quarters, getting forward of the leg....

 

[Mule]

Yes. Walk has been my friend in the heat aswell. Lots you can do. Also great for learning new things, as you have more time to figure things out.

Have started bringing a horse back into work that has been off for about 3 years. I'm finding walk-halt transitions great for getting him off his forehand.

 

[Goldenstar]

It’s certainly the season for walking .

 

[Bubblewrap]

A few years ago I had a few lessons with a very good pro dressage rider, every lesson we did started with 20 mins of walk work. All kinds of stuff - lateral, circles, squares, halts. The trot work afterwards was so much better for it. She moved away from the area but I have held on to the walk work ethic in our schooling. x

 

[SOS]

Physio recommended 20 minutes of proper walking with lateral work at the start of every schooling session to engage and warm up the back so the horse would use himself more correctly up the paces. Also to go straight from walk to canter after this. The difference it made in a few weeks was amazing, horse felt a lot more balanced and supple.

I quite often ride dressage tests in walk, halting at transition changes or changing pace. Taking the stirrups away for 10 minutes of this work also makes a huge difference to my riding. I feel longer and more balanced too!

 

[JFTDWS]

I try to limit my time on surfaces and use that time for faster work when the ground is as it is, but out hacking we're clocking up hours of walk. Walking out over different terrain and rough footing really is excellent for fitness and developing musculature, especially on young horses. Plus you can get a lot of straightness and lateral schooling done.

 

[Mule]

I try to limit my time on surfaces and use that time for faster work when the ground is as it is, but out hacking we're clocking up hours of walk. Walking out over different terrain and rough footing really is excellent for fitness and developing musculature, especially on young horses. Plus you can get a lot of straightness and lateral schooling done.

I do most of my on road hacking in walk. Another thing I like about walking is if we are somewhere interesting I have time to have a look around and just relax.

 

[Notimetoride]

Love this thread! I too spend a lot of time in walk and won't trot until she's nice and supple and in front of my leg. The longer I spend in walk the better everything else is! Very very occasionally if she's really uptight I might have a canter early on but that's rare. I do 20m circles to begin, then serpentines, serpentines with a circle at the end, leg yield, lots of shoulder in, walk pirouettes etc etc. I always feel a bit daft at competitions walking endlessly whilst everyone else is whizzing round in canter looking like pro's, but for us, without a doubt, the longer I spend in walk the better.

 

[humblepie]

We competed on Saturday on grass and our whole warm up was in walk as it was so hard. Also had a lesson the other week which didn't want to cancel but was so hot spent practically all that in walk. Was really useful work going from the slowest walk possibly to a really marching walk and back again and then working on my position in lateral work. Generally do most of our hacking at walk unless there is a really nice piece of grass for a canter.

 

[Notimetoride]

Love this thread! I too spend a lot of time in walk and won't trot until she's nice and supple and in front of my leg. The longer I spend in walk the better everything else is! Very very occasionally if she's really uptight I might have a canter early on but that's rare. I do 20m circles to begin, then serpentines, serpentines with a circle at the end, leg yield, lots of shoulder in, walk pirouettes etc etc. I always feel a bit daft at competitions walking endlessly whilst everyone else is whizzing round in canter looking like pro's, but for us, without a doubt, the longer I spend in walk the better.