Exactly What Makes Walk the Most Essential Gait for Horses?

How your horse carries himself (his frame) while he is being ridden affects his physical and mental state. For him to be able to perform at his best requires that he is supple, balanced and has strong back muscles to comfortably carry the saddle and rider without stress or strain. Your horse needs to work in the correct posture or "frame" to be able to perform at his best.

A superior riding frame starts with a good walk. A good walk is among the most tough gait to accomplish, the quickest to eliminate, has even, lively, rhythmical steps with impulsion, can simply be practiced by using elastic muscles, a moving back and versatile joints. If your horse is pressured or has tight muscles, he cannot attain a good walk. To be able to come up with a good walk, you need to stimulate your horse to push onward energetically from his hindquarters in order that his hind legs step effectively beneath him. It is necessary that you let go any strain in your own body. Relax from your neck to your seat bones together with all your joints (shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, ankles & toes). Always keep your core active. Your horse will replicate what he feels from you. Have a flexible, subsequent contact on long reins.

If perhaps your horse won't proceed into the contact, hollows his back, takes short "sewing machine" steps or rushes into trot, work him on a 20 metre circle. Using this method you can motivate him to flex more around your inside leg. Feel and keep to the natural swing of your horse's barrel. Continue to keep your legs carefully contacting the barrel and give a more robust push with your inside leg as you feel his barrel swing outward.

Ensure your outside leg is soft so that it follows and does not block the movement. The bend helps your horse relax and lower his neck which helps lift his back to level. At the same time, your seat asks your horse to step forward.As your horse develops a good, relaxed walk with impulsion, swing and suppleness on the circle in one direction then work on the other direction. You may find your horse finds it easier going one way than the other. This is normal because horse's are left or right sided the same as we are left or right handed. If you or your horse get frustrated or tense going one way, go back to the direction where the work was easier until you get relaxed again.

Once you have developed a good walk with some consistency on the circles then you can start to do some work on the straight line coming back to the circle to re-establish relaxation whenever necessary.