Is the walk your weakest link? Justin Ridgewell, an FEI competitor and Equine Canada certified “B” dressage judge based in Collingwood, ON, says the walk is one of the most difficult gaits due to its lack of natural forward movement. Without that natural forwardness, any irregularity in the walk rhythm becomes visible to even the untrained eye.
As the only gait which carries a coefficient of 2 in every test from training level right through to grand prix, the walk is worthy of attention within your regular schooling routine. “Walk breaks should still be considered work within your training program,” says Ridgewell. “Maintain a slight contact with the horse’s mouth and create a marching walk while taking a break, rather than just throwing your reins to the buckle and relaxing your core. Continuing to pay attention to the quality of the gait, even while taking a break, will help improve the walk.”
We asked Ridgewell to break down the essential elements he looks for when judging the walk, as well as the most common mistakes.
Medium walk
I like to see a horse with purpose in his medium walk and a marching, steady four-beat rhythm. He should stay on the bit and work softly into the contact while continuing to work from the hind end and over the back. Common comments include “needs more march” and “losing energy/activity” when the horse isn’t working forward into a steady contact or loses the four-beat rhythm.
Free walk
The free walk should cover the most ground possible and show complete freedom in the horse’s neck and back. The rider should allow the horse to stretch forward and downward while increasing the length of stride with a clear overtrack and four-beat rhythm, while showing relaxation over the back. Marks decrease when riders don’t show a clear difference between the medium and the free walk, don’t allow the horse to stretch forward and downward, or don’t demonstrate a clear overtrack. They often confuse forward with fast and chase the horse into a free walk, losing the balance and rhythm and causing the horse to jog.
Collected walk
The collected walk should cover less ground than the medium walk, without losing the forward march. The horse should stay on the bit and show a more closed frame with increased activity of the hind leg, while maintaining a relaxed and regular four-beat rhythm. The most common issue here is tension; riders sometimes try to force a collected walk by taking too much rein and not giving the horse freedom to walk forward into a steady contact.
Extended walk
Extended walk should cover ground and march with purpose while keeping the horse supple through the back. The rider should maintain a light contact without causing tension or irregularity in rhythm. The hind foot will be clearly in front of the footprint of the front foot and the nose should be clearly in front of the vertical. Riders are sometimes hesitant to allow the horse to stretch down in the show ring and don’t show enough lengthening of the stride and neck or overtrack from the hind feet.
Try this at home:
Ridgewell suggests using different variations of leg yield to supple the horse’s back and improve the walk.
“Whether down the long side with the horse’s head to the wall, across the diagonal line, or on a circle/bending line, leg yield asks both horse and rider to be aware of the hindquarter and the front at the same time, while requiring the rider to ride the hind leg into a steady contact.”
Walk poles are another of his favourite tools to help establish a steady rhythm. Simply place as many poles as you like on the ground, evenly spaced at a distance appropriate to the horse’s size. For more advanced horses, raise the poles slightly off the ground to improve activity and suppleness.
