You can improve the walk.

[Shirrine]

This weekend Lewyn got an 8 for his walk.
He doesn't have a naturally good walk. I have spent many long years working on his walk. From long walks across the diagonal to picking him on the short side and back to long walk. A lot of lateral work at walk. In all this I have insisted on softness and forward. I now have an 8 walk instead of a 6 walk.
Does little happy dance.

SHirrine

[Tsavo]

Great score. Good work.

When I helped rehab my horse over 10 years ago, his walk improved also. It was always purely 4 beat but became very prowly. In his case, I think we just got him back to his best walk as opposed to improving his natural walk. Canter is his best gait so there probably was a very good walk in there somewhere in his genes. We just uncovered it.

[MysticOak]

Yes I agree, you CAN! It just isn't easy. I'm dealing with a Pony walk that is short and SLOW and gets a lateral tendency when he feels nervous, so I'm doing a lot of leg yield in the walk, and not riding with too much contact at the walk. And it is getting better - the lateral tendency is pretty much gone, and the energy is getting better, and the strides are getting longer. When I ask for more "go", that use to mean jig, or kick, or NOTHING. Now he goes- at least for a few steps Our warm up every day is leg yield on the diagonal, then turn on the forehand... I know we'll never have an 8 walk, but it is going from a 5 to a 6 to 7...

So different from my mare who has a great walk...

I think a lot of walk issues are tension related. And some horses just have too BIG a walk, so collecting it is stressful to the horse (aka tension)...

Congrats - 8 is a big increase!

[Amado]

Yes! I do a ton of work at the walk. All the lateral work in the walk in the warmup, counterbent turns, SI to renver, travers to shoulder out, on straight lines, on circles. Lengthened walk to counted steps (or whatever they are called. ) and back. That thing that the western guys do, where you do a half turn around the forehand, and then move the shoulders turning the other half into a walk pirouette. Half pass to leg yield to big 180 degree turn around the forehand and then repeat the opposite direction. It not only improves the walk, but it makes all the other gaits start in a suppler ( is that a word?) place. Congrats on the 8!

[demi]

I love Lewyn! Congrats on the good score.

Rocky has a nice walk naturally so I havent though much about improving it. But, I have been doing a lot of walking lately for rehab, and have noticed a big improvement in the quality of contact. I am not sure why this is happening. My trainer said Rocky’s rehab at walk would be good for her but I was not sure about it. The real test will be to see how she does when I can put her back to work.

I havent done any real lateral work with the torn suspensory, but the contact she is giving me feels like she would give me nice lateral work if I asked for it.

[Shirrine]

Well it just got better. Just received his final test for the weekend and he didn't get 8 but 8.5 for his wlk and that was in a first level test I think it is in your language and a comment of active steps with lovely transition. I just love my pony. This weekend we go showing to show how handsome he is.

Shirrine

[piedmontfields]

Wow! Very impressive. Go Llewyn!

[Xanthoria]

Great job!

I too think Baby Bronto's walk has improved. It didn't track up before, but is starting to track up or even overtrack - we have a way to go. It was also NOT lateral, in that I see a distinct V and he is almost pulling front shoes off with hind feet... but has a 1-2....3-4 beat when you listen to it. Vs 1-2-3-4. I think with his back being so long, what I am hearing is actually 2-3....4-1, if that makes sense?