Adding a walk only day into the routine

[netg]

Obviously once you can get out, just walking until your baby is relaxed and swinging is a good way to go.

In an arena, I really value what Alex Gerding taught me. You are so sensitive and aware of your horse it will be natural for you, and seems so obvious.
Use lateral work/bend to help get the relaxation you’re looking for. Just play with it and see what makes him looser. If it makes him feel looser, go with it. And do his easy side first, because it loosens up the tighter muscles through getting them moving, and when you work on the harder side it will be easier.
We’ve progressed to the stage of finding tight areas and working on them specifically stage, but starting by going with what’s easier is a good first start.

[Lunabear1988]

One day I had a bad headache but needed to saddle up (as much for me as him.) I texted my husband that I was only doing a walk ride, that I’d be done in 20 minutes. Well we found enough to do at the walk that I rode for 40 minutes! My poor husband was a little worried lol. Definitely does not need to be boring.

I’ve thought about that app, thank you for sharing.

[Lunabear1988]

Leg yield seems to be a really good thing right now for tension. Good reminder, thank you.

[EventerAJ]

Practice your dressage tests at a walk. I don’t mean just the pattern and where you go, but HOW you ride it. Think about straightness, getting deep in the corners, preparing for transitions, picking your horse up and letting him out. I go through my upcoming test every day at a walk as my warm up; I half-halt, ride collected or medium wherever the test calls for…just at walk instead of trot or canter. I ride the whole test at a walk with as much focus, concentration & attention to detail as I would in the show ring…do this every day and it becomes habit, for your horse too. It can’t help but improve the walk, even if you aren’t directly “working” on the walk. Riding your test effectively-- going forward, back, half halt for corners and transitions, lateral work, all improves the gait while you are focused on riding the TEST and not nit-picking hyperfocused on your horse’s every footfall.

[2tempe]

My Lusi is now 20, and I religiously do probably 15 minutes of walk work before trot/canter work. First an open, stretchy walk then all types of lateral, forward and back, medium to collected, etc.

[Ambitious_Kate]

What a great topic. My recent horse was very out of shape when I got him. We spent the first year mostly at a walk and on ground. He developed his topline and strength from this. There was so much to learn at a walk.

[sweetsalute]

I don’t have a regular walk only day, it happens sometimes as I’ve only got a grass arena and whilst it drains superbly well, if we get enough rain it does get too squishy/slippery for anything else.

My 5yo though does really really well with a long walk warmup. A few laps each way on a loose rein first, and then lots of direction changes, half halts, bigger/smaller walk and some basic lateral work. If we walk for 15mins or so first, her trot is then much much more relaxed. In contrast, my hot 21yo gets cranky and does better with more trot work early on. Horses for courses!

[endlessclimb]

I love this idea! Thank you!

I also second whoever said if it gets hairy consistently to just wait until the spring.

Some days, I can do good work at a walk before moving on with my young horse. Other days she’s a hot, tense mess that needs to get some of her woolies out (trot on a longer rein, or a nice forward canter) before it’s worth doing any serious walk work. That’s not to say I don’t warm up at a walk, but sometimes a loose rein is all we can do until some of the gas is out of the tank, else we risk tension/poor quality walk. We go back to more serious walk work later in the ride on the “woohoo lets roll!” days.

I can read ^ that ^ within minutes of sitting on her, so I just adjust to what she needs that day.

[Jealoushe]

I love this! I do this before I practice my test at home, but on a long rein and visualizing the ride.

I spend a lot of time at the walk. I know a lot of riders don’t have the time or patience to bother so it’s great you are going to dedicate some time to it!

I do this once in a while, if I’m tired or sore or some other reason, but keep it short to about 20 mins.

Ride IQ also has an awesome warm up pattern by Gina Smith that will really get you and your horse marching forward.

[Equibrit]

You could make life interesting by doing some working equitation Ease of Handling kind of stuff. It will have de-spooking/young horse educational benefits too.

EOH Trial

[Lunabear1988]

We just did a working equitation clinic the other weekend! I did it in hand but I think it was fun for him. Definitely will play with it more in the future. He likes patterns and such. He likes to figure things out.

[Lunabear1988]

This is a really good reminder. He’s usually a chill guy but not always.

[MapleBreeze]

5 year olds get tired quick when you do really isolated work - either working on the shoulders or the hindend, so I usually follow it with a light day walking/hacking/mindless wtc on the rail.

If it’s a training day on a 5 year old then I ask greedy questions like shoulders, haunches, turn on the haunches, shoulder in leg yield etc all in the walk warm up. 5 year olds on the fast track I’m thinking canter walk canter. 5 year olds on the slow track can we please cross our legs and sit on our butt for just a tiny second without being naughty.

Also 5 year olds are usually heathens. Like they have learned things and gotten strong and when you ask them to sit and do more push-ups they have a pretty solid no thank you run forward or buck. I like 4 year olds because they are naive and 6 year olds are a little bit wiser…

So a lot of 5 year old walk questions would be: shoulder work, counter bend move shoulders then move back, shoulder in on a circle, leg yield, turn on the haunches, a little reinbsck…stretchy etc