The not quite spanish walk -- curiosity question

[staceyk]

My 11-year-old Hano gelding has a walk that tends to “go spanish” – throwing the front legs/footslapping – if I’m not careful. My trainer indicates that its Not Correct and we work to discourage it by rebalancing/collecting. We can generally keep it in check but I’m curious as to what causes it, aside from the rider (me) overdriving/pushing him onto his shoulder. At times it feels/seems playful – the swinging shoulder and rhythmic footslapping – could that be a factor? What is going on biomechanically?

VIdeo of this horse at: https://youtu.be/9stJ7SwkQsk (see around 17-20 seconds for the “movement”)

I’ve seen other horses do this, very occasionally, but generally on a long rein. Again, this is not something that is keeping me up nights, I’m just curious.

[leheath]

Has your horse ever been trained in Spanish Walk? Some horses (assuming they know how to do it) will use it when they are confused by the aids in the walk or you might be unintentionally giving him aids similar to those he was taught for Spanish Walk?

[right_horse_at_the_right_time]

Counted walk. There are some international horses doing it now…fantastic horses.

There apparently is a use for it but I think it presents itself at inopportune times sometimes :).

[alibi_18]

Your horse is reacting to your nagging with your heels and restricting with your seat/tights.
He’s actually sitting and becoming behind your legs a little because he doesn’t want to engage more so instead, he’s lifting more its shoulders and front end.

To me, it is not a bad thing at all. It’s the beginning of the counted walk like RightHorse said. But you’d need to engage/activate more the hind legs. It would make nicer transitions from a better pushing hind.

Then you could get nice half steps and an expressive piaffe.

Work to lower the base of the withers for now and « push » for him to lengthen its neck.
Imagine a swimmer doing the butterfly.

Really nice fancy horse. You’ll go up the level easily with that one! Lucky!

ETA: More collection won’t help fix that, you need to go lower and longer and more foward.

[staceyk]

I’ve owned him since he was a baby – no training in Spanish walk. I’ve never heard of a counted walk, interesting!

Alibi_18, he is a good one. Thanks for the feedback.

[China_Doll]

I have nothing to ad except FINALLY someone who has a question posted a video. THANK YOU fun to watch

[merrygoround]

Relax your hips, feel the side to side motion of the walk, and allow it to happen.

[MysticOakRanch]

It is sometimes called goose stepping, and is indicative of tension in the walk.

[GraceLikeRain]

I don’t have anything to add but just wanted to say that it is so helpful to see a video. It really helps align the responses and helps other readers like myself learn. Lovely lovely horse.

[Mondo]

You have a horse with a really SUPER walk! That is such a great thing. Congratulations, he’s NICE! As others have mentioned, he’s doing that because he has some tension in the walk. Just keep working on relaxation of both of you. Do frequent free walk/medium walk transitions too. That will help.

[staceyk]

Thanks all – he’s sensitive but also tolerant – a kind soul and I’m very lucky to have him. My husand took this footage in frigid temps, I felt creakier than normal. That said, I really need to challenge myself to do more stretching (which I hate) and core exercises.

[Dressage_Strider]

Can someone expound on the counted walk? What it is etc?

[smoofox]

Zenyatta walk!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05gLi7LJUsk

But I agree with the posters above - both about the tension/excitement in the walk and the lovely horse…

[joiedevie99]

As others have said, it comes from tension. First, take a deep breath, relax your body, and make sure you aren’t the problem. Exaggerate the following motion with your hands and hips for a few steps. Then think about diffusing it by re-directing the energy - a step of leg yield, a step of shoulder in, a step of walk pirouette, a free walk transition, etc.

[alibi_18]

@Dressage_Strider

Can someone expound on the counted walk? What it is etc?

I would first say that it gets mixed up with the school walk now.
They are not well defined… and theories surrounding the different types of walk are subject to great discussions…

Maybe someone more versed in classical riding will chime in and disagree with me, but to me :

A school walk is closer to the spanish walk
A counted walk is closer to the piaffe.

In the past: The counted walk was really diagonalized and the school walk wasn’t.

Now: You don’t want the walk to get lateral.
So the counted walk shouldn’t be 2 beat, but it does get close since the next step can be the half steps/piaffe.

If the OP was consciously asking for this gait, the horse would be doing what could be considered kind of a mix between the school walk (more suspension) and the counted walk (slower- closer to a lateral walk without being it).

It’s more of the French tradition. You can find writings from German riders too.
If you can get your hands on Oliveira, Beudant or Henriquet books, those would be great readings to start. I find Philippe Karl to exagerate with his hands… but that’s just me.
*My books are all in French and today, my English brain is still on vacation.

To me, despite the tension that can occur (and should be « eliminated »), it is a great tool to work the horse’s shoulders and develop the hind leg thrust/engagement.
It makes horses more expressive and mobile. (You get to control its legs quite independently)
I really see nothing wrong with playing with what the horse is willingly giving. It broadens its range of motion and develops more refine movements (? moving more graciously).

And yes, again, negative tensions in whatever you are doing should be diffused into positive ones.

[dudleyc]

@Dressage_Strider

Can someone expound on the counted walk? What it is etc?

My understanding of the counted walk started with an exercise described by Heather Blitz. The idea was that the horse takes one footfall forward and halts one footfall halt etc. so the walk has the same one two three four rhythm but it’s one pause two pause three pause four.

The advantages of of this exercise is really tremendous. The horse must really be in tune with the riders aids (especially as the rider controls the length of the pause. It also greatly improves the horses balance.

while this is an exercise I do rarely and selectively I have found it to be super helpful. It can be especially useful in establishing the idea of piaffe.

[Lusoluv]

I ride a jumper that has the same tendency as the OPs. If I don’t encourage him to stretch side to side and over his back and lengthen his neck at the walk during warm up, he is not very through. And he will do the goose step walk when you pick up the reins and put him into contact. When he is fluid over his back, he will stretch out those front legs and put them forward and down vs the goose step which is lift/put the foreleg forward, but then it comes back a bit. Definitely a sign of tension…maybe not severe tension, but there nonetheless. I had to walk that horse for 10 minutes extra this week since it is so cold. After our normal warm up, he goose stepped, so went right back to figures at the walk for a bit, then he was fine.

[Lusoluv]

PS: I do teach my horses the Spanish Walk. It’s a fun game and also great for freeing up the shoulders and a good intro before teaching passage/piaffe.

[WildLittleWren]

I don’t have any advice but HAD to comment on what a gorgeous horse you have there!

[alibi_18]

I’d like to add that the school walk or counted walk technically come after the collected walk in the training progression. Tension in the shoulders or the back shouldn’t be present.

So for those commenting about the tension in the OP’s horse or in those doing the « goose walk », for sure it comes from some tension or as an evasion.

That doesn’t mean it should be « reprimanded ».
Redirecting it is more like it.

Think about when a horse offers flyng changes on their own instead of, let’s say do a canter lengthening or a leg yield or during the counter canter. It usually comes from tension, evasion and the horse being unbalanced.
Still, you shouldn’t correct it as it was a negative thing to do because later on, you will want the horse to feel it’s ok to change. (in a much more controled fashion)
You don’t want to kill that willingness and the expression in the movement.

So to me, the same goes for this kind of movement. Cherish what your horse offers you and use it at your advantage through its training.