Unintentional spanish walk

[staceyk]

So my 9 year old gelding, a hanoverian, is “volunteering” the beginnings of a Spanish walk-- exaggerated knee action (up out down) and the slapping-down of the foot, at the walk. It is not a full spanish walk but it’s the start. I don’t want this and my trainer helps me correct it. I correct it by half-halting and getting the focus back more on the hind leg activity. I think it happens when he flattens out at the walk, gets too long.

What could be causing this response? Where the heck does this come from? How do you actually TRAIN the spanish walk?

[skydy]

Is it possible that the girth is pinching him?

[alibi_18]

I wouldn’t half halt but rather would push him in front of the leg.

I would not ‘‘punish’’ it either, just redirect that energy to something more usefull for now. This aptitude could come in handy later on in your training.

I’ve taught horses to do the spanish walk and it is a valuable tool in their skills box. One offered some sort of a spanish trot and was able to put some more expression in his extended trot and canter. Nice little TB.

I’m starting half steps with my mare and she’s offering some weird ‘spanish’ expression in there… So in my case, it comes more from excitement/frustration/collection-energy than the boredom or flattening or a possible annoyement he might have, that you are experiencing with your horse but I would still correct it the same way : Forward, quiet, come back.

[staceyk]

No, it does not seem to be a pain reaction – it actually feels and looks sort of playful, ears pricked interested like it’s a fun game. This horse is a bit of a clown…

[netg]

Both of my horses started doing it more in hand than under saddle at the time they started getting more lift in front and push from behind, as if they were playing “oooh, look how loose I am and what I can do with my legs!” It did coincide with more uphill movement and elasticity in general and was done with ears pricked. Both of them get major grouchy face if anything is uncomfortable so I am pretty convinced it was a play and see what the body will let them do kind of thing.

[skydy]

[QUOTE=staceyk;8430315]
No, it does not seem to be a pain reaction – it actually feels and looks sort of playful, ears pricked interested like it’s a fun game. This horse is a bit of a clown…[/QUOTE]

Have you seen the (now retired) TB race mare Zenyatta before a race? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05gLi7LJUsk
Is that what he’s doing?

[digihorse]

This sounds more like goose stepping… which is not as big as a true Spanish walk… but comes from incorrect tension in the collection of the walk

[Petstorejunkie]

What does your contact feel like when it happens?
How would you describe the tension level in your hips?

What your describing is not on the training spectrum in learning Spanish walk fwiw.

[staceyk]

Digihorse and Petstore I think you probably have nailed it. No it is not a big spanish walk, it is more like a that is a) getting on a trailer ramp for the first time or stepping in a puddle. While I would not say my horse feels tense necessarily and he looks pretty happy, I do carry tension in my hips. He likes to be long/strung out like a hunter and I’m trying to “engage and lighten shoulder”.

Tell me more about this!

[Pennywell_Bay]

[QUOTE=staceyk;8432257]
Digihorse and Petstore I think you probably have nailed it. No it is not a big spanish walk, it is more like a that is a) getting on a trailer ramp for the first time or stepping in a puddle. While I would not say my horse feels tense necessarily and he looks pretty happy, I do carry tension in my hips. He likes to be long/strung out like a hunter and I’m trying to “engage and lighten shoulder”.

Tell me more about this![/QUOTE]

Side bar: good hunters aren’t strung out. Not the same collection as you see in (intentional) dressage movement, but not strung out.

[Dressagelvr]

I think this sounds more like pawing. He is expressing some sort of confusion, discomfort, or disobedience.

It is very easy to ruin a walk. I’d recommend that you focus your engagement efforts at the trot and canter instead of the walk. Spend as much time walking on a loose rein as possible.

[snowrider]

To ask for Spanish walk/trot you use opposite rein and leg for each step. So left leg, raise right rein, shift weight left, horse lifts right front. Then you swap. The leg aids are similar to American hunter riders asking for canter, except obviously with more collection and you lift the inside rein high up. There is a lot of shifting of the riders weight. Look on YouTube and you’ll see.

I would suggest that maybe your alternating leg aids at the walk are too strong/ too strongly differentiated and/ or you or the horse naturally tends to sway a bit side to side in the contact at the walk and you are getting this leg lifting as a response. Keeping your weight centered over the shoulders nd riding softly forward might help.

[jaybird660]

I have had this happen recently when asking for more engagement in the walk as my OTTB is happy to go around quite casually. The trainer suggested dealing with it either by slowing down with half halts or going a bit more forward, in other words, changing the pattern. It can be caused from tension as this is a more demanding task.