- Published on
With the heat we have been having this summer, I have been working a lot in walk so that the horse and rider don’t become over heated. I know that may riders feel that walk is not a beneficial pace and quickly move on to trot and canter work, so here is a plan you can use and adapt for a walk training session.
Begin with some circles on each rein.
This will start a warm-up and give you time to focus on how your horse feels today.
The size of the circle will depend on your horse’s level of training, novice horses need to be ridden on larger circles to help the maintain their balance, more advanced horse can be ridden on smaller circles.
As you ride the circle, focus on the quality of your horse’s balance, the release of their body around your inside leg, the connection in your outside rein and the softness on the inside rein.
Then begin some lateral work.
Ride movements that are within your horse’s current training level, novice horses may be yielding, advanced horses can do shoulder-in, travers, renvers or half pass.
Focus on the quality of each step in the movement. Check that your horse remains balanced and light, in a level of self-carriage according to the training level.
Add in some rein back steps.
Again, if you horse is working at a novice level, only ask a couple of steps, more advanced horses can do more steps.
Check that each step is made slowly, and that your horse moves straight. If the haunches swing the off the line, very gently pulse your hands in the same direction (haunches move left, move both your hands to the left) to nudge their shoulders back in front of the haunches, even if it takes them off the original line. If you try to put the haunches back behind the shoulders, they will become disengaged.
The make some transitions between lateral movements.
Shoulder-in to travers, half pass to renvers etc.
For novice horses you can yielding on and off the track, with 2 or 3 steps to the inside, then straight, change the bend and 2 make or 3 steps back to the track.
The ride down the centre line checking the quality of your straightness.
Add in a halt and rein back transition.
Rider shoulder in on the centre line or a yield off the centre line, stopping the yield at the ¾ line.
Ridden in a balanced quality walk, a programme like this will exercise your horse without over exerting them.
© Diane Followell - Training Riders, Transforming Horses
Begin with some circles on each rein.
This will start a warm-up and give you time to focus on how your horse feels today.
The size of the circle will depend on your horse’s level of training, novice horses need to be ridden on larger circles to help the maintain their balance, more advanced horse can be ridden on smaller circles.
As you ride the circle, focus on the quality of your horse’s balance, the release of their body around your inside leg, the connection in your outside rein and the softness on the inside rein.
Then begin some lateral work.
Ride movements that are within your horse’s current training level, novice horses may be yielding, advanced horses can do shoulder-in, travers, renvers or half pass.
Focus on the quality of each step in the movement. Check that your horse remains balanced and light, in a level of self-carriage according to the training level.
Add in some rein back steps.
Again, if you horse is working at a novice level, only ask a couple of steps, more advanced horses can do more steps.
Check that each step is made slowly, and that your horse moves straight. If the haunches swing the off the line, very gently pulse your hands in the same direction (haunches move left, move both your hands to the left) to nudge their shoulders back in front of the haunches, even if it takes them off the original line. If you try to put the haunches back behind the shoulders, they will become disengaged.
The make some transitions between lateral movements.
Shoulder-in to travers, half pass to renvers etc.
For novice horses you can yielding on and off the track, with 2 or 3 steps to the inside, then straight, change the bend and 2 make or 3 steps back to the track.
The ride down the centre line checking the quality of your straightness.
Add in a halt and rein back transition.
Rider shoulder in on the centre line or a yield off the centre line, stopping the yield at the ¾ line.
Ridden in a balanced quality walk, a programme like this will exercise your horse without over exerting them.
© Diane Followell - Training Riders, Transforming Horses
