Questions on the Walk

Hi Sandy,

Your questions about the walk are pertinent.
It happens that I covered this topic in a Newsletter I published after the Olympics in 1992, under the title "The importance of the walk".
Most of the content of this newsletter is posted in webpages linked directly to: bigsoar.com/walk.html
Read them all, you may find answers to most of your questions.

Sincerely,
Michel Kaplan

Hello Michel,
Thank you for your reply.I enjoyed your articles.You have made quite a study of the walk.I particularly enjoyed your article on the importance of a correct warm up.I like the concept of a 4 "time" pace or an 8 "stage" pace.So that there are two alternating tripods of support,that is,2 fronts and 1 hind and then 2 hinds and the other front;the correct walk indeed being diagonalized,albeit split, with some lateral input.
I like the concept that if the free walk is impure,for whatever reason, the other gaits will suffer.Looking at this from the other direction it also seems clear that that the quality of the training will be reflected in the quality of the walk,given that the horse is sound.
With regards,
Sandy.

Hi Sandy and Michel,

Difficult to add something after the reading of Michel's article! What I noticed is that so many horses are walking incorrectly because they are restrained by the rider. After the warming up of course, once the jaw is relaxed and the horse perceiving the exact "frame" where he should stay, the walk is easy and with four beats. Well, that's my perception.

Hi Sandy and Michel,

Difficult to add something after the reading of Michel's article! What I noticed is that so many horses are walking incorrectly because they are restrained by the rider. After the warming up of course, once the jaw is relaxed and the horse perceiving the exact "frame" where he should stay, the walk is easy and with four beats. Well, that's my perception.

Hello Sandy,

I am glad you enjoyed my articles.
For reference, if you can read French, I found the best analysis of horse's gaits in Pierre Chambry's "Allures et Sentiments". It opened my eyes to the 8 stages of the walk.
And, the Article 403 of the FEI rules about the walk states in §3:
"It is at the pace of the walk that the imprfections of dressage are most evident".
I wish judges pay attention to that statement.

With regards,
Michel

Hello Vincent,

Thank you for praising my articles about the walk; unfortunately, they answer only some of Sandy’s questions. I’m definitely not qualified to discuss the “school walk”.
Though, I can confirm that, when the free walk is totally clean and the horse can be placed on the bit at the walk without resorting to force, his canter will improve.

In the old forum, I sang often the virtues of the work at the walk.
The pace being slow, not lazy, it gives time to the rider to set clear communications with his/her horse. Eyes closed, in a safe environment, the rider may feel the motion of the horse’s body and identify the moves of each of the horse’s legs, to apply his/her aids accordingly.

I believe that it is General L’Hotte who, in his later years, trained only horses at the walk before turning them to his students. Then, they where ready to give piaffe and as Nuno Oliveira wrote: “When a horse knows how to piaffe he can begin any other gait without hesitation or effort”.

Ideally, the progression at the walk in lightness is a perfect way to secure longevity. It should be kept in mind throughout the training, while warming up the horse and while resuming work after a pause.

Wishing you the best,
Michel