The Gaits -The Walk


	The walk is a gait with four beats.


	When a horse walks, trots or canters he moves his legs one or two at a time. When a horse moves a leg it is called a step. A stride is the distance a horse covers with all 4 legs, which is approx. 12 feet. Within each stride pattern there are different beats


	The sequence in the animation, above, shows it to be:




		Right Hind



		Left Hind




		Right Front



		Left Front


	There should be a distinct 4-beat rhythm to the walk. It is a sign of tension in the horse or restriction by the rider if the walk shows sign of becoming 2-beat; also known as ambling (diagonal pair moving together) or pacing (lateral pair moving together). The main cause is trying to collect the walk or make the horse work in the walk too early.


	The Walk


		The Trot

	The Regularity of the Trot


	The Canter


	The Regularity of the Walk


	The Regularity of the Canter

"Working on a contact doesn't ruin the walk; walking incorrectly on a contact ruins it!"


	Copyright © Sue Morris 1998-2008 The “3 Black Horses” & Email logos are trademarks of the Classical Dressage Notebook