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Re: [RC] Walk? - heidi[Barb] The thing you notice about Dot is that even at a walk, her legs are active. She consistently bumps them in rythm with the stride (alternating sides). [Karen] *Okay, I am a bit confused here......I have heard conflicting things about this....one that if you lightly bump the side of the horse on the side right before the front shoulder comes forward, it will encourage this..... The bump actually needs to occur while the hind leg on that side is in flight. This IS before the shoulder goes forward as well, but I find it easier to think in terms of what my leg is doing relative to the leg the horse is moving. second, that if your legs are always moving, the horse will learn to IGNORE cues....as in it will desensitize them.....better to give one, understandable cue, and back it up with a light crop or spur tap if they ignore it. The thing with the walk is that it is like an ongoing conversation. This isn't a "cue" in the same sense as asking the horse to change leads or change gaits or anything. It is actually a gentle helper to the reflex arc that causes the leg to move. Hence it is a rhythm that you keep up every stride, as long as you are trying to influence the extension of the walk. As you get the horse used to doing it, he doesn't need the help as often. Well, I'm open minded as I have a slow walking 5 year old....pretty lazy, but I HAVE seen times where she is motivated and is quite capable of walking fast..... Most of them CAN do it, with motivation... :-) It is a matter of becoming the motivator as the rider, instead of leaving it to their own devices, when they are missing their buddies or late for dinner. Heidi ============================================================ The only thing worse than crewing for a female Endurance rider is crewing for a wet, tired female Endurance Rider! A good crew person has patience, a sense of humor, and knows that sometimes it's best to say nothing at all! ~ Jim Holland ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/ ============================================================
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