ridecamp@endurance.net: [endurance] Pokey walk

[endurance] Pokey walk

JENNIFER H LAYMAN (Jennifer.Hixson@forsythe.stanford.edu)
Thu, 15 Feb 96 08:53:31 PST

>My horse, Chavo, has many wonderful qualities, but his walk is not one of
>them. He has this plodding, slow, take-me-to-the-knackers walk that I just
>can't seem to improve. Even when on a loose rein on a downhill on the way
>home, his walk is just plain POKEY! In addition, he trips frequently at the
>walk, but hardly ever at the trot.
>

>>I can not stand a itisy bitsy slow walk. First you might want to
>>check his saddle and see if it is restricting in the shoulder
>>area. A restriction there could bother him at a walk more than it
>>would at a trot. __

Yes, change your saddle and see if it makes a difference. This may
not be your problem - (has he always had a slow walk?), but my mare
normally clips at a walk, then this fall she turned into a poke (at
the walk only) and I had a hard time deciding if it was the saddle
or not, because other gates were great, and no back tenderness. I
switched saddles to see what would happen and sure enough she moved
out.

The dressage advice is great too - My mare can also be barn sour and
poke on the way out, but head home at twice the walking speed, so I
too will take the dressage advice given. I know with my mare a lot
of it is boredom. If I do the same trails over and over (which
happens in the winter time) she slows down a lot, and as soon as I
go some where new she really comes alive. I have a lot more horse
if I never do the same thing two days in a row.

Jennifer & Hoosannah
Palo Alto, CA

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