Walking Workouts for Your Horse

Many classical dressage masters from the past often praised the merits of long schooling sessions at only the walk. This kind of training refines muscle recruitment releases tension stored in poor postural habits and stimulates the slowtwitch fibers used for stabilizing the skeleton. In other words there is big value in workouts at the walk. And note how I have used the term workouts since that is how you should think of them. These are purposeful sessions not strolls.
Because the walk does not require much physical effort on our part as riders it is common to drift off and lose focus. Alternatively many riders assume it is not worth saddling up if they are confined to only walking. Neither of these scenarios allows riders to reap the enormous benefits of time spent schooling the walk. Change your approach this winter. Use days of inclement weather to retool how you perceive these quieter workouts and just what you can accomplish.

Work at the walk is highly fruitful for educating the horses body confirming postures and loosening him. Walking allows for full contraction of the long back muscles within a pulsating and swinging motion that prevents tension. Conversely the isometric stabilizing role played by the back when trotting can create tension patterns. Engaging in training periods without trotting therefore can allow for a positive change in the horses posture and stride.
Further walking recruits a greater number of small postural muscles that stabilize the spine. These are the ones that create and store patterns. Recruiting these muscles develops more finelytuned motor control through greater range of motion in limbs and joint flexion.
Even during the busiest days it is likely you can find 25 minutes to get on and ride one of the walk routines below. Really concentrate on creating the highest quality movements and figures for those 25 minutes. Treat them with the same focus as you would a dressage test or show. You can extend their benefits by dynamic stretches or calisthenics prior to mounting. These might include backing up lateral work in hand and bodywork techniques such as belly lifts and pelvic tucks.
If you consistently practice these 25minute workouts at least three times per week you will maintain a majority of tone in your horses postural muscle system. From a fitness standpoint this matters more than trying to keep up cardiovascular gains.
Horses respond rapidly to cardiovascular conditioning and when you resume your