Walk. Refining the riders aids for a longer step and more connection. S...

"How do you know if....your horse is really listening to your leg and rein aids at the walk?  Refining your connection"

Did you know the walk is often the most difficult gait for many riders to keep connected? There is something about the walk that makes us relax and not focus on the connection like we do at the trot and canter. That is fine for a rest break or a quiet ride down the trail. However, we also want our horses to stay connected and in balance when we want them to. This takes practice and a little bit of focus. It has been fun to watch the progress of Trudy and Ani these past years (this is Season 3) and now they are at the point in their training where they are refining their connection at new levels. In this session Trudy asked how she could keep Ani connected and taking longer steps. Many horses who are new to connection (rounding up, packaging, on the aids...) tend to step with shorter steps when the rider takes up the reins. Now you can see what I did with Trudy so that she could feel Ani stepping up more from behind and into the rein with longer steps on both straight lines and curves.