ISO exercises to improve the extended walk

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lorilu
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ISO exercises to improve the extended walk

Postby lorilu » Fri Jan 25, 2019 11:51 pm

Yes, I know the walk is easy to ruin. I am looking for exercises to improve the overstride in the Extended walk. My Lusitano is, like many, barely stepping into his prints. This is not a new problem. I AM working with a trainer. Looking for exercises and ideas.
Yes, he is pushing from behind. His hocks are not out back.
We do carrot stretches and butt tucks after working.
He is seen regularly by a very good chiro/vet
His hocks were injected recently and there is some improvement but like I said this is not a new issue. It is his natural way of going. Even in a nice, swinging, forward Free Walk, he barely steps into his prints.
He wears BoT sheet and hock boots before every ride.
His farrier has pushed his toes back.
He NEVER forges. Ever.

We are schooling PSG.

TIA

blob
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Re: ISO exercises to improve the extended walk

Postby blob » Sat Jan 26, 2019 2:21 pm

There's an excercise that is used for SI rehab/ strengthening, that I've is also very helpful for the walk:

Set up poles/caveletti for the walk 4' apart in the middle of the arena. Walk over the poles at a diagonal line and, loop around and come back the other diagonal, so you're essentially doing an hourglass shape across the poles. It makes the horse really reach under and across with the hind leg.

Another thing that has helped in the past, if you have access to it, is trails/hills/ anything that gets you out of the ring for a long walking session, focusing on keeping the horse in contact the way you would in extended walk, rather than a loose rein. Often spending an hour or so, just at walk outside the arena makes a huge difference over time.

It's a tough thing often with iberian horses.

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Re: ISO exercises to improve the extended walk

Postby exvet » Sat Jan 26, 2019 3:32 pm

Ditto what Blob suggested; but, I also have a question. How easy is it to develop your horse coming over the back and reaching into the bridle with a relaxed back (some swing to it) at the walk? I have found that (in the past with my welsh cobs) that the extended walk was difficult for them to achieve over stride not just due to their conformation but because they anticipated way too much so they had a tendency to shorten through the neck and hold themselves at the base of their neck (really between the ears) preventing them from overstriding despite stepping well underneath and carrying themselves. It was like they were anticipating a strike off to the next movement. To get them over this I had to do lots and lots of walking as if I were in a show working on this movement but instead doing so on the trail and if not the trail just around the arena sometimes doing nothing more than halts and free walk to make sure their hind end was under my seat and to use the elasticity to get them to relax. I found if I could get them to 'forget' and simply stretch into my hand with a good swing in their back marching well forward from behind I could get the base of the neck and their forehand lifting, plus having them come through their back and really giving them a spot for their hind feet to land into my hands so-to-speak and because my hands were forward thinking I would get some overstride. I had to really focus on getting that same elasticity within the gaits at the walk that I could achieve in trot and canter. I also had to make sure my seat wasn't pushing their hind end out behind (which it sounds like you are not) and that they were truly accepting and moving into the connection so that they weren't blocking (not so much that my hands were blocking them but I failed to get them to recycle the energy properly). If I would have moments of them getting stuck I would also use lateral exercises at the walk to supple them - lots of riding 10 meter circles in shoulder-in to haunches in and renvers - trying to mobilize both ends yet maintain control all the while they had to move forward.

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Flight
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Re: ISO exercises to improve the extended walk

Postby Flight » Sat Jan 26, 2019 10:13 pm

My big horse, who is an Andy cross has a terrible walk, he doesn't track up let alone overtrack, plus he is very lateral. I was taught to try what exvet is saying, and really allow him to stretch his neck out and his gullet as open as I can, then once that is achieved, then take a bit of a feel on the mouth but don't shorten anything.
For me on this horse, thats all the way to the buckle of the reins (big horse). It is starting to help.

lorilu
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Re: ISO exercises to improve the extended walk

Postby lorilu » Sun Jan 27, 2019 12:31 am

Thanks all. Love the cavaletti/ground poles idea. He works pretty well over the back - better all the time - but like many Iberians he does have a shorter back and does tend to get tight but I am careful to warm him up long and low and forward to get it swinging. Thanks exvet also - raising his withers/base of the neck is a work in progress. Lots to think about.

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Chisamba
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Re: ISO exercises to improve the extended walk

Postby Chisamba » Sun Jan 27, 2019 5:39 am

I find most people focus on the hind legs too much in the walk. I find a truly free shoulder is key in making room for the hind end to step through. That said the thing that restricts shoulder freedom most is the under neck. Having the underside if the neck relaxed and stretched opens the door for a bigger over stride from behind. Iberian, Lipizzaner and Friesian horses are all capable of being quite supple over the topline while still bracing in the chest to neck , hence the commonly blocked walk. The brachiocephalagus is supposed to move the front leg forward, not support the weight of the rider, but baroque horses very commonly use it for support too.

I haven't seen photos of you horse so this is a guess, and you will have to decide if its helpful or not.

lorilu
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Re: ISO exercises to improve the extended walk

Postby lorilu » Mon Jan 28, 2019 1:43 am

Thanks Chisamba. Can you suggest an exercise to open it up? He does nto reach well in the trot either, so I'm thinking this may be part of it. We do lots of SI already..... others??

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Flight
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Re: ISO exercises to improve the extended walk

Postby Flight » Mon Jan 28, 2019 3:54 am

Chisamba, I think that is what has helped my horse with his walk.
Lorilu, for us it's basically allowing the head to stretch out and open the gullet, with the neck not low or too high. With SI and half pass, making sure I don't bend the neck too much at that withers/neck junction.

lorilu
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Re: ISO exercises to improve the extended walk

Postby lorilu » Wed Jan 30, 2019 3:30 am

thx

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Chisamba
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Re: ISO exercises to improve the extended walk

Postby Chisamba » Wed Jan 30, 2019 4:17 am

Lorilu, I do 3 things. I longe the horse with no side reins and attempt to get it to relax enough on the longe to reach down and out with the neck, I really look to see what height of poll and position of nose allows for the most relaxed and lengthened brachiocephalagus. I will even include trot poles on the longe to see what posture the horse takes when its reaching forward in an equal stride front and back.

Then I attempt to duplicate that posture under saddle. I try especially in the cool down assuming the horse has now worked, relaxed and is ready to be flexible.

Now understand a horse can easily open its gullet and stick its nose out with a braced under neck so it's not only poking the nose out.

An e exercise I have found that helps is to take an opening inside rein and half halt in the outside rein on a long rein, and apply inside leg at the girth to do a moving turn on the forehand. The front legs should move a small half circle and the hind legs a bigger one and you should be able to achieve the lateral half turn without shortening the neck, then release into an extended walk and ride straight and forward.

It sounds very simple but actually is not easy. If the horse lifts its neck, shortens its neck or speeds up instead of striding over in you TOF, you need to stop the lateral, re establish the contact, and ask again, I do this exercise in many small stages until I can get the lengthened under neck with sideways steps. It definitely helps even moderately gaits horses over stride

lorilu
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Re: ISO exercises to improve the extended walk

Postby lorilu » Fri Feb 01, 2019 3:58 am

Great ideas.. Thanks Chisamba. Great explanation. I'll try that tomorrow.....

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Re: ISO exercises to improve the extended walk

Postby exvet » Fri Feb 01, 2019 1:18 pm

I had a lesson two days ago and one comment that keeps coming back to me is the fact that my horse likes to hold him self shorter (contracted) on the left side as opposed to the right side. It's subtle but there. When I insist quietly that he elongate his left side (actually have to keep his nose in front of his right shoulder (so I can just see his right eye/eye lashes) whether at the walk, trot or canter, he immediately lifts his tail and begins to swing more in his back. Once this happens I get overstride/overtracking. I'm doing more nose to the wall and leg yields in order to get him to stretch through his left side and abduct his left fore more. If he were at a higher level I'd be doing the 10 meter circle shoulder in to renvers to travers each direction at a walk to achieve much of the same purpose.

lorilu
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Re: ISO exercises to improve the extended walk

Postby lorilu » Mon Feb 04, 2019 3:25 am

Thanks all. Yesterday had a nice walk at the end of the work - I let him take his neck lower (almost "Loose rein walk" low) but kept him marching. Taking contact and maintaining it was an issue so working on that. Using lots of LY and various laterals at the walk in the warm up (normal for us), as well as upping my expectations in all the work. And yes he is "stretchier" on one rein than the other, so we are always working on bending left and stretching the right side.
I confess that SI on the circle is always a challenge for ME. Need to do that more.


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