Improve That Walk

Ranch riding events and pleasant trail rides call for a horse that walks out smartly. Learn how to use alternating legs to improve your horse’s walk.

- Warwick Schiller, With J. Forsberg Meyer

How do you encourage your horse to walk out? By bumping with both your legs? That’s the norm in our Western disciplines— we use both legs at the same time, rhythmically, to urge our horses to extend the walk.

But there’s a better way. And it’s something you’ll want to learn in order to produce a winning ranch riding walk, extend the walk on request in a Western pleasure or horsemanship class, or just enjoy a nice day’s ride out on the trail.

The better way? To use your legs in an alternating pattern. Specifically, you cue with your right leg to influence your horse’s right hind leg, then with your left to influence his left hind. Timing is critical. I’ll explain that plus everything else you need to know to use this method to improve your horse’s walk.

How It Works