Like in the trot and canter we look at four aspects of this movement.
Impulsion, Elevation, Extension, and suspension. Like the trot and canter we  look for each of these four aspects in equal measure, however this can sometimes be hard to discern, especially for a person learning (which we ALL are constantly doing). I have often heard “I like the walk, I just don’t know why” So I will try to best explain how I judge a walk, and what I believe, for the Spanish horse, are easily observable aspects that “Make a good walk”

First lets look at the over all walk.

When watching a horse walk, at liberty, in hand, or under saddle, you should see the same quality (if the handler/rider/training is not impeding the movement).
When looking at the walk of a horse, I look at and judge the movement by evaluating the following:

•  Body support with the hind end

•  Over stride

•  Equal stride

•  Harmony and body involvement

I will break away from my more technical definitions of the 4 elements of a walk (impulsion, elevation, extension, and suspension), and focus on how these four aspects can be seen when watching a horse walk. Lets save the more technical view for another article.

BODY SUPPORT

The very first thing I look at when watching a horse walk, is how far under the horse the hind end comes when it strikes the ground. You will also see me look at this same body to hind end comparison in the canter. This is the number one thing I look at when evaluating a horses movement. If the horse cannot be supported by the hind end, then the horse will naturally struggle to be light and free in the front end. Not meaning that a good trainer can’t make a horse succeed, but that naturally this horse as a breeding prospect or as an under saddle prospect would be less naturally talented in the performance arena when compared to another horse that has better hind end support.

On Royal Horse Farms we have a saying.

“If the horse doesn’t have a good walk, take a picture… A picturenever gets dirty, and does not cost you vet bills.”

I often compare the natural functionality of a horse to a linebacker dancing ballet…. yes they can, and some may turn out to be technically very good, however when you compare the performance of lets say Swan Lake, between a willowy 5’1 ballerina and a super bowl winning 6 foot something line backer the over all experience and impression is VERY different.

When looking for or breeding a functional horse, I look for those that are naturally talented, making their training easier on the rider and the horse, and their genetic propensity more likely to produce functional offspring.

Now for the below evaluation purposes we will be evaluating the horses at their most engaged walk. Think of a horse walking towards a nice tasty flake of alfalfa you just dropped on the ground. Their poll is in line with their wither they are moving forward with intension and if they tried to take longer (not quicker) strides they would be forced into a trot. Horses that are out on a Sunday stroll through the pasture, or lazily meandering in a paddock are not good examples, as they are not fully using the body.

There should be clear 1..2..3..4.. tempo where each step is equal. And should strike the ground as follows. Front left, back right, front right, back left. Horses that walk at a 1.2….3.4…. are not walking they are pacing… i.e. a lateral walk. where the legs move on the same side in unison (think a camel) Back left, front left, back right, front right. (the same side of the horse striking the ground at almost the same time). This is usually a tension issue or a training issue and such a horse cannot be evaluated until this issue is fixed.

When watching a horse walk I draw an imaginary line from the center of the horses back to the ground. To find this midline, find the base of the wither (this can be slightly difficult with breeds that do not have a prominent wither) and the beginning of the loin and split the difference. For an easy “ish” think of the center of the saddle. Then draw that line to the ground. This is the center of your horse. As the horse walks watch the hind feet. When the hind foot strikes the ground at the walk does the hoof make it to that imaginary center line? Do they fall short? Do they pass the line? Most horses on the market today do not reach the midline. This does not mean the horse is not an amazing animal, it just means in an competitive arena they may be up against more naturally talented horses.

This is the first thing I look at when looking at horses to buy, breed, ride, or evaluate. If the horse does not pass that center line, I am usually not in love with the horses walk.
Now when looking at young horses vs. older horses. ALL FOALS have good walks. the length of leg to length of back in growing horses gives younger horses an unfair advantage on this comparison…. so this means on young horses I want to see an excellent walk as a foal, far passing the midline of the horse. In foals that are engaged at the walk my favorite, are those that almost come in line with the heels of the opposite front leg. THOSE are the hoses that will be functional and even when grown have a lovely engaged walk.

Over Stride and Equal Stride

What I hear from most breeders and people when looking at a “good walk” is over stride… and I do agree….. IF the horse strikes at least the center line at the walk. If horse has good over stride but the over stride is behind the center line of the body, the horse does NOT have a good walk. As each walk stride leaves the horse unsupported, and allows the shoulder to fall on the forehand.

When watching over stride we are once again focusing on where the hind hoof strikes the ground. When watching the horse walk you want to first focus on the front leg of the horse and as the horse walks forward watch the hoof print that is left by that front leg. As the hind leg on the same side moves forward watch where it lands compared to the hoofprint of the front leg. A horse that does not reach the front hoof print does not have a good walk. A horse that covers the print left behind by the front leg has an average walk…. but what we want is a horse that passes that print the more the “over stride” the better the walk.

I have often watched breeders point out how good their horses over stride was, only to view a horse whose hind end did pass the front hoof print, but when the hind end hoof strike was compared to the center line of the body the hind end hoof strike was a good foot behind the center line of the horse. Not good! I would call this type of flaw “out behind” this can be due to many factors but usually is a conformation issue with the hip length and angle.  When judging a horse on their walk you will often see comment of “struggles to come through”, “not enough engagement”, “falls forward”, “heavy on the forehand”, “out behind”, etc.

Harmony and body involvement

When considering the whole body of the horse in the walk, I want to see every part of the horse engaged. This movement should start from the hind end and loin, lift the back, shoulder and chest, and the head should “bob” to balance out the stride of the hind end. So both the poll and the hip should rise and fall at the same time if the horse is balanced. If a horse does not “groove” in the walk then the whole body is not engaged.
There are a multitude of bad aspects that can be identified in the walk. They include but are not limited to:

•  Horses that do not travel in line (i.e. their hoof prints do not create two tracks but 3 or sometimes 4).
• Horses that pivot in place, the hind legs seem to turn in at the hock as the horse moves forward
• Horses that have uneven strides on one leg as opposed to the other three (usually due to a tendon, muscle, or ligament issue)
• Horses that are not muscled evenly (this can be noted by sighting down the horses back from hip to poll)
• Horses that are lame
• Horses that wing or paddle on one foot and not another
• Horses that over flex when striking the ground
• Horses whos fetlocks are too upright or two low
• AND Many many more

While writing this article, I can only glance over the basic ideas. I have not touched onto elevation, forearm length or angle, elevation of the hind legs, how the hoofs strike the ground, tail swing, loin/hip engagement, etc. The walk is THE MOST IMPORTANT part of a horse when determining natural functionality. However the amount of detail and areas of discussion on this topic are so vast a single post and a few pictures cannot hope to cover all of the good and bad that can be identified. This is just a quick users guide to help train the eye when looking at a walk.

Check out our article on the Trot of the Spanish Horse

By Jennifer Stewart

Royal Horse Farms

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