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How To Ride Your Gaited Horse
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Part VI The Flat Walk
© Beverly Whittington 2003
How to Ride the Flat Walk
The Flat Walk is in essence a sped up, more animated, normal walk. The horse will
cover more distance by increasing the length of his stride, reaching further with each
leg.
To begin let's look at the horse and rider configuration.
The
horse's
back
will be
carried
in the
Level
Back
positio
n
Other
Articles
of
interest.
The Seat
and
getting the
horse on
the bit.
Achieving
Response,
Gait and
Confidenc
e through
Relaxation
Rider
Affect on
the Horses
Movement
The Horse




The horse will be in a slightly rounder body frame in the Flat Walk than the
Normal Walk. As the horse moves into the Flat Walk his shoulders will lift
while the neck remains supple, his head should be just in front of the vertical.
The undulating motion of the back, (experienced in the normal walk)
diminishes with increased speed and the back becomes more stable, croup will
remain steady with no up and down bob.
Overstride should increase from the normal walk, the degree will depend on
speed and conformation of the horse.
The head nod will be noticeably more rapid than in the normal walk.
MAKING
CONTAC
T How to
use a bit
WORKIN
G The
WALK
Exercises
at the
Walk
The Rider

The rider's position should be in the base position, until you need to make
Conditioni
ng a Horse
adjustments that will influence the horse's gait.
to Gait
Equitation
for Gaited
Horses
To ask a horse to change from a regular walk to a flat walk you want the horse to
increase speed by taking as long a stride as possible, with an overstride with the hind.
The average horse will do approximately 5-6 MPH in the Flat Walk. In the normal
Exercises
walk the horse's head and neck are stretched slightly forward and down, with the poll for
just slightly higher than the withers. To encourage the horse to bring the head slightly Increased
more towards the vertical, you will take LIGHT CONTACT on the reins.
Flexibility
in Gaited
Simultaneously giving brief squeeze and release with the thighs and calves slightly
Horses
behind the girth. to ask the horse to "move out". It is important that your legs make
contact just at the point where the abdominals attach on the horse's torso, this will help
The Seat
a horse to round his back by causing him to tighten his abdominal muscles. Your
and
pelvis will be in the base position.
getting the
horse on
the bit.
Female Pelvis, Base Position.
Rider in Base Position with Good
Equitation for Flat Walk.
The horse who has already been trained to perform a correct Flat Walk will increase
his impulsion and overstride. His speed will increase because he is taking longer
strides. Performed correctly the horse does not obtain the higher speed by rushing his
gait, but rather by extending his reach in the gait of Flat Walk. You should feel and
hear a 1-2-3-4 even cadence to the footfalls. The horse's head and neck will nod up
and down in rhythm with the motion of his shoulders, back and legs. Your shoulders
“move” with the shoulders of your horse, and your hips “move” with the swing of the
horse's hind legs.
Increasing speed, impulsion and reach at the Flat Walk
Sometimes it is necessary to encourage the horse to improve their Flat Walk. Make
sure you are sitting in a balanced seat, with even pressure on your seat bones before
you ask the horse to improve his gait. Crooked riders give unbalanced cues, therefor
resulting in a horse not working in balance, working and pulling with his front end as
much as pushing with its rear.
Generate Impulsion
As the shoulder is moving forward squeeze and release the leg on that side firmly
against the horse, slightly behind the girth. This will ask the horse to engage the
corresponding hind leg. By alternating the leg application with the shoulder
movement for 4 or 5 strides, the horse should begin to engage their hocks and stride
out more purposefully with greater impulsion. It is important that you are squeezing,
not bumping or kicking. After the horse has begun to increase the push with his
hindquarters, you can ask for more stride length.
Increasing Stride Length
You can increase the length
of stride in the rear legs of
your horse and encourage the
horse to push harder with his
hindquarters as he extends
his gait by tilting your pelvis
as you press your tailbone
into the saddle, just as the
horses hind leg starts
forward, then resume the
base position in a rhythm with
each of the horses hind legs.
You do this for 4 or 5 strides,
then once again resume the
base position.
Exercises
Increase Flexibility and Reach of
Forehand
Increase Flexibility and Reach of
Hindquarters
Shoulder In
Shoulder Out
Leg Yield
Half Pass
Rein Back
Rocking Horse
Virtually all horses can perform a respectable Flat Walk. Although the gait of Flat
Walk is associated more with the TWH and SSH and Foxtrotter Horse breeds, it is an
important gait for all gaited breeds to perform. The Flat Walk becomes particularly
important to the breeds which perform the ventroflexed gaits as their signature gait.
The rounder frame the horse carries themselves in to properly perform the Flatwalk
can be part of a maintenance program to encourage future soundness in the
ventroflexed horse.
See Care and maintenance of the Ventroflexed (Hollow Backed) Horse for additional
maintenance suggestions.
Part I
Part II
Part IV
Part V
Part VII The Fox
Trot
Part VIII The
Rack
Part III
Part VI The Flat
Walk
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