In this video, Cooley and I will show you how you can use your hands and rein aids kindly and effectively in the walk.

You will find answers to the following questions:
1. What do the horse’s neck joints have to do with riding a relaxed, rhythmic walk on the bit?
2. What are the two types of rein contacts you can use in the medium walk?
3. What role do the rider’s hands and legs play when connecting the horse back-to-front in the medium walk?

Here are a few additional pointers:

Do not hold your hands artificially quiet in the medium walk. This will prevent your horses from maintaining their natural head motion, and they will likely stay above the bit. Do follow their head motion with your hands while maintaining a light, elastic rein contact.

Do not ‘sea-saw’ with your hands in the shoulder-to-shoulder rein contact. In other words, do not take with the right rein when your horse’s right shoulder is not coming back which means you’re riding out of sync with your horse’s walk movements. Do make sure that you move your shoulders in sync with your horse’s shoulders, meaning take back with the right rein when your horse’s right shoulder comes back, and vice versa, keep your left hand/rein contact in sync with your horse’s left shoulder. If you don’t pay attention to this very important detail you’re likely to block your horses’ motion rather than to support and become one with them.

Do not turn your hands downward. This will likely lead to your upper body hunching over and your shoulders rounding forward which will inhibit your correct vertical alignment. Do keep your hands upright so you can see your relaxed, straight thumbs on top of your gently closed fist. Your lower arms, thumbs and reins should create a fairly straight line toward your horse’s mouth.

Give yourself and your horse time to practice and fine-tune these very important details. Resist the urge to want to hurry this process along. Your horse will thank you for your patience and diligence.

Also, get your free Arena Pattern Guide at [ Ссылка ].

Happy riding! :)

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Note: Viewers should consult a professional before adopting any of the training techniques shown in this video. Any activity you do with your horse is at your own risk and may produce varied results.

Horse: Cooley (Windchase KilCooley), 12-year-old gelding, Irish Sport Horse. Background: Imported from Ireland; formerly ridden and competed as a three-day-eventer. Health: Continuous, thoughtful management of stomach problems/ulcers, as well as arthritis in his hocks. Training: Careful Dressage and ground training while taking into consideration former shoulder injury/surgery.

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California-based Dressage trainer, instructor, clinician and life coach, Katja Elk, provides gentle training solutions for riders and horses of all backgrounds.

“Being a kind rider and trainer, to me, means learning how to ride with reasonable expectations according to where we find ourselves and our horses on our developmental journey. It also means that we need to continue to refine our technical riding skills so we can support our horses with more finely tuned aids as we are moving more joyfully and more in sync with one another.”

“Over the course of my life, I have been fortunate enough to learn from many amazing human and equine teachers. In my videos, I share tips and pointers with people interested in expanding their knowledge about foundational Dressage and different types of groundwork. You will see me work with my clients’ horses of various breeds, levels and backgrounds, highlighting parts of the journey we call work-in-progress with our equine partners. None of the shown clips are flawless. In fact, they all show the many imperfections an aging rider (me) faces who entered the professional field as an instructor/trainer later in life and who keeps on striving to show that Dressage can be an activity we all can enjoy with our horses at most stages of our lives and at varying levels of expertise. The videos are honest, heartfelt attempts to show you ways to nurture a kind, joyful and productive relationship with your horses as you are exploring and expanding on the many facets of Dressage and groundwork.”

Katja applies the concept of a friendly, trust-based, two-way communication system to riding Dressage, work-in-hand as well as groundwork such as halter-work, longeing/lungeing and longlining.

Additionally, Katja, a Martha Beck certified master life coach, works with people who are looking for relief from anxiety, depression and/or other challenges in their lives.

[ Ссылка ]

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Music by Yurii Kohut from Pixabay

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