Teaching the Spanish Walk

[Carol O]

Does anyone know of a good reference to teach the Spanish walk? Anyone out there with experience with it that has any hints?

[__Jennifer]

You might find your answer here :-)

http://gaitsofgold.info/wowbb/view_topic.php?id=7267&forum_id=17&jump_to=103104

[oldbag]

You can tap the leg with a stick or lift the leg yourself, stand in front of horse and stretch it fully up and forwards. It can often be very hard work!

Never reward for pawing. Always correct that by catching hold of the leg and bringing it forward. Give a reward while you hold the leg.

Work on ONE leg at a time. Slowly and patiently. Some horses pick it up easily, others can be very slow.

[ideayoda]

Make sure that the walk is well established first, because a key to doing good s.w. is also absolute purity of the walk (with minimal 'suggestion'). There can be a good side to it (developing passage easily) and very much a downside (it becomes an evasion).

[AndalusianMom]

It can make collected walk a problem, if like one of my boys, your horse uses Spanish walk as a default mode.
But it's a crowd pleaser, and he knows it! :winkgrin:

[NCSue]

I, too, have found that it has created more problems with future training and when feeling pressured he will resort to a SW. I know it's very tempting, and crowd pleasing but can interfere with a dressage education.

[fivesocks]

I failed to teach my horse! I started by having him lift a leg on command, and offered cookies as rewards. When I ran out of cookies I just started letting him graze for a few seconds. That's where I went wrong. Rather than associate the CUE with the leg lift and then the reward...(we were still in the earliest of training stages)... he associated the desire to graze with the leg lift, and now anytime he wants to graze while being led around, he lifts his leg up as if to say "look I'm doing the trick, may I eat grass now?"

[merrygoround]

I, too, have found that it has created more problems with future training and when feeling pressured he will resort to a SW. I know it's very tempting, and crowd pleasing but can interfere with a dressage education.

As in " Why would you teach the Spanish Walk?"

[Carol O]

As in " Why would you teach the Spanish Walk?"

Perhaps for.... Fun? Dr. Klimke did it...

Fun with dressgae horses! What a concept!

[FriesianX]

It can make collected walk a problem, if like one of my boys, your horse uses Spanish walk as a default mode.
But it's a crowd pleaser, and he knows it! :winkgrin:

Yeah, my guy too... He's finally gotten past that, but it took some help. He LOVES doing Spanish Walk, but dressage purists don't love it :cool:

[Kyzteke]

Yeah, my guy too... He's finally gotten past that, but it took some help. He LOVES doing Spanish Walk, but dressage purists don't love it :cool:
Actually, I thought the SW was a part of the Olympic dressage tests in the early years.

Why is it such a no-no?

[ideayoda]

It was never part of the games. However, it can help a horse which doesnt seem to understand passage to develop one. But there is a clear downside (of negative impact on the walk) unless it is presented very carefully/knowledgeably undersaddle.

[FriesianX]

another reason it isn't a great dressage exercise (although it really is fun :D) is the horse does tend to drop his back in the Spanish walk. I hear people say that isn't always the case, but I've NEVER seen a horse with its back UP while performing it.

Having said that - we still do it sometimes after a show - my boy really enjoys it, and I love seeing the look of horror on some of the faces at the show - not only is he a PINTO, and obviously BAROQUE, he does TRICKS :eek: All I need is neon purple boots (hehehehe, I DO have a set for him, but we don't wear them at shows) to complete the NOT conservative look :cool:

[merrygoround]

Perhaps for.... Fun? Dr. Klimke did it...

Fun with dressgae horses! What a concept!

Ah Yes! but we are not all a Dr. Klimke! Darn!!:)

[Carol O]

Yes, but we can all aspire to have fun! And we can all aspire to ride like him!

[Hampton Bay]

I tried the method of tapping my mare's leg to (hopefully) get her to lift it, and then when she stared at me like I was nuts, lifting it for her, then praising. I never could get her to even lift her leg to a tap from a whip, so eventually I gave up. It was frustrating me, and she just thought I had finally lost my mind completely.

But good luck! It is neat to watch.

[dancewithlife]

I have a three year old filly that I have taught the Spanish Walk to. She just adores doing it. I taught her by targeting a whip with her legs. She was Spanish walking in a week. I started very low where she would accidentally run into the whip and when she did I would click and treat (I do clicker training) but I suppose you could just treat. I did it with boots on so it didn’t bother her legs. I raised the whip slowly and pretty soon she would touch the whip at a pretty elevated height. Then I started putting my hand where it would be as if I were holding the whip for the cue and she knew exactly what I wanted. We are now working on the hesitation length of her leg being in the up position. Super fun. I think they all stomp a bit at first but with good training, that fades out as you put the finishing touches on it. It takes a lot of patience to get a beautiful Spanish walk.

I do have to say that I am very careful to never reward without the cue. It can become dangerous and with a young horse.

[Bluey]

I grew up training andalusians and they could tell the difference between a spanish walk and any other gait.
They wree very talented in those movements, so it was very easy to teach them that.

Then went to work at a dressage stable and was told not to teach it, as it was a disuniting movement.

I think that sometimes we are trying too hard for one thing, collection, with the rare extensions and forget that a horse may be better served if it could do more than one thing with it's muscle memory.

Then, who I am to say, so I obeyed and didn't teach the spanish walk.
I can't say, maybe they were right after all and it is a movement you DON'T want to teach to most dressage horses?

We taught our colts first the basic stretching, bowing, kneeing, laying down, sitting up and getting up.

By the time we got to the spanish walk later, considered more advanced training, the horses were attentive and had learned that we wanted something and to move different parts of their body independent of others.

To teach it, it is very simple.
Train your horse, as it stands there, to lift a leg forward as you pick it up with a whip touching the ankle, both sides.
Then you walk a horse by a wall, gather the reins and every step with the inside leg, as they raise it, you gently ask that they lift it a little bit more than they normally would.
Work a few steps on one side, then regular walk, then again some more steps, then try on the other side.
Horses generally can do a few steps right off the first day you ask.
In a few days, you can ask for more elevation, as much as you feel the horse is comfortable with, not all are the same, depending on conformation.

Once the horse knows to do a spanish walk with you on the ground asking for it and he offers it on his own on cue, without the whip, you use the same cues once mounted.
If a horse is not generalizing to you riding, have someone reinforce the cue on the ground a few times, until the horse catches on.
When he catches on, we used a forward foot on each side for a cue, as the horse walked along.

It takes only a few days to get to where a horse will do it just by you gathering the reins, as in "horse, pay attention" and you sticking your foot forward a little right along, guiding his steps.

[ideayoda]

The ability to teach it as a leg gesture is really not so difficult, the ability to understand how pure the walk must be (sustained) and within the rest of the movement is much more difficult. I would caution against doing it too early and before wtc are well developed.

[MyReality]

Totally agree with ideayoda.

IMO, there is absolutely nothing in the Spanish walk, that will reinforce desired behavior in dressage. The only reinforcement, is obedience. It looks good, the horse does it like a dog, so what? It doesn't mean he is more through, it doesn't mean he offers better connection with the rider. A horse that cannot trot a proper 20 m circle, can still do Spanish walk... and I know a grand example of that.

Like ideayoda said, many horses cannot maintain a pure walk and spanish walk at the same time. Essentially they are not walking, they are flinging their front legs high and out while trying not to fall over. It is a very dangerous proposition for those horses. Especially when they are taught through treats, they might do it as an evasion or for fun.

There are many exercises that teach a horse to move its different body parts, according to rider's aids... that are valuable building blocks in dressage. All the laterals are great examples.