04/03/2026
 I spend about 50% of every ride in the walk, and it has been a real game changer😊
Why so much walk?
…says another insecure voice in my head second guessing what others are thinking of my horse training 🤪.
But seriously, why are you still in walk 20 minutes after getting on?
Because in French classical training, the walk isn’t the warm-up before the real work; the walk often is the real work.
One of the biggest mindset shifts for me was realising that rushing into trot and canter was often my way of skipping over the boring but essential stuff: balance, looseness, straightness, genuine connection… all the things I later complained about not having.
The walk is where we develop those ingredients without the added chaos of speed or suspension. I’m not saying you should stay in walk; it’s vital to keep a horse eager to move forward, and some horses absolutely need to go before they can think. But once the desire to go is there, walk is where we can install the alphabet of aids and build balance before expecting the same clarity in trot and canter.
So we spend time in walk because:
✅ It gives you and your horse thinking time.
More time to think means more precision, and more precision means faster learning for both of you.
✅ You can fix crookedness before it becomes a habit.
If the shoulders are falling left at walk, they will launch left in trot.
✅ Walk is the only gait where each limb steps independently.
Because walk is a clear four beat rhythm with each leg landing separately, it is the easiest pace to isolate a single limb, influence it, and coordinate it with the rest of the body.
✅ Relaxation and balance come first.
A horse who isn’t mentally or physically balanced at walk won’t magically be balanced in canter. (Ask me how I know.)
And guess what: when you finally ask for trot or canter after all that patient, technical walk work, the trot and canter are magically improved. That is why we do it.
So if your friend peers over the arena fence wondering why you’re still walking in circles, smile politely. You’re not wasting time; you’re building foundations that will make your tower of training so much stronger.
