Many people recommeded Dressage Training. I agree that it would be very
helpful, and I really enjoy dressage, but lessons are not in our immediate
future. Several responses were so detailed that I could tell that I am on
the right track about the type of aids that I've been giving, but showed me
that perhaps more variety would help the situation too. (We'd been walking
exclusively due to poor trail conditions.)
Saddle Fit was the next most mentioned suggestion, and one that had never
crossed my mind. I only own one saddle, a Stubben dressage saddle. I've
never ridden this horse in anything else, primarily because we've done lots
of training miles with never a rub or sore back. When I'm in the market
for an endurance saddle (Santa has to bring a horse trailer first...;-),
I'll be very attentive to how well Chavo walks out in a different one.
Next suggestion was to get a fast walking trail buddy. I don't currently
have a riding partner, but when I did, Chavo would lag behind, then trot to
catch up. I also remember him just jogging at the same speed that the other
horse walked. I know more now than I did then, so maybe I need to try this
out again.
Finally, two other endurance riders told me privately that they also have a
similar problem, and that they just trot all the time. Whew! What a relief
to know that I'm not the only one to take the easy road! I also remembered
the advice for "the rider to choose the speed, and the horse to choose the
gait". I've always thought of that in regards to going fast, but I guess
for Chavo, it applies to going slow too!
I personally think that this horse just hates to walk. The only time he's
ever "walked out" has been when he's as high as a kite, and 15 minutes of a
fast walk is enough to return him to his plodding ways. His attitude at
trot is so up, and his attitude at a walk is so down, that it's easy to come
to that conclusion. I'm not going to give up on improving Chavo's walk, but
I am going to give up trying to change his basic disposition.
Thanks again for all your kind replies.
Nancy Churchill nancyc@nwlink.com Redmond, WA