CASE
STUDIESÂ
CASE STUDIESÂ
WANT TO SEE THE EFFECTS OF WALK WORK?
The photos below were initially taken for my own reference as I’m curious about the changes in the horses I work with. Photographing horses can be difficult and I always aim to capture the same stride phase for accurate comparisons. Along with photos and video screenshots, I keep schooling diaries to track what works.
My before and after photos, together with my records have shown me that targeted walk work is one of the most effective methods for bringing about positive-long term changes. This small section below here is just part of hundreds of images I have showing the benefits of this approach. I hope you find these changes as fascinating as I do, and I'd love to hear your thoughts.
TREVOR, 11 YEAR THOROUGHBRED EX-RACEHORSEÂ
TOPLINE & POSTURE
Trevor had an underdeveloped topline, overdeveloped underneck, and a hollow, tense way of going when I leased him. Despite his tendency to seem "lazy," he had a kind temperament and willingness to engage. I rehabilitated him with corrective hoof trimming, diet changes, and slow in-hand work combined with long-reining to improve his posture. Once he could carry himself better, I rode him bareback in a slow walk with stretching. After several months of building topline in walk, I introduced trot and canter, and he became much more forward, responsive, and fluid.
FLICKER, YOUNG ARAB MARE
CROOKEDNESS
Flicker is a young Arab mare with a curious and positive attitude toward people and learning. She faced some challenges with her hooves and developed crookedness in her body, leading to compensations. Once her hoof issue was resolved, I began in-hand work to gently correct her crookedness and undo those compensations. We worked for about 20 minutes, up to 3 times a week. She quickly learned to stretch correctly forward and down, a fundamental skill. Over time, she softened her neck, lifted her thoracic sling, and aligned her body, significantly improving her topline and freedom of movement in all gaits. The photos show how her body and movement became straighter over a period of one month.
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FOUNDATIONS OFÂ SLOW WALKÂ WORK
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