I am pleased with my progress on 3 out of 5 of my goals for August. The two laggards are goals number 4 and 5: increasing the energy of Finn's default walk and increasing clarity of transitions between vs. within gaits. The latter, I'm not too bothered by, because I feel like we've made a reasonable amount of progress for the amount of time we've invested. The former, on the other hand, is definitely on the verge of frustrating me.
I think it's actually accurate to say I have worked on increasing the energy of Finn's walk every single ride this month. While I wouldn't say there's been NO progress, I'm certainly not impressed with the improvement. When I put this much time into something and barely notice a change, I start to wonder if I need a different approach. I also ask myself, what could be obstructing progress in this area?
I have been essentially taking two similar approaches to this with Finn. The first has been to focus specifically on the initiation of a more energetic walk. So, I very deliberately and softly ask for a big walk (usually from the halt, but sometimes from a lower-energy walk) and reward Finn by letting him rest if I feel he matched my request 100%. If he doesn't match my request, I bump with my leg or give him a little spank to encourage him to synchronize with me. I usually quit or move onto something else when he offers to match my light request.
The second approach has been to focus more on Finn's willingness to maintain the higher energy walk. I bring my intent and energy to that of a big walk and when Finn doesn't match it I hustle him up with a bump of my leg or a light spank. Sometimes he breaks into a trot. Sometimes, if he feels totally stuck, I'll ask him up to a canter or gallop. Whenever I feel like he's really offering to match and maintain for several strides in a row, I reward him with a big pet and letting him stop and rest.
I have many doubts in my mind about why this might not be working, some more likely than others. First, there is still a part of me that wonders if foot sensitivity might be part of the "problem." I tell myself this is very likely wasted concern... Finn trots and canters soundly on the dirt/gravel drive with no indication of being foot sore. His heel first landings are consistent, although not so much at his preferred pace of walk. So therein lingers a possibility... If I had a pair of boots, I'd absolutely see if it made a difference, which would resolve the question. But, I don't. And nor do I have the money to buy some.
Next I wonder about my saddle. Is it possible that the treeless saddle is making it difficult for him to really swing through his back, thus his reluctance to maintain a free, forward gait? Certain people would jump right on that, but the truth is Finn's overall way of going has continued to steadily improve over the last two years of being ridden in the treeless saddle. When the Tekna I just bought gets here this week, perhaps I'll have a chance to see if there's any validity whatsoever to this concern.
Of course I wonder about myself... what could I be doing to obstruct Finn's free, forward movement? I will always remember the day I had a Feledenkrais instructor who specializes in helping equestrians do some bodywork on me. I immediately got on Journey when she finished and when I asked Journey to walk, she offered the most free, forward walk I'd ever felt on her. A certain indication that something stuck in my body was keeping her stuck! So I definitely do not discount the very real possibility that I am consciously asking Finn for something while unconsciously blocking him from doing what I'm asking.
Then I also ask myself: what should the neutral really feel like when asking for a fast walk? Certainly it shouldn't feel like I'm a sack of potatoes being dragged along for the ride. But when does an appropriate, active neutral become "pedaling?" That is, of course, what I want to avoid... having to push each stride to keep Finn from slowing down. This subtle distinction is one I'm still unsure about.
I wonder, am I simply asking for too much walk? Maybe I am not clear enough in my mind about what I'm aiming for, so I'm always asking for more and more. Is it really reasonable for Finn to be expected to walk as fast as possible at all times? Most likely I need a better handle on the distinction between an active, regular walk and walking FAST.
Many of my friends who study with Buck talk often about getting the horse to walk out so they swing the mecate, but speed is not the only ingredient in this. The swinging of the reins not only indicates a forward walk, but also a truly FREE walk, in which the whole top line is loose and flowing. Especially when I practice our walking on the road, this is often lacking because of tension... Finn's thoughts being directed at the things around us instead of being focused only on walking where we're going. So just adding more FAST isn't necessarily the way to get where I want to go...
While I wonder about the physical quirks in myself or in Finn that might be obstructing our progress, there remains the fact that Finn does not walk fast on his own. In the pasture, he ambles. If he want to cover more ground, he usually trots or canters. So there is definitely reason to feel this is more a motivation/understanding issue than a physical one. While I thought Finn was an extrovert when I bought him, he definitely doesn't have as much forward drive as I expected. Which is not a bad thing, it just is a thing about him that effects what we do together.
So the question remains... how can I draw a free, forward, willing walk out of this horse? Not only that, but how can I get there with harmony and understanding, using psychology instead of just more physical pressure? I didn't really expect the process of writing about this to yield any answers, but it has, in fact, yielded precisely what I was hoping for... a rekindled desire to get back in the saddle and experiment more.
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