12/04/2026
✨ More walkin’ — less workin’
We’re all guilty of it…
You hop on with good intentions,
but before you know it — you’re straight into “work mode.”
Short reins.
Picking at things.
Trying to fix something.
But here’s a thought…
What if your horse doesn’t actually need more work?
What if they just need more time?
Time to loosen up.
Time to warm through their body.
Time to feel okay before being asked to perform.
Because imagine this…
You’re a kid again.
Your mum’s slept in.
You get woken up in a panic —
“Get up! We’re late!”
You’re rushed out of bed,
half-asleep,
shovelling breakfast down,
getting dressed, brushing your teeth —
and then straight out the door.
No time to wake up.
No time to think.
No time to feel human.
That’s exactly what it’s like for your horse
when we’re short on time and just jump on and go.
Walking isn’t just the boring bit you rush through to get to the “real” riding.
It is the work.
A good, purposeful walk:
• gets blood flowing
• starts warming up muscles properly
• allows fascia to begin loosening and sliding (yep… we’re back to fascia 😉)
• gives you a chance to actually check in with your horse
Are they stiff?
Uneven?
A bit “off”?
You’ll feel it way quicker at a walk than you will once everything speeds up.
And if you’re thinking walking is boring…
It doesn’t have to be.
You can still ask for things like shoulder-in, travers, even a bit of half pass.
In fact — you can often school these movements better in walk.
Everything is slower, clearer, and easier to correct.
You’ve actually got time to feel what’s going on and adjust it properly.
(And let’s be honest… not every ride needs to feel like you’re in The Fast and the Furious – try being plain old Paul WALKER instead 😅)
Sometimes slower is smarter.
And here’s the other thing…
Walking gives your horse a chance to mentally arrive too.
Because sometimes they’re not being “lazy” or “difficult” —
they’re just not quite with you yet.
So next time you get on, instead of rushing into the trot, the canter, the “plan”…
Stay at the walk a little longer.
Let them stretch.
Let them breathe.
Let them settle.
You might find you need to do a whole lot less “fixing” afterwards.
