Before we talk about the collected walk, we
should talk a little bit about collection
itself. If you were to ask someone what
collection was, they would likely respond by
saying that collection was when the horse
brings hind end (or hind legs) up underneath
him. Now if you haven’t been around a lot of
horses, you might not have a clue what that
means. I know that I didn’t. Essentially,
collection is obtained by the use of the
legs to encourage impulsion while holding
(not pulling) the reins to halt (or impede)
the horses forward motion. When you continue
this (legs and hands), the horse will gently
tuck his nose, round his back, and step
farther under his body with his hind legs.
With more practice and repetition, he will
lift his feet higher than normal and use
more energy. If you were to use your legs
more strongly and hold the reins, you might
get a bit of high stepping. Keep in mind
that this doesn’t come all at once; this
takes weeks and months of training.
The collected walk is not hard to obtain.
Once your horse knows to break at the pole
with gentle rein pressure, all it takes,
generally, is patience and a few weeks. Ask
your horse to walk energetically forward.
Slowly squeeze with your legs (just enough
to increase his energy, but not enough to
change gaits) and hold (don’t pull) the
reins so he feels your hands. If he gently
tucks his nose in while continuing the same
speed, release the rein and leg pressure.
Allow him to relax. Repeat the above step
until your horse knows it well and will
perform it with light pressure. Make sure
that he is not stiffening his jaw when he
flexes his neck.
Once this is accomplished, ask him to break
at the pole for longer and longer periods of
time. Use your legs, along with your hands,
to encourage him to bring his hindquarters
closer to the forequarters. Soon he will
travel like this with little pressure on the
bit. It is very important to use your legs
in conjunction with your hands to encourage
motion and energy.
The first picture is from a painting in the
book called The Horse in Action by Henry
Wynmalen. It is his representation of a
collected walk. The second picture is of a
gaited horse performing the collected walk
on a fairly loose rein. The head is a little
lower on the horse on the right, but not
everything is in the headset. The collected
walk is not so different from the free walk,
but it is the stepping stone to teaching all
other forms of collection, including the
high stepping walk, collected trot, and
extended trot. It is important to teach the
collected walk, but don’t worry about how
high your horses head is. Make sure that
your horse moves easily off your legs and
eases back from the bit. Accomplish this,
and your horse will easily perform the
collected walk in no time at all.
