Im doing my first ever dressage test on saturady...prelim 18 and i'm a bit unsure of movement 10 free walk on a long rein HXF from medium walk should you basically let your reins out long and allow your horse to stretch down but keep the same rhythm and speed an then just pick up your reins again at F to go back into medium walk?
free walk on a long rein
- Thread starter Yorkshire_Lass
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tbone
0oO~ Fruit Loops ~Oo0
The freewalk should have a good amount of impulsion but the horse should be allowed to strech his head down. The reins should be long but still have a bit of contact (Not too much) and it tpically help ecourage the horse to lower his head is you widen your hands a little farther apart. (Typically a little wider then your hips I think it is.) Gently and gracefully pick up contact when you get to F. Hope this helped maybe a little bit, it's how my trainer taught me to freewalk. 
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You shouldent just throw the reins away, let the horse take the rein from you over a few strides, dont throw away the contact, your contact should still be strong and consistent, the horses should be stepping out and overtracking.
Alot of people make the mistake of thinking if the horses nose is on the floor then its free walk this is not the case, the horse simply should be allowed a free rein, but step through and work through its back.
Alot of people make the mistake of thinking if the horses nose is on the floor then its free walk this is not the case, the horse simply should be allowed a free rein, but step through and work through its back.
IrisSilverMoon
206 yo ;)
what should happen in the free walk and when you have to let the reins slip out of your hands on the trot circle is that you tickl with one of htem and give, the horse should reach forward and down searching for the contact. You still have contact all the way through but they put there head down. there should definately be a little more wlak than the medium walk. The horse should be moving really forward and the back should be swinging freely. not always the easiest movement to get right, same whith when you have to do it at the trot...
I'm told by a friend who scribes frequently, that one of the most common comments she hears from judges during the freewalk, is that there is not a sufficient difference in the stride-lengths (between it and the medium walk). As your reins lengthen, the horse should maintain the same rhythm, but lengthen his stride and frame into a big, swingy, walk.
The horse should maintain a clear 4-beat regular step with a clear overtrack (hind feet should step over the footprint left by the forefeet).
The horse should lengthen its frame and take the contact forward and down, the nose should be in front of the vertical but the frame must stay round.
The horse should lengthen its frame and take the contact forward and down, the nose should be in front of the vertical but the frame must stay round.
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