Spanish Walk

The Spanish Walk is not recognized as a classical movement amongst the leading classical institutions, with the exception of Spain and Portugal.

In the past it has been thought of as nothing but a trick, and therefore has been frowned upon by classical riding masters world wide as a circus trick. Baucher and Fillis two of the most celebrated riding masters of the past, Baucher for inventing the one tempi flying change, Fillis for making popular the Fillis manner of holding the reins and the canter in reverse, used this "trick", the Spanish Walk, in their circus exhibitions and in their performances, and also acknowledge it as a high school movement.


Without a doubt the Spanish Walk, is one of the most spectacular movements that a horse can do but for centuries has been controversial as to whether or not it can be considered a high school movement.

Why?

According to the classical principals, the horse should only be taught to do under saddle what he naturally does at liberty. According to some classical riders, the Spanish Walk, and the Spanish Greeting, ARE things that the horse does by nature. When two stallions are in a dispute about a mare in the wild, they usually strike out with the front legs, one at a time resembling the Spanish Walk or the Spanish Greeting. For this reason it IS allowed to be introduced amongst different high school movements not found in the FEI or classical styles of riding.

The Spanish Walk however, goes beyond having the horse march in a one front foot after the other sort of fashion. The distinction between a correct Spanish Walk and a poorly performed Spanish Walk is often times hard to see. First of all, if we are to consider the Spanish Walk amongst high school moves, we must not begin its training until the horse is at the end of his basic and intermediate schooling. The walk must be very well established both in the lengthening and collecting form. Also the Spanish Walk must be made in the form of the walk, that is, in a four beat sequence and not in the sequence of the trot which is so often seen. The reason why many riding masters disapprove of the Spanish Walk as a high school movement is because very few riders, and trainers in the world and in history, have had the ability to teach this move correctly in a four beat walk sequence like it should be. And most of the time we see the Spanish Walk being performed pre maturely acquiring the diagonal sequence of the trot.

So, even though this movement will continually be used as an exhibition trick, it cannot be considered high school, unless it is performed in the correct manner. In Spanish Alta Escuela (Spanish High School Riding), the Spanish Walk is required in the riding tests, but are often times judged, not on the height or length of the extension of the front limbs but on the correctness of it's execution, the sequence of the walk. The more correct the move the more points the Spanish Walk accumulates, in conjunction with the extension and height of the front legs of course. A very easy trick to teach our horses when done for fun or other purposes, very difficult if we even think of ever wanting to call it High School.
But having this in mind, all horses can easily be taught to do a Spanish Walk for the purpose of adding diversity in the training of the horse, for stretching and warming up purposes, and for breaking the some times boring cycle of drills and routines. And, there is no rule that says we cannot teach our horses the Spanish Walk in the best way that we can, in the form of a trick if you will, and build on that, to eventually try and get it as clean and correct as possible in hope to one day call it High School.


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