How to Make Your Horse Step High With No Shoes On

Some horse breeds, such as Tennessee Walking Horses and Missouri Fox Trotters, naturally perform a high-stepping gait; trainers often use weighted shoes or pads to encourage it. The ability of some breeds to perform this gait is partly due to the breed's specific conformation, and is difficult for other breeds to emulate. However, any horse can be taught to lift its legs higher to produce a more energetic pace, and this can be done whether your horse is shod or not. Improving your horse's balance will encourage it to take bigger steps. You might also teach your horse the Spanish Walk, an advanced dressage movement that involves lifting the forelegs extravagantly in turn.

Things You'll Need

  • Helmet
  • Secure, fenced work area
  • Tack
  • Schooling whip
  • Food rewards
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Instructions

  1. Improving Balance

    • 1

      Mount your horse, and ride around the arena several times at the walk to warm up. Ride a small circle in each corner of the arena and, just before you come onto the circle, perform a half-halt. Keeping a firm contact down your inside rein, squeeze and lift your outside hand while sinking your weight down into the saddle through your seat bones. Keep your weight slightly backward by keeping your shoulders back. Keep both legs firmly closed around the horse. The horse should slow down, and gather its hindlegs further under its body.

    • 2

      Ride into a corner of the arena, so that your horse's head is facing the fence and you also have fence on one side. Gently squeeze both reins while applying firm pressure with both legs. Make sure you're not pulling your hands back toward you, and don't put too much pressure on your seat bones or you'll block the horse from moving. Keep applying the aids until your horse takes a step backward; then release the pressure and praise him. Ask for another step; walk forward around the arena before trying again. This exercise will lighten your horse's forehand and help it carry more weight on its back legs.

    • 3

      Trot your horse up hills whenever possible. Try not to let it rush too much, but apply half-halts until it brings its back legs underneath its body and trots at a regular, balanced pace. The horse should now be starting to take higher, more energetic steps because it's able to carry both its own weight and your weight more easily.

    Teaching the Spanish Walk

    • 4

      Bridle your horse and lead it into the arena. Walk it around a couple of times to settle it; then halt. Stand by your horse's shoulder with the reins in your outside hand and the whip in the other.

    • 5

      Gently tap your horse's foreleg with the whip. As soon as it moves its leg forward, reward and praise it. Continue until your horse lifts its leg forward off the ground; then stop and ask it to walk on again.

    • 6

      Halt and repeat the exercise. This time, your horse should understand more quickly, and lift its leg forward after only one or two taps. Repeat the exercise with the other leg. Once the horse lifts each leg in turn on command, ask it to walk forward, lifting alternate legs at each step.