My horse walks slow what can we do to speed him up?

A horse with a naturally slow walk is one of the more frustrating everyday riding experiences. The slow walk is also one of the more nuanced problems to address because there is a meaningful difference between a horse that walks slowly because of his temperament, a horse trained to walk slowly through inadvertent reinforcement, a horse that walks slowly because he is physically stiff or inadequately warmed up, and a horse that walks slowly because he has learned that slow walking keeps the rider comfortable and avoids more demanding work. Physical evaluation is appropriate for a horse that has become slower recently or walks noticeably more slowly than he used to. Hind end soreness, hock arthritis, back pain, and front foot soreness all produce a shortened careful walk as the horse attempts to minimize loading on the painful area. A horse that warms up progressively — walking more slowly at the beginning and loosening into a freer walk as muscles warm — may simply need a longer warmup before being asked for forward energy. The most common training cause of a persistently slow walk is insufficient leg expectation and inadvertent reward of the slow pace. Apply a light leg cue to ask for more forward energy, wait one stride, and if the horse does not respond reinforce immediately with a stronger leg or a tap of the crop. The moment the horse's tempo increases to the desired level, release the leg completely. If he slows again, ask again with the same sequence. The critical distinction is between maintaining leg contact as constant driving pressure versus using the leg as a clear intermittent cue released when the correct response is produced. Energy matching is a subtler concept that experienced horsemen understand intuitively — your own energy level, posture, and intention communicates directly to the horse through your seat. Sit tall and active in the saddle during the walk, think of walking somewhere with purpose rather than ambling without destination, and let that intention translate into your body position and following seat. Variety in the work program contributes to walk quality in ways easy to overlook. A horse worked in the same arena on the same track at the same tempo has no reason to offer more energy than his comfortable minimum. Trail riding, work in different environments, and riding with energetic companion horses give the slow-walking horse reasons to be more forward that come from the horse's own interest and energy.