I learned the counted walk while studying French classical dressage with my gaited horse. The counted walk has helped improve our balance in unexpected ways.

The Counted Walk and the Gaited Horse

By Jennifer Klitzke

The counted walk hasn’t been talked about in the German dressage circles I grew up in my first thirty years of riding. It wasn’t until I was introduced to the French classical dressage philosophy that I learned about the counted walk. It is beautifully demonstrated in Lisa Maxwell’s DVD: Getting Started in Lightness: The French Classical Dressage of Francois Baucher As Taught by Jean Claude Racinet.

Video: The Counted Walk by a Naturally Gaited Tennessee Walking Horse

The counted walk is more of a balancing exercise than a gait. Each time my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse feels out of balance, like when she is leaning on my hands, heavy in on the forehand, or the center of gravity is in front of my seat in a downward way, we slow down, and I ask for a few steps of the counted walk. This exercise helps her rebalance, engages her from behind, lifts her chest and withers, and softens her jaw. Then I transition to the medium walk, flat walk or canter.

After learning about the counted walk, I have searched for more examples. Some videos demonstrate the counted walk as a mini piaffe, which is a trot sequence of diagonal pairs instead of a walk sequence of four even steps. In either case, whether a counted walk or mini-piaffe both are excellent exercises for the gaited horse to improve balance and engagement.

Cues for the counted walk

1. Relaxation of mind and body. First step is to help my horse be free of anxiety and tension and find relaxation of the lower jaw while riding in a snaffle bit with light even contact.

2. Slow tempo and small steps. Then I place my horse along the fence and encourage the slowest possible walk she is able to do with the smallest possible steps. While my horse is walking, I encourage her to raise her head and neck while she steps under her body from behind. It feels like the back raises and the withers grow higher while the hindquarters lower. Each step feels softer.

3. Halt and rein back. If I need more engagement. I will halt and ask for a few steps of rein back to encourage my horse’s hindquarters to engage and abdominal muscles to engage to lift her back. Then I will ask for a few more steps of the counted walk.

4. Transitions. When I feel my horse is in balance, I will move up to a medium walk, flat walk or canter from the counted walk.

I hope counted walk helps you and your gaited horse as much as it has helped us. The counted walk might not look like much compared with the deep striding flat walk we are accustomed to, but when you feel the balance of the counted walk and experience how the balance improves the flat walk, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

Please write and let me know the difference the counted walk is making for you and your gaited horse.

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