| Image 6 | Image 5 | Image 4 | Image 3 | Image 2 | Image 1 |
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| Image 12 | Image 11 | Image 10 | Image 9 | Image 8 | Image 7 |
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Free Walk
| Table of Contents |Four Dressage Walks | Walks Compared | Ordinary Walk | Suspended & Spanish Walks |
Here are 12 digital images selected from a longer video (30 frames per second) showing the timing of the head bob with limb contact times and swing and stance phases. This discussion uses the conventions of Milton Hildebrand (1965 Symmetrical Gaits of Horses Science150:701-708).
A head bob is an important part of a dressage walk. It can be quite variable because horses may alter it to look at something and almost extinguish it for a stride or two in the process. Or the rider's aids may create differences in the walk timing.
Head bob patterns can also be a part of veterinary diagnosis of lameness. In that case, more than one stride is sampled on a hard surface (to hear regularity of hoofbeats) and to help remove variations due to attention changes. Walk samples on this page are from a single stride on a level, consistent surface of hardwood chips and are for general comparison only.
The free walk here is ridden bareback so that a saddle and pad do not obscure the horse's back and sides. A rider's leg without stirrup does not need to have the heel down for spring and contact with the stirrup: I have chosen not to produce that degree of tension in my leg by holding my toe up, althought it might look better in the images. Horse: Raynyday Maximillian (Morgan gelding).
| Image 6 | Image 5 | Image 4 | Image 3 | Image 2 | Image 1 |
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| Image 12 | Image 11 | Image 10 | Image 9 | Image 8 | Image 7 |
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Graph showing digitized vertical position data for the Morgan ABOVE. Head bob timing is correlated with contact time of each leg (RH = Right Hind; LH = Left Hind; RF = Right Fore; LF = Left Fore). The reference position for the head bob is the yellow dot at the junction of the rider's boot top/pant leg at theknee. The gait cycle is not quite closed because Image 12 is slightly before toe-down LH and Image 1 is slightly after toe-down LH.
For the swing time of each hind leg the head goes up and down (there is a normal asymmetry in the walk revealed in the 30 frames per second digital video). From experience riding Max, his left hind is slightly "stronger" than his right hind, reflected in LH fractionally longer contact time. The head is up with the toe-down of each front leg. According to some literature, (J. R. Rooney 1998 The LameHorse) the head bob assists the propulsion/pendulum effect of the hind legs. In this record, the head is moving up as the hind leg swings forward and then comes down after the swing leg passes opposite the grounded leg at mid stance. Toe-down LF and RF occur at the high points of the head bob.
Ordinary Walk
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| Image 12 | Image 11 | Image 10 | Image 9 | Image 8 | Image 7 |
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Graph showing digitized vertical position data for the Württemberger ABOVE. Head bob timing is correlated with contact time of each leg (RH = Right Hind; LH = Left Hind; RF = Right Fore; LF = Left Fore). The reference position for the head bob is the yellow circle.
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Vulkan in Free Walk:
Video at normal tempo showing head bob in relation to swing phase of hind legs. |
Raynyday Smoke 'n Mirrors at 3 years (never ridden) but worked in hand. |
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| Raynyday Maximillian: Free Walk to Medium Walk video at half tempo to show transition in walk. | Raynyday Smoke 'n Mirrors at 4 1/2 years (under saddle) with natural purity of walk preserved. |
Back to Ordinary Walk still frames from animation page
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