Nadja: I had one reader write to me and tell me that every day before she rode, she would go and look at the video in that article, for inspiration.
Anja: That is great! (She says quite delightedly.) The only feedback we get from people is if they contact and tell us if they like it or not. We do not have competition so it is whether people like the book or video or not.
Nadja: That is just a beautiful Spanish Walk that you have on the DVD
Anja: That is because he is very straight.
Nadja: I don’t think I remember a video or a picture any time where I have seen a horse straighter and it's not just the straightness - it is that he is actually walking with a very pure rhythm within the Spanish Walk. So many times when you see the Spanish walk you see the hind legs trailing behind.
Anja: Sometimes they cross the hands, sometimes you see the head and the neck move which is very ugly. But he is really calm. His head is calm, his neck is calm and he is straight and he uses his legs in behind.
[Editors Note: Hands in this case refers to the forelegs of the horse. Help refers to the aids.]
Nadja: One of the things that you'll sometimes see in the Spanish Walk is that the one hind leg will take a longer step and then a shorter step with the other hind leg. Showing how unequally the horse is really working. And I noticed the horse you are working is completely equal on the back, it is truly excellent. So, out of curiosity, how did you get him doing it that way?
What is your magic?
Anja: Actually, it is quite easy. I do the same work with all horses, but this horse has a very good shoulder. I have some Friesians that do the shoulder work like him, but if you have a horse that doesn't have as good a shoulder, for example, some Arabians, where the shoulder is more stiff or more fixed, you have a nice Spanish Walk but it will not end up high and round like him.
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