How to Walk a Line

Today's post, "How to Walk a Line," builds upon last week's post, "Calculating Number of Strides in a Line" post.  We will go over how to physically walk a line on a jump course so you can calculate the number of strides you should get in each line.

First, recall from last week that each canter stride is 12 feet long.

When we are walking a jump course on foot, we humans walk with a 3-foot stride, which means that four of our steps equals one horse stride.

(3-foot human stride x 4 steps = 12 feet = 1 horse stride)

Also recall from last week that you have to account for the landing from the first jump (6 feet) and the takeoff in front of the second jump (6 feet).  Using our 3-foot human stride, we take two steps at the beginning to account for the landing, then another two steps at the end to account for the takeoff.

Landing = 6 feet = 2 human steps  

Each horse stride = 12 feet = 4 human steps

Takeoff = 6 feet = 2 human steps

                                                  

Going back to the 48-foot line example that we used last week:

 6 + 12 + 12 + 12 + 6 = 48 feet = 3 horse show strides

Here is the same diagram with the human steps written in at the bottom:

2 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 2 = 16 steps = 48 feet = 3 horse show strides

The BLUE numbers are the two human steps for the landing at the beginning and two human steps for the takeoff at the end.  

The RED numbers are the four human steps for each stride in the line.

To keep track of how many strides we've walked, we have a special way of counting as we walk.  Say the following words out loud and imagine you are walking a line as you do so:

one-two, ONE-two-three-four, TWO-two-three-four, THREE-two-three-four, one-two 

How many sets of four did you just say?  You said three sets (ONE, TWO, THREE) = three strides

So you should get three horse shows strides in that line.


LEARNING HOW TO TAKE A 3-FOOT STEP
The hardest part of walking a course is learning to take steps that are exactly three feet long.  It just takes practice.  Coaches, here is a fun summer camp or rainy day activity to help your students learn to walk a line using a three-foot step.

Start by placing five cones in a straight line three feet apart.  Use a tape measure to make sure the distance between the cones is exactly three feet.  The total distance between cone one and cone five will be 12 feet, which is one horse stride.

Walk in a straight line next to the cones, taking one step at each cone.  Practice walking back and forth in both directions until you can make the correct size steps without looking at the cones.  Then try to do it with your eyes closed.

Then remove the three inside cones and try to walk from the first cone to the last cone in four equal steps.  Then try it with your eyes closed.

After a lot of practice you will learn what a three-foot stride feels like and be able to walk a line like a pro!

If you enjoyed this article, please take a moment to like and share on facebook.  Thanks!

--Amanda