By Joe Takach

No picture of correct walking in the paddock can be complete without taking note if a horse is walking wide in the front.

Walking wide in the front implies either tenderness or just plain tiredness.

Again, we’ll assume that we are all in the paddock free to roam around and look at every horse.   Of course one can’t do that if not on track, but of late the racetrack feeds offer extended views of each runner to include going under tack.

When the horses come into the paddock, try to see if any are throwing out either front leg almost to a fault. 

As mentioned above, they walk wide because they are tender or tired.  Look for a low and bobbing head accompanying “wide walkers”.  Often the horse will never get his head above his shoulders.  When he throws out either leg as he strides forward, he will almost appear to be paddling.  Every step appears laborious. 

Horses that walk well do so in a straight line.

You can see this via your racetrack feed if not actually in the paddock.  Maybe not with every horse because the camera can only be in 1 place at a time, but you can sure see a lot if you pay strict attention.

When on track or if you get “clean” shots via your racetrack feed, all you have to do is to draw an imaginary thru the horse from the middle of his head downwards splitting him in half as he is walking towards you.  You might have to move around the paddock a bit to do this or hope the racetrack feed offers you a clear view.  You must get a “head on” view of any horse to see if he’s walking wide in the front. 

His front and rear hoofprints should be very close to this imaginary line. 

If the fronts are more that 3-4 inches away from center, he’s most likely tender or very tired.  The further away his hoofprints are on either side from his allotted 3-4 inches, the greater the probability he’ll finish up the track.

Most leg problems are in the front because they take all the pounding.  If possible, do yourself a favor and repeat this entire process from a rear view.

Should you see any abnormalities (front or rear), you might want to rethink your wager as if costs you absolutely nothing to pass a race.

With a little practice and concentration, you’ll quickly see who is walking wide. 

The easiest place to learn is in any paddock. 

Closely inspect any 5 or 6 fields in the lowest claiming levels on you circuit.   

Believe me, you’ll see many horses walking wide in the front.  Some will walk wider than others, but you will have no problem spotting a few “wide walkers”.  Once you catch one horse walking wide, you’ll have grasped the concept.

Walking wide is always a big time “no-no”. 

I see “wide walkers” every single day in the paddock.  And although I spot most of them in claiming races, it’s not the bit unusual to see it in allowance, Stakes, and even “Graded” runners.  Most of the time with the better horses, they’re just plain tired and need time off rather than sore.

In closing, you might want to consider exactly “how” every runner is putting down his hooves as he walks. 

Does he walk gingerly as if walking on eggshells and trying not to break them?  Do his hooves appear to hesitate before they hit the ground rather than just walking normally?

Does he take short choppy steps?

Never forget that “muscle sore” runners offer many signs of tenderness.  If a horse is tender in the hip or his rear, he will noticeably drop his hip and limp.  After he puts down his rear hoof on his good side, he’ll quickly slide the bad rear hoof up to the good one but not go past it as is normal.  This is called “studderstepping”.  These are extremely injured horses that should not be racing.

The difference between walking well, walking both wide and/or short, and/or walking sore is usually the difference between winning and losing.

Correct walking isn’t Rocket Science-----it’s only common sense.

PART 14-----PRE-RACE WARM-UPS and WARM-DOWNS