Dressage is for naturally gaited horses, too! Dressage improves quality natural gaits whether the horse trots, tolts, flat walks or fox trots.
Dressage is More than Trot!
How dressage improves quality smooth gait over time. (My naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse, Makana age 19.)
How dressage for the gaited horse began for us
by Jennifer Klitzke
Some traditional dressage riders believe dressage is ONLY for horses that trot. I was one of them. I had been studying dressage and taking lessons with non-gaited horses since 1988. Acquiring a talented horse and developing the full range of motion from collected through extended walks, trots and canters over time was our aim as we climbed through the levels of competition.
Then in 2007 I acquired my first naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse. Instead of searching for the best trot I could afford, I looked for the smoothest horse I could find. Trot wasn’t even on my radar. However, dressage was the only method of riding I knew.
Many gaited horse owners believed dressage would MAKE my gaited horses trot. Others told me dressage would ruin my horse’s natural smooth gaits. Instead, they encouraged me to ride my horse with a curb bit and maintain a low fixed contact.
Searching the internet, I stumbled upon performance Tennessee Walking Horses. These show horses are trained with heavy shoes, pads, artificial enhancements, harsh bits, and even abusive methods to produce exaggerated movement. The horses looked tense and distressed.
After reviewing these alternative training methods, I decided dressage would be the most humane and natural choice for my Tennessee Walking Horse. After all, it was the only training method I knew.
If dressage teaches elements to produce quality gaits for non-gaited horses, why can’t the same elements be taught to the naturally gaited horse to develop quality smooth gaits?
They can.
My naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse Makana at nine years old.
Since beginning my dressage journey with naturally gaited horses, I’ve experienced transforming results. We have developed full range of motion, quality smooth gaits on cue, and long-term soundness. Dressage improves quality natural gaits whether the horse naturally trots, tolts, flat walks or fox trots.
Riding my naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse in a running walk at 20 years old—still barefoot and sound.
Dressage for the naturally gaited horse
Since 2007, I’ve learned that dressage offers many benefits for the naturally gaited horse. For starters, classical dressage is a humane training method. No heavy shoes, pads, artificial enhancements, harsh bits, or abusive methods are used, and unnatural or exaggerated movement isn’t the aim―only what comes naturally for the horse.
Dressage helps the horse develop its natural full range of motion and its best possible smooth gaits on cue. In fact, I ride my horses barefoot and using mild snaffle bits. Shoes and curb bits are not needed to develop smooth gait.
Dressage is for all horses, not just the talented ones. If you are like me and are not loaded with cash to buy the most talented moving horse available, this is good news! Dressage will bring help you bring the best out of the horse you have and develop a great partnership in the process. You don’t even have to show dressage to discover the benefits dressage brings you and your naturally gaited horse.
Dressage is a great means of communicating with the horse through the rider’s use and timing of rein, leg, seat and weight aids. When the aids are applied effectively and consistently, this communication can travel wherever you and your horse go and whatever you do together, in and out of the arena.
Video: How dressage improves smooth gaits
How dressage benefits the naturally gaited horse
Mental and physical relaxation (less anxiety and tension)
Smoother gaits by releasing body braces that produce pacing and teaching lateral exercises such as shoulder-in to break up the pacey foot fall sequence for more evenly timed four beat gaits
Better balance with less pre-dominance on the forehand and more even weight distribution on all four legs to support the body mass and weight of the rider
Helping the horse develop poised pride and confidence
Steadier rhythm and head nod at a flat walk, running walk, and fox trot
Even tempo and stride length
Forward movement without rushing into short quick steps
Stretching and strengthening the horse’s topline muscles
Stretching the spine and encouraging a neutral back
Increasing engagement beneath the body mass
Connecting with the rider through the communication aids (rein, leg and seat)
Greater symmetry and flexibility
Pushing power and carrying strength to improve the quality of natural smooth gaits and full range of motion
Long term soundness
Relaxing the mind
A relaxed horse is a more attentive horse with less anxiety. A relaxed horse is a more present and teachable horse. Relaxing the horse’s mind helps build a partnership of harmony between the horse and rider to promote trust. A relaxed horse is able to listen to the rider more than worry about the distractions around. This reduces the risk of spooking.
Mental and physical relaxation has transformed my grade gaited horse Lady’s hard trot to a smooth gait.
Relaxing the body
When a naturally gaited horse’s body is relaxed, the horse is more trainable. Relaxing the body transforms tense muscles and a hollow posture that produce pace into more flexible and maneuverable movement for smoother gaits.
Teaching balance in hand with my naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse / Spotted Saddle Horse, Marvel.
Relaxing the body begins with educating the mouth, relaxing the lower jaw, mouth, and poll, removing body braces and tension, teaching stretching and flexibility exercises that encourage a maneuverable posture and symmetry over time, and lift the chest, shoulders, and back. For the naturally gaited horse, a relaxed body promotes smoother gaits—less tense and hollow gaits such as pace, step pace, hard trot, and lateral canter.
Marvel showing a balanced and relaxed flat walk with good rhythm and tempo.
Balance
Along with relaxation is balance. The in-hand exercises that teach relaxation also teach balance at a halt. From there the horse learns relaxation and balance at a slow walk and then at a slow gait before proceeding to a running walk.
Video: Thoughts about the Chest and Hindquarters for Quality Smooth Gaits
Stretching
Stretching exercises help the naturally gaited horse stretch the spine, topline and neck muscles.Stretching reduces hollowness and a contracted neck. By encouraging deeper hind leg steps under the belly in a neutral walk the horse can improve its depth of stride and the length of stride.
Flat walk in a neutral neck extension stretching the top line muscles and spine.
Video: Tips to Longer Strides and Smoother Gaits
Developing symmetry
Through gymnastic exercises such as leg yields, counter bends, shoulder in, haunches in, rein back, circles, figure eights, serpentines, transitions, and more, the naturally gaited horse becomes more ambidextrous. These flexibility exercises promote balance, strength, symmetry, and evenness of stride, length of stride, and depth of stride.
Marvel is showing lightness and relaxation on the bit on a volt (10-meter circle at a slow balanced walk).
Diagonal moving exercises, such as shoulder in, haunches in, shoulder out and renver, break up lateral foot fall sequences as pace and step pace. These exercises also soften and supple the horse’s body and lift a hollow back to a neutral position. All this leads to smoother gaits.
Over time and consistent training, dressage for the naturally gaited horse develops full range of motion for quality smooth gaits and long-term soundness. This means developing smooth gaits on cue like the ground covering flat walk and running walk as well as the more collected saddle rack.
Did you know that dressage is a French term for training the horse AND rider? To me, this seemed clique and rather general, UNTIL I became a student of dressage. There’s a lot for the rider to learn in order to effectively communicate with a horse and develop its training.
In fact, becoming an effective dressage rider is a life-long pursuit. That’s why dressage has become my passion. Dressage is never boring, and I can take dressage with me and my horse wherever we go and whatever we do together. The relationship dressage has developed between me and my horses is meaningful. There is nothing clique or general about that!
My Trakehner/thoroughbred, Seili in 2013 at 29 years old.
Dressage beginnings
When I began riding dressage in 1988, the German form is all that was offered. I took regular lessons from a wonderful and kind instructor for twelve years with my gifted Trakehner / Thoroughbred gelding, SeilTanzer (Seilie) and my spicy-hot Spanish/Egyptian Arabian mare, Tara. They both lived long, sound, happy lives until the age of 34.
My Arabian mare, Tara at 27 years old.
Is Dressage French or German?
During my days as a German dressage rider, I often wondered if dressage is a French term for training the horse and rider, where did German dressage come from? Is it the same thing?
Jennifer Klitzke and SeilTanzer at the 1995 Dominique Barbier Clinic
In 1994, an eccentric Frenchman, a student of the late Nuno Oliveira, began traveling to my area for clinics. His name, Dominique Barbier. Feeling like a traitor to my German instructor, I audited the riding with lightness clinic to see what French dressage was all about.
Loving the pure joy and harmony between horse and rider, lightness of aids and balance of the horse, I signed up to ride for the next few clinics. I longed to experience a different kind of connection with my horses that French dressage offered.
Broadly speaking, both German dressage and French dressage teach the rider how to develop the horse’s best natural gaits. However, each method is quite different. A good differentiation between the two came from the late classical French dressage master Francois Baucher who defined French dressage as “Balance before Movement” and German dressage as “Movement before Balance.”
After studying (and still studying) both French and German dressage, I agree with Baucher’s statement and would add relaxation: “Balance (and Relaxation) before Movement” and “Movement before (Relaxation and) Balance.”
Over the years, through lessons and book and video study, I have and continue to learn the use and timing of leg, rein, seat, and weight aids to lead my horse into the elements of dressage: relaxation of mind and body, rhythm, connection, forward movement without rushing, straightness (symmetry), and collection (engagement). These elements help my horse develop full range of motion for quality gaits and long-term soundness.
Over the years my first naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse, Makana has developed her full range of motion—collected through extended gaits on cue: counted walk, half steps, piaffe, collected walk, medium walk, extended walk, free walk, flat-footed walk, flat walk, running walk, saddle rack, fox trot, and collected through extended canter.
So, whether you ride German or French dressage and whether you ride a non-gaited or gaited horse, here’s good news: dressage teaches the rider how to improve the quality of natural gaits whether the horse trots, tolts, flat walks or fox trots!
Dressage is a versatile language
The communication language dressage teaches using your rein, leg, seat and weight aids can be taken with you and your horse wherever you go and whatever you do together: Sorting cows, trail riding, gymnastic jumping, showing english or western dressage, trail obstacles, endurance and more!
Video: How to Start a Tennessee Walking Horse Over Jumps
Cow Sorting with a Gaited HorseCow Sorting with a Gaited HorseTrail Riding with a Gaited HorseWinter Riding with a Gaited HorseJumping a Course of Rails with a Gaited HorseGymnastic Jumping with a Gaited HoreShowing Dressage with a Gaited HorseShowing Western Dressage with a Gaited HorseTrail Obstacles with a Gaited HorseNaturally Gaited Tennessee Walking Horse Piaffe
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