Balanced walk
Dressage for the Gaited Horse

Improving Full Range of Motion

Dressage for the naturally gaited horse offers many benefits include improving the full range of motion.

Dressage for the naturally gaited horse introduces many unique exercises that offer many benefits include improving the full range of motion, helping the horse find balance over the body mass, developing engagement of the hindquarters, abdominal muscles and chest muscles, and improving symmetry.

One of the best benefits dressage exercises offer the gaited horse are that they diagonalize the footfalls to break up pace for a four-beat smooth gait and break up a lateral canter for a truer three-beat canter.

Each time I ride my naturally gaited horse; I think about an accordion player. To produce the full scale of notes, the accordion stretches out and then gathers together. Riding a naturally gaited horse using dressage is similar to develop the full range of motion. There are neck extensions that stretch the top line muscles and spine and improve stride length and over track. There are also exercises that stretch the horse’s muscles longitudinally and exercises that help the horse engage.

This post and the video below capture elements from one riding session. Me and my then 16-year-old naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse, Makana work through dressage exercises and the full range of motion to improve quality smooth gaits.

Watch: Improving Full Range of Motion for the Gaited Horse

Developing full range of motion with dressage exercises

Flechi droit
Flechi droit is not taught in mainstream dressage. It was an exercise I learned when studying classical equitation. There are many benefits to learning this exercise. Beginning at a slow walk, the horse keeps its body straight and turns its neck and head 45 to 90-degrees. This helps the horse learn shoulder balance and also stretches the outside neck muscles.

shoulder in
Shoulder in is the next exercise I like to do with my naturally gaited horse at a low walk. It can be done on three or four tracks on a straight line or on a small circle shown here. It is a wonderful exercise for suppling, balancing and engaging the horse. In this exercise the inside hind leg steps under the body mass.

Haunches in
Haunches in: After the shoulder in, I transition to the haunches in which can be done on three or four tracks on a straight line or on a small circle shown here. It is a wonderful exercise for suppling, balancing and engaging the horse. In this exercise the outside hind leg steps under the body mass.

shoulder fore on a circle at a flat walk
Shoulder fore: Any time my naturally gaited horse gets stiff in the flat walk, I like to place her on a 15–20-meter circle in a shoulder-fore position. This helps her find suppleness, balance and engagement in the smooth gait.

counter bend turns
Counter bend neck rein turns: Another great exercise for the naturally gaited horse is counter bend neck rein turns. This exercise can be done at a slow walk or in a smooth gait as shown here and in the video. The rider positions the horse’s bend to see the outside eye. Then as the inside shoulder is about to move forward, the rider motions both reins from the outside to the inside. The outside rein touches against the outside neck. This indicates to the horse to transfer weight from the outside shoulder to the inside shoulder. This exercise has wonderful benefits for the naturally gaited horse in lightening the forehand.
neck extension at a flat walk
Neck extension at a flat walk shows the horse stretching the head and neck forward and out to stretch the spine and top line muscles.

These exercises help the naturally gaited horse find balance over the body mass, lighten the forehand and shoulders, engage the hindquarters, abdominal muscles, and thoracic sling, and help the horse relax the mouth, lower jaw and poll, and stretch the top line and spine for full range of motion. Plus, these exercises break up pacey lateral movement for smooth natural gaits.

Rein back
Rein back
Piaffe
Piaffe

A slow and folding rein back to half steps and piaffe are also great exercises to improve engagement and lighten the forehand.

lateral pace canter
Lateral pace canter
Canter
True canter

Dressage exercises such as the shoulder in and haunches in diagonalize the footfall sequence to break up a lateral canter for a truer three-beat canter.

Walk
Saddle Rack
Flat Walk
Canter
Canter

This post and video applying dressage exercises to develop the full range of motion in a variety of smooth gaits: walk, canter, fox trot, saddle rack, flat walk, and running walk.

I hope this is helpful. Let me know your thoughts by sending a message.

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Related posts:

  1. Straightness Improves Even Smooth Gait
  2. Lateral Exercises for the Gaited Horse
  3. Improving a Lateral or Four-Beat Canter
  4. Shoulder-in
  5. Collection and its Effect on Stride Length
  6. Counter Bend Balance for the Gaited Horse
  7. What is Gaited Dressage?
  8. Pace & the Naturally Gaited Horse
  9. How Shoulder-in Helps Break Up Pace
  10. Collected Walk-Canter-Walk Transitions for the Gaited Horse