About Dressage and the Gaited Horse

How Naturally Gaited began and how dressage develops quality smooth gaits with naturally gaited horses.

By Jennifer Klitzke

Jennifer Klitzke and naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse, Makana — Jennifer Klitzke and her naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse, Makana

Yes, I rode bumpy, trotting horses for decades. I have been an avid student of dressage since 1988: taking lessons, riding and training a variety of horses. Then I learned about naturally smooth gaited horses. My aging body longed for a comfortable ride and that’s when I began my search. The breed wasn’t important as long as it was smooth. I was open to Paso Finos, Tennessee Walking Horses, Missouri Fox Trotters, Icelandics, Rocky Mountains, just to name a few.

In 2007, my search for a SMOOTH gait led me to a black, barefoot and sound, three-year-old naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse. She met me at the fence with the enthusiasm of a puppy. Her name was Gift of Freedom, a.k.a. Makana, which is Hawaiian for “gift.” Makana had been family raised and imprinted at birth with 20 rides on her when she arrived at my place.

2 year old Tennessee walking horse — My Tennessee walking horse, Makana the summer before I took her home.

Beginnings of dressage for the gaited horse

When I acquired my smooth gaited horse, Makana, dressage had been the only form of riding and training I knew. Yet, the competition dressage world told me dressage is ONLY for horses that trot. Gaited horse owners said dressage would MAKE my gaited horse trot. Others said dressage would RUIN my horse’s natural smooth gaits.

I looked for books and scoured YouTube for videos about training gaited horses. Then I came across a Walking Horse registry. It showcased Tennessee Walking Horses wearing heavy shoes, pads, and chains. The horses moved in exaggerated and unnatural ways. The riders rode the horses forward into two-handed contact with long shank bits. The expressions on the horses’ faces were tense and distressed.

If this is how Tennessee Walking Horses are trained, I would have NO part of it! Dressage would be all my smooth gaited Tennessee walking horse would know.

What benefits does dressage bring the horse?

Decades of lessons and avid application taught me many benefits dressage brings the horse.

Mental relaxation: less anxiety and less distraction equal more peace of mind, harmony and less spooking
Physical relaxation: less muscle tension equals a swinging, round, relaxed back and smoother gaits for the rider to sit which are also more comfortable for the horse to carry a rider
Balance: more evenly distributed weight over the horse’s body mass for long-term soundness
Rhythm: more regular tempo with consistency stride for stride
Forwardness: movement forward without hurried short steps
Connection: understanding the language with the rider by use of rein, leg, seat and weight aids
Symmetry: to become more ambidextrous by developing even strength and flexibility; ultimately more straight and less crooked
Collection: to lighten the forehand by engaging the hindquarters to carry more weight, engaging the abdominal muscles to lift the back, and engaging the chest to raise the wither, neck and head
Harmony between the horse and rider

Over time, dressage develops the horse’s full range of motion and improves the quality of the horse’s natural gaits on cue for long-term soundness

Just because my Tennessee Walking Horse doesn’t naturally trot, why couldn’t we gain the benefits of dressage to improve the quality of her natural smooth gaits?

We set out on a mission to find out.

Why is dressage more than trot?

Since 2007, I have learned from personal experience: trot is not required for naturally gaited horses to gain the benefits of dressage. Dressage does not MAKE the smooth gaited horse trot. Dressage does not ruin the natural smooth gaits.

In fact, dressage actually improves the quality of natural smooth gaits. Dressage develops flexibility and symmetry for even strides and lengthened strides. Dressage adopts principles of mental and physical relaxation, riding with comfortable-fitting equipment, and teaching the horse how to accept and follow a gentle snaffle bit contact. These principles replace tense hollow gaits as pace, step pace, and hard trot with natural smooth gaits as flat walk, running walk, fox trot, saddle rack, and tolt.

Dressage is more than trot!
Shoulder in

Seven ways dressage benefits the naturally gaited horse

In addition to all of the ways dressage benefits any horse, below are unique ways dressage benefits naturally smooth gaited horses

Mental relaxation
Relaxing the horse’s mind allows for a more teachable and attentive horse. Relaxation means less anxiety and distraction. Relaxation helps build a partnership of harmony between the horse and rider to promote trust. A relaxed horse worries less about the distractions around and is able to listen to the rider and learn. This reduces spooking for a safer ride.
Physical relaxation
Relaxing the body allows for a more trainable horse. Relaxation transforms tense muscles and a hollow or braced posture for flexible, supple, and maneuverable movement.

Relaxing the horse’s body allows expression of the mouth, releasing tension in the lower jaw and poll, and allowing the horse to swallow. Relaxation allows stretching and flexibility of the top line and outside neck muscles as well as maneuverability into a posture of relaxed balance.

Relaxing the body promotes smoother gaits—less tense and hollow gaits such as pace, step pace, hard trot, lateral canter and cross canter.
Relaxed balance
The horse learns relaxation and balance in hand at a halt and then in hand in motion. Then the horse learns to carry the rider in relaxed balance starting at a halt and then a slow walk with lots of transitions and rest breaks. Over time the horse gradually learns relaxed balance in smooth gait and canter.
Developing symmetry
Through suppling and gymnastic exercises such as counter bends, leg yields, shoulder in, haunches in, renver, shoulder out, and half pass, the naturally gaited horse becomes more ambidextrous. These exercises promote balance, strength and flexibility for more even strides, a more maneuverable horse.
Break up pace for smooth gaits
Diagonal moving exercises such as shoulder in, haunches in, renver, half pass, and the use of ground rails teach the horse to break up lateral moving gaits such as pace and step pace to develop smooth gaits. These exercises also improve balance and help the horse become more supple.
Develop full range of motion for long term soundness
Over time dressage develops the horse’s full range of motion for long-term soundness. The naturally gaited horse develops the extended range of motion for maximum stride length and over track as well as the collected gaits with maximum balance and engagement.
Smooth gaits on cue to self-carriage
When applied consistently, the horse learns the rider’s language through voice, rein, leg, seat and weight aids. Over time, the naturally gaited horse is guided by the rider into relaxed balance, gaits on cue, and releases into self-carriage. The rider only needs to intervene if the horse loses relaxed balance or tempo or if the rider changes direction, tempo, or position.

In 2010, I launched this website: NaturallyGaited.com to share my stories, insights, videos, and photos of how I apply dressage with my naturally gaited horses. There are also stories about the people I have met and who have helped me along the way.