All posts by Jennifer Klitzke

"Dressage is more than trot...and the saddle you ride in." -Jennifer KlitzkeSome traditional dressage riders believe that dressage is ONLY for horses that trot. While many gaited horse owners believe that dressage will MAKE their gaited horse trot. Others believe that teaching their gaited horse to trot on cue will ruin their horse's natural gait.I challenge these notions and here's why...Dressage improves the quality of natural movement in a horse whether it trots or has a smooth four-beat gait.Dressage is a French term for training the horse and rider. Whether a horse is ridden in an english or western saddle; whether the horse trots or gaits, it doesn't matter. Dressage brings about the best natural movement whether the horse walks, trots, flat walks, fox trots, or canters.Why? When a rider grows in knowledge, awareness, and application of a balanced riding position with the horse's center of gravity and applies effective use and timing of leg, rein, seat, and weight aids to communicate with the horse, dressage improves relaxation, balance, rhythm, connection, harmony, engagement, straightness, and collection. These elements improve the quality of movement and the full range of motion. For the naturally gaited horse, this means, smoother gaits, deeper strides, and a sounder horse for longer.Enjoy the journey!
Gaited Horse Training

Free Lunging Boot Camp

free lunging

Do you have months and months and months of winter time off? Then spring arrives and you can’t wait to ride again. Only your horse has grown a sagging hay belly and is desperately out of shape. Now what?

Free Lunging Boot Camp for the Naturally Gaited Horse

By Jennifer Klitzke

Ever since my husband and I moved to our farm, it feels like I have to start all over again each spring after five months off. On one hand, I love seeing my horses every day even though the winters get long without an indoor arena. The downside is having to start the first month of spring getting back to where we left off in the fall.

When I used to board my horses, I rode year-round in an indoor arena during the winter months. This kept me and my horses in shape, and we didn’t have the downtime we have now.

Yet, winter offers me time to read my dressage books. Time to study our videos. Time to reflect on how we are doing and what we need to improve upon.

In my winter studies, I became aware of a few things in my riding that I have started to apply now that spring is here.

Stretching stiff outside muscles

Reading Philippe Karl’s Twisted Truths of Modern Dressage offers many insights about why horses are crooked, the symptoms of crookedness, and a how good dressage program helps horses become ambidextrous and equally flexible. This spring I am making a conscious effort to stretch stiffer outside muscles to become even with the flexible side. Read more>

stretching the outside muscles

The importance of engaging the hindquarters AND engaging the abdominal muscles to lift the back

It occurred to me that teaching the naturally gaited horse to engage the hind quarters to step deeper under its body and engage its abdominal muscles to lift its back are two separate functions. Both are essential for top line muscle development. I have noticed that engaging the hindquarters does not automatically engage the abdominal muscles to lift the back to a neutral position.

I wrongly believed that by engaging the hindquarters for a deeper step under the body also engaged the abdominal muscles to lift the back. This may be the case for some horses, but not all.

For me, I had to recognize this on video and photos and then begin to develop a sense of feel while in the saddle for when the horse’s back was hollow and when the horse’s back was neutral.

When I ask the horse for a quality rein back, I feel the back and wither lift. So this is the feeling I seek to maintain. The rein back, transitions between gaits, and a quality canter engage the abdominal muscles and so does a stretching trot.

Now that it is spring, I have started a few new tactics with my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse Makana and naturally gaited fox trotting mare Lady. Neither are spring chickens. Both are 16 years old. And both have developed sagging hay bellies over winter.

Getting back in shape starts in the cross ties

While in the cross ties, I have started to apply belly lifts. I poke them in the belly until they lift their back to a neutral position. I ask them to hold their back up for a few seconds. Then I release and praise them, rub their belly, and give them a snack. I do the belly lift about six times on both sides.

Free lunging

Then I take each horse to the round pen for free lunging. Normally I tack up my horse with a saddle and bridle, cross the irons, and loop the reins. For the purpose of this post, I free lunged Lady without tack to show how free lunging in trot and canter improve engagement of the hind quarters and abdominal muscles to lift the back.

Allowing the naturally gaited horse to trot at liberty will not ruin the horse’s smooth gait. In fact, teaching a gaited horse a quality trot on cue can improve the quality of smooth gait.

Below is a series of photos during our
20-minute free lunging session.

Pictured above is Lady, my 16-year-old naturally gaited fox trotting mare. I captured this photo in the beginning of our free lunging session that lasted about 20 minutes. You can clearly see how much of a sagging hay belly she has, how hollow her back is, how disengaged she is from behind (not stepping deep under her belly and her hind leg trails behind her tail), and how much she is on the forehand.
This is Lady about 10 minutes later. I encourage her to trot. While she trots, I encourage her to stretch her top line muscles. Notice the difference in the engagement of the hind legs and the back is more neutral. Lady is being free lunged in a round pen. This forces her to stretch her outside muscles. When she travels counter clockwise, she stretches her stiffer outside muscles.
I also encourage Lady in the working trot. Her poll (between her ears) is about level with her whither. Notice that her back is neutral, her stomach is not sagging, and she is engaged from behind. A quality trot like this builds the top line muscles, stretches the outside muscles (when on a circle), teaches the horse rhythm, and relaxation.
Canter
The other thing I encourage while free lunging is transitions from trot to canter to trot. Notice how the canter teaches Lady to step deep under her belly and lift her back.

I have been free lunging both Lady and Makana for 20 minutes each five days a week. I ask them to travel counter clock wise more than clock wise so that they stretch their stiffer outside muscles.

After free lunging, I work each horse in hand for 5-10 minutes to soften the jaw and poll and encourage the horse to taste the bit. Then I ride for another 20 minutes.

We should be back in shape before you know it!

What are your thoughts? Please reach out and send me a message or stay connected by subscribing to the Naturally Gaited youtube channel and “like” us on facebook.com/naturallygaited.

The Versatile Gaited Horse

Smoothest All-Terrain Vehicle: a Gaited Horse in the snow

riding a gaited horse in the snow

Riding a gaited horse in the snow is the best way to dash!

Smoothest All-Terrain Vehicle: Riding a Gaited Horse in the Snow

By Jennifer Klitzke

Do you experience months and months and months of snow-covered winter? I do. For decades I enjoyed riding my horse year-round at a facility with an indoor arena.

Then my husband and I moved to the country. No more indoor arena for year-round riding (so I thought). The months and months of winter wore on until my longing to ride broke free one snowy day. I piled on many layers of miss-matched clothing and ventured to the barn on a quest to ride my smooth gaited horse.

That year I discovered how much fun it is to ride on a one horse (moving smooth) in the snow. My gaited horses, Makana and Lady, became my go-to smooth, all-terrain vehicles.

Here are three tips on winter riding…

Safety while Riding a Gaited Horse in the Snow

Some years ice prevents our winter riding. Too slippery. I don’t want to chance a fall for me or an injury to my horse. Other years, bitter, below-zero temperatures broke through the mixed-matched layers. Frost bit is too great a risk.

Then there are winters that are perfect for snow riding! Cool temperatures for snow without melting and re-freezing to create the icy conditions.

Saddle rack in snow
Saddle rack riding a gaited horse in the snow.

Staying in Shape Riding a Gaited Horse in the Snow

Winter riding is a great way to keep my naturally gaited horses Makana and Lady in shape. Riding year round allows our gaited dressage progression to move forward without a couple months of reconditioning due to five months of a winter break.

Riding a gaited horse isn’t as much exercise as riding a horse that trots, unless you ride bareback. Winter bareback riding is a great way to stay in shape and stay warm. The horse’s body conducts a lot of heat that you don’t experience when riding in a saddle.

Riding my smooth gaited horse Lady bareback in the snow.

Importance of Cool Down After Riding a Gaited Horse in the Snow

Riding in snow is a lot of work for the horse, so I don’t want to overexert my horse. Plus, it is important that I cool my horse off properly with a wool cooler before turning them out. The last thing I want is for my horse to get chilled or sick.

Walking in Wonderland: Riding a Gaited Horse in the Snow

The video below captures footage from the winter of 2013. We had a perfect snow season and Makana and I took advantage of it. We entered spring in great condition for endurance rides and lost no time for gaited dressage. The video shows multiple gaits on cue in the snow.

Riding a Gaited Horse in the Snow

Enjoy your winter and stay safe riding your gaited horse in the snow!

What are your thoughts? Please reach out and send me a message or stay connected by subscribing to the Naturally Gaited youtube channel and “like” us on facebook.com/naturallygaited.

Dressage Exercises for the Gaited Horse

Counted Walk to Piaffe

counted walk to piaffe

Does your naturally gaited horse lean on the bit? Does it feel heavy on the forehand? Mine was. Then I discovered an unconventional exercise that brings balance, lightness and engagement: the counted walk to piaffe.

A few years ago, I audited and rode in a few clinics with Susan Norman who was both a student of classical French dressage Masters Philippe Karl and the late Jean Claude Racinet. Impressed with the lightness and balance we learned, I began purchasing DVDs and books by Karl and Racinet to learn the classical French method of dressage.

In Racinet’s book Another Horsemanship and a DVD: Getting Started In Lightness: The French Classical Dressage of Francois Baucher as taught by Jean Claude Racinet presented by one of his students Lisa Maxwell, I learned about the counted walk. This was something I had never heard about in the 30 years of riding dressage.

Watching the horses on this DVD inspired me. The counted walk transformed ordinary horses, even ones with downhill conformation, who were heavy on the forehand to becoming light and balanced after a few steps.

I had to give the counted walk a try with my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse, Makana and was amazed the first time we tried it. The steps are slow, shortened, and engaged, unlike the flat walk and running walk which are long striding and pushing in tempo. The head and neck of the horse rises up from an engaged chest, lifted shoulders and wither. The front legs rise up at the knee.

Naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse counted walk
Naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse counted walk

Any time I feel like my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse feels heavy on the shoulders and needs more engagement behind, I do a few steps of counted walk.

I have been dabbling with the counted walk for a few years now. This year, I began experimenting with half steps and steps in place—our version of a piaffe. Our piaffe is nowhere near show-quality dressage standards yet using it as an exercise has really helped improve balance in the shoulders, engagement of the chest, lightness in the bridle, and engagement of the hindquarters and joints.

naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse piaffe
Naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse piaffe

After a few steps of counted walk, transitions and quality of the flat walk are improved in balance and length and depth of stride, as well as our canter transitions and canter quality. Plus, the counted walk and steps in place are really fun to ride!

The video below shows a terrific balancing exercise for the naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse: transitions of collected walk to counted walk to steps in place—piaffe.

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

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Dressage for the Gaited Horse

Pace & the Naturally Gaited Horse

Pace and the Naturally Gaited Horse

Classical French Dressage Master Philippe Karl offers unique insights to break up pacey walks in trotting horses. If this is true, this can also remedy pacey naturally gaited horses.

Pace and the Naturally Gaited Horse

By Jennifer Klitzke

Recently I came across a Facebook post from Becky Holden, an accomplished dressage rider/trainer/instructor/clinician, licensed School of Légèreté teacher, and long-time student of Classical French Dressage Master Philippe Karl (PK), founder of the School of Légèreté.

In Becky’s last clinic lessons with PK, she rode a younger trotting horse that had a tendency to pace at the walk.

Yes, even trotting horses can struggle with a pacey walk often called a camel walk.

What I found interesting was PK’s insights as he taught Becky how to help her horse break up the pace to a natural four beat walk. I believe PK’s insights translate directly to naturally gaited horses that struggle with pace.

PK explained that horses with a pacey walk are lazy with their hind legs and/or are too quick with their front leg steps.

To remedy the pace, PK’s suggestions to Becky are that, “We need to stimulate activity from the hind legs with shoulder-in on the circle and slow down and give amplitude to the front legs with neck rein turns or counter shoulder-in on the circle.”

Neck rein turns are a great way to lighten a horse that is heavy on the shoulders. By neck rein, the rider draws both hands to the outside of the bend with equal light contact and a nudge sideways if needed.

Counter bend
Counter bend with neck rein moves balance from the outside shoulder to the inside shoulder.

In addition to a counter bend neck rein on a circle, you can do a counter bend figure eight or counter bend serpentine by changing the counter bend and neck rein for each circle or serpentine loop. For a serpentine, slightly bend the horse to the outside of a serpentine and neck rein (counter bend) the opposite direction of the bend. Then straighten the horse a few steps and bend the other direction and neck rein (counter bend) the opposite direction of the bend and straighten a few steps until the serpentine is complete.

After a couple figure eights or a serpentine, liven the horse in a forward gait along the straight side and repeat the figure eight or serpentine counter bend neck rein exercise. Theses exercises can be first taught to the horse at a walk and then at a trot or gait.

Don’t practice pace—practice quality gait

Instead of practicing a poor quality gait, such as a pacey walk, PK encourages riders to apply plenty of transitions between gaits and exercises using the rein back; figure eight at a walk (one circle shoulder-in and the other circle counter shoulder-in).

Then the rider can proceed in a straight line while maintaining a quality slow, yet forward walk in rhythm; and trot [gait] shoulder-in on the circle, transition to walk shoulder-in on a circle, and transition back to trot [gait] shoulder-in on a circle.

Rein back engages the hindquarters and lifts the back and wither
Lady is being ridden in a Dr. Cook bitless bridle showing rein back on a loose rein. The rein back engages the hindquarters and lifts the back and wither.

I find PK’s insights regarding pace interesting. Often our remedy to pace in the naturally gaited horse world focuses on relaxing the back through lots of long and low. Many times the long and low gets too low where the poll falls below the whither and the naturally gaited horse develops a habit of traveling on the forehand. When the horse is on the forehand it trips more often and this can be dangerous for the rider.

Long and low on the forehand disengaged from behind
Long and low can relax the back and break up pace, but it can also cause the horse to disengage the hind legs and fall on the forehand.

By controlling the timing of the foot falls using transitions and lateral exercises, PK’s approach improves balance on all four legs, relaxation, and quality of natural gaits.

Shoulder in on a circle
Shoulder in on a circle helps Lady engage from behind to step under her belly, lift her back and whither by activating her abdominal and chest muscles, improving balance, and relaxing her jaw, tasting the bit, getting softer on the bridle, and accepting a light, stead, even contact with both reins.

In fact, PK doesn’t support long and low (when the horse’s poll is below the height of the wither) because it trains the horse to travel on the forehand, slouching its pectoral muscles, and travel out of balance. Instead he teaches neck extension (head, neck and nose out and down yet no lower than poll to wither height) in a forward walk, trot or canter.

The neck extension provides the same great benefits as long and low, yet maintains the horse’s balance, plus relaxation, strengthening the top line muscles, stretching the spine, and improving engagement.

Neck extension at a flat walk
This is a great example of a neck extension at a flat walk. My naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse is engaged, lifting her back, stretching out, forward, and down at chest level with an even snaffle bit contact.

My naturally gaited fox trotting horse Lady showing a quality trot on cue.

For more about Philippe Karl and the School of Légèreté, visit philipp-karl.com.

For more about Becky Holden, visit Riding from the Ground Up.

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

Visit website: NaturallyGaitedHorse.com
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The Versatile Gaited Horse

Gaited Trail Horse or Gaited Dressage Horse?

Gaited Trail Horse or Gaited Dressage Horse Why not Both

Gaited Trail Horse or Gaited Dressage Horse—Why not Both

By Jennifer Klitzke

Whether you have a talented naturally gaited horse for the trail or dressage ring, versatility training helps them be smoother, safer, and sounder for longer.

I have two naturally gaited horses: Lady and Makana. Lady is a fox trotting grade, gaited horse who is phenomenal on the trail. Makana is a registered Tennessee walking horse who is gifted for gaited dressage. While each is wired for the trail or the gaited dressage show ring, I like to expand their worlds, and here’s why…

The Naturally Gaited Trail Horse

Me and Lady
Me and Lady at the scenic St. Croix River vista.

My naturally gaited fox trotting mare, Lady, was born for the trail. She is bold and smooth and loves exploring nature just as much as I do. She loves being ridden on a long, floppy rein without the constant dialogue of rein, leg, seat and weight aids. 

Is Lady gifted to be a gaited dressage show horse? I don’t think so. Her conformation provides challenges with a long, hollow back and shorter legs. She doesn’t have a natural over track (where the hind leg steps over the fore foot print). And Lady is built heavy on the forehand.

Can Lady learn dressage? Absolutely. But, if I’m not interested in showing Lady in gaited dressage, why would I teach her dressage?

Here are three great reasons why I teach dressage to my naturally, gaited trail horse:

  1. Improving natural smooth gaits: Dressage helps Lady improve the quality of her natural smooth gaits through teaching her balance, relaxation, rhythm, engagement, connection, straightness, and collection. By improving the quality of Lady’s naturally smooth gaits, we can cover a lot of ground faster on the trail and my body won’t pay for it later.
  2. Improving soundness: Dressage teaches Lady how to re-position her posture from hollow to neutral which can help Lady be sounder on the trail for many more years to come.
  3. Improving balance: Dressage helps Lady re-distribute her weight from traveling on the forehand to developing balance to carry her weight on all four legs. This balanced posture will prolong Lady’s soundness on the trail. Plus, she won’t trip as much when she isn’t on the forehand, and that will keep me safer and more secure as a rider.
Engaged relaxed balanced fox trot in connection with rhythm and contact
Here’s Lady ridden in a Dr. Cook bitless bridle showing an engaged, relaxed, and balanced fox trot in connection with rhythm and contact.

The Naturally Gaited Dressage Horse

Flat walk
Makana and I showing gaited dressage at an open dressage schooling show.

Then there’s my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse, Makana. She is gifted with good conformation and naturally balanced gaits. Makana has a natural over track of three to four hoof prints. She enjoys the gaited dressage show ring and likes the two-way communication between us. Makana likes learning new exercises like leg yield, shoulder in, haunches in, rein back, roll backs, cantering rails and gymnastic jumping. She also enjoys a variety of smooth, easy gaits on cue: freewalk, medium walk, flat walk, running walk, fox trot, saddle rack, canter, counted walk, and piaffe. 

Makana Crow Hassan
Makana takin’ a real close look at that trail sign and wonders, “Are we there yet?”

On the trail, Makana becomes overly reactive. She gets nervous and can spook without notice. Does that mean I should never ride Makana on the trail? I don’t think so. 

While on the trail, I converse with her through my rein, leg, seat and weight aids to help her relax and stay balanced. This way she is less spooky and settles into enjoying nature. I wear my helmet, ride with others, and we have a good ol’ time. (Plus, trail riding is one way to get my husband to join me.)

Since acclimating Makana to trails, we enjoy endurance riding as well.

Dressage helps the naturally gaited horse be more versatile

So to me, dressage is more than the show ring. Through dressage, naturally gaited trail horse can develop smoother natural gaits, become more balanced and trip less to keep the rider safer, and improve their posture and muscle development to keep stay sounder longer.

For the naturally gaited dressage horse, dressage helps them on the trail as well. Using dressage, the horse and rider can converse through two-way dialog, where the rider can lead the horse into relaxation and balance. As the reactive horse becomes more relaxed, it will be less spooky.

Naturally gaited trail horse or naturally gaited dressage horse? How about naturally gaited trail AND dressage horse.

If you are on this gaited dressage journey, I’d love to hear from you. Contact us»

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