Do you refine pace or cross canter? Likely not. Instead learn ways to breaking pace and helping your gaited horse develop quality smooth gaits and a true canter.

Here’s my story…

Breaking Pace and Cross Canter Using Trot and Ground Rails to Develop Quality Smooth Gaits

By Jennifer Klitzke

Do you have a gaited horse that paces or cross canters? If you’re like most gaited horse owners, you don’t practice improving the quality of the pace and cross canter, right? We work on breaking pace for a smooth gait and replace cross canter with a true three beat canter.

My gaited dressage mentor Jennie Jackson taught me many valuable tips over the years. Among these tips are breaking pace and cross canter by disrupting lateral movement using diagonal gaits like the trot and true canter.

Introducing ground rails to teach trot and canter

A great way to start diagonalizing movement to breaking pace and cross canter is introducing the gaited horse to ground rails to teach trot and correct the canter.

In the video below, I show the progression of how I introduce my naturally gaited horse to a ground rail using trot and use the ground rail to break up her cross canter as she learns true canter. Above all we focused on relaxation, balance, rhythm and forward movement without rushing starting at the walk, then the trot, and then the canter. I teach all of the gaits on cue.

Watch: Breaking Pace & Cross Canter Using Trot & Ground Rails

Steps to introduce ground rails to help in breaking pace:

• Introduce the horse to the equipment to encourage relaxation: Introduce the rail(s) and lunge whip gently and gradually so the horse isn’t afraid of them and finds relaxation.
• Begin at a relaxed walk and increase tempo gradually: Encourage the naturally gaited horse to find relaxation, balance, rhythm and forward movement without rushing. Begin at a relaxed walk. Then cluck and say, “trot” to increase tempo to a trot. If the horse doesn’t trot, say, “trot” cluck and motion the lunge whip. Only escalate the aids if the horse isn’t responding. After a few steps of trot. Stop and praise. Do this a few times until the horse understands trot.
• Then help the gaited horse settle into a relaxed, balanced, trot with even rhythm and forward movement without rushing. This might take some starts and stops if the horse is explosive. Encourage relaxation, as this is the first element to establishing rhythm.
• For canter, start with one ground rail and then add a second a canter length apart (6-9 feet). One ground rail can help correct cross canter any time the hind legs are traveling on the wrong lead. When the horse hops over the ground rail they often correct the hind legs to the true canter lead. If the horse gets tense or loses its balance, gently transition the horse back to a walk or trot to re-establish relaxation, balance, rhythm and forwardness before transitioning back up. If you have a round pen, you can set up a rail or two or a rail to a small fence or cross rail.

• Teach quality gaits on cue: Teach a quality walk, trot and canter on cue over ground rails to build the correct muscles. Don’t let the horse decide its gait, blast off into tension, or travel continually in a hollow ewe neck frame. Teach gaits that build the top line muscles, encourage a deeper step under the body, and gaits that develop relaxation, balance, forwardness without rushing, and even rhythm and tempo.

If you struggle with a lazy four beat canter, uncoordinated cross canter or a tense pacey canter, pace or step pace with your gaited horse, you’re not alone. I have experienced all of these in the training of naturally gaited horses.

Breaking Pace Canter or 4-beat Canter for Quality Canter

In the video below, me and my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse, Makana show exercises to breaking pace canter and a four-beat canter to improve canter quality. The goal is a relaxed three beat canter with more airtime.

The first exercise uses rein back to bend the hindquarter joints and engage the abdominal muscles to lift her back before transitioning to canter. This positions my horse in the best posture for a depart to a quality canter.

The canter second exercise is SUPER FUN over ground rails. It elevates the canter and breaks up a four-beat canter.

Watch: Exercises to Break a Pacey Lateral Canter or 4-Beat Canter

Let me know your thoughts by sending me a message. Stay connected by subscribing to the Naturally Gaited youtube channel and “like” us on facebook.com/naturallygaited.