Category Archives: Dressage for the Gaited Horse

What does riding with lightness mean? Is it riding with looped reins? What about contact and its role in developing balance?

May 2016: I took one of my horses to a classical French dressage “Riding with Lightness” clinic taught by Susan Norman. Susan had been a 15-year student of the late Jean Claude Racinet and a three-year student of Philippe Karl. Both Racinet and Karl are highly acclaimed French classical dressage thinkers of our modern era and have studied the work of Baucher.

Well-meaning riders release their horses to lightness before their horses have learned balance and self carriage.

Susan holds dear the principle of riding with lightness, and when she said that she sees people riding their horses on loose reins when they shouldn’t, all of us at the clinic were braced for her next words. She continued to say that well-meaning riders release their horses to lightness before their horses have learned balance and self carriage.

What about the Tennessee Walking Horse Head Nod

Susan’s words really resonate with me as it relates to recent feedback I received from my gaited dressage mentor Jennie Jackson. A month ago, I had asked Jennie for feedback on ways to improve my Western gaited dressage with my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse Makana. Jennie said that I need to ride my mare with MORE contact to establish forward balance into the correct mechanics of the head nod.

Jennie explained that Makana wasn’t traveling through from behind to the bit, and it showed in the presence of a “head peck” instead of a “head nod.” A head peck is an upward nose flicking evasion which is disconnected from the hind leg steps. Whereas the head nod is when the head and neck bob downward in sequence with each hind leg as it steps deep under the body.

Watch: Is this a Tennessee Walking Horse Head Nod or a Head Peck?

After studying French classical dressage for the last year, my initial reaction to Jennie’s comment was, “What? Ride with MORE contact?!” But blending Jennie’s feedback with what Susan Norman said in her clinic put it into perspective.

Yes, ride with more contact UNTIL my horse learns to travel in a relaxed, balanced, forward rhythm with the correct mechanics of a head nod. THEN I can offer a release to a lighter contact and reward her AS LONG AS she remains in balance with the same quality of head nod. That’s what training for self carriage and lightness are all about.

Riding with floppy reins wasn’t training my naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse to move in balance or in self carriage. Training my horse to lightness offers her a release to looped reins when she travels forward in relaxed balance and rhythm with the correct mechanics of a head nod.

If my horse leans on the bit, that’s when I briefly lift both reins upward with equal contact on the corners of my horse’s mouth and meet the heaviness. Then lower my hands to a neutral position as soon as my horse lightens.

The meaning and benefits of short reins

“There is no intimacy in long reins.” —Susan Norman

During the clinic Susan said, “There is no intimacy in long reins.” This was another profound statement coming from a dressage clinician who teaches lightness. Susan explained what riding with short reins is all about. Short reins don’t mean pulling back on the contact nor is it maintaining a heavy contact with the horse’s mouth. Short reins allow my fingers to have an even light feeling with the corners of the horse’s mouth. Short reins offer a dialogue with the horse. A soft move of a finger prepares my horse for what’s coming next. When my horse responds, my hands are quiet and in a neutral position.

Another benefit to riding with short reins is that they anchor my center of gravity over my horse’s center of gravity. When my elbows are at my sides, they align with my ears, shoulders, hips and heels over the horse’s center of balance. As soon as my reins grow too long, my elbows extend forward, and I begin to lean forward and lose my balanced alignment. Then my horse loses her balance, and she falls onto the forehand in response.

How do you know when your horse is in balance or not?

That’s the tricky part. Balance is something that takes time to develop a feel for. How balance feels on a Tennessee walking horse is different from that of a non-gaited horse and even from one horse to another within the same breed.

The best way to learn the feeling of balance is through regular lessons with an educated dressage instructor who can coach you as you ride your horse. Over time, you’ll develop a feeling of balance more instinctively as you ride on your own.

Watch: Balanced Lightness for the Gaited Horse

Learn more about Dressage for the Gaited Horse

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

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Dressage for the Gaited Horse

TWH Medium Walk or Flat Walk

June 17, 2016 Jennifer Klitzke

The naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse has many walks. Some are smoother than others. How can you tell the difference between the medium walk and the flat walk? Both walks are natural even four beat gaits with a head nod. How can you improve the quality of tempo, rhythm and stride length?
Here are my thoughts…

How the medium walk and flat walk feel from the saddle

For me, telling the difference between the medium walk and flat-footed walk versus the flat walk and running walk is in how the gaits feel from the saddle. The medium walk and flat-footed walk have a lot of motion to follow with my lower back and the alternating movement of my hip joints with the belly sway of the horse. While riding the flat walk or running walk there is very little motion to follow. The flat walk and running walk are smooth as glass to ride and enjoy!

While watching a rider on a Tennessee Walking Horse, notice the rider’s pelvis. If there is a lot of motion, the rider may be riding the medium walk or the flat-footed walk. If the rider is still and the horse’s head nods with each hind leg step, the rider is likely riding the flat walk or running walk.

Makana Tennessee walking horse flat walk flexed poll bareback — Naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse flat-footed walk looks like a flat walk, right?

Many TWH riders don’t differentiate between the flat-footed walk and flat walk, but I do. I have noticed a Tennessee Walking Horse can appear to be in a flat walk with wonderful stride length, even four beat foot falls, and a head and neck nod in timing with the hind leg steps. Only the gait is hard on my back because there is a lot of motion to follow with the lower back.

The flat walk and running walk have very little motion to follow so it is smooth and comfortable to ride. I don’t get a sore back from the flat walk or running walk, but I do when I ride the medium walk or flat-footed walk. While these gaits appear to look the same, they don’t feel the same to the rider. Therefore, this is why I make a distinction between the medium walk and flat-footed walk versus the flat walk and running walk.

2021 naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse flat walk bareback with contact — Naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse flat walk looks like a flat-footed walk, right?

What is over stride and how to increase it

The medium walk, flat-footed walk, flat walk, and running walk have over stride. This means the hind leg hoof print steps over the forefoot hoof print after it leaves the ground. For the Tennessee Walking Horse, over stride ranges and if you show your horse, more over stride is prized. As a rider, I can encourage my Tennessee Walking Horse to increase this over stride by following the horse’s motion.

While riding the medium walk or flat-footed walk, I become aware of the rise and fall of the horse’s belly sway with each step. The belly sway is much more noticeable at the medium walk and flat-footed walk than it is at the flat walk or running walk. When the belly sways down, that’s when the hind leg is stepping under the body. If I want to encourage a deeper step under the body to increase length of stride, I apply and release my calf aid at the girth the moment the belly is about to sway down. I don’t apply both calves at the same time since this encourages the horse to go faster, and it shorten the stride length.

If there is no response from the horse, I will apply and release the calf and make a “cluck” sound at the same time. If I still don’t get a response, I will apply and release the calf, make a “cluck” sound, and a tap with the dressage whip on the same side. The goal is to achieve a response with the lightest aid and then help the horse maintain long and even strides with both hind leg steps. I praise my horse for every effort with a “good girl” or “good boy” and a pat.

I think there is great value in developing a solid, even four-beat medium walk or flat-footed walk with over stride before moving to the flat walk. This helps develop length of stride, relaxation, rhythm, and tempo.

In my early years of training my naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse, Makana, I made the mistake of rushing her into the flat walk. This produced a flat walk with a short stride and rushed tempo. The flat walk was smooth, but not the quality gait she is capable of. Thanks to my gaited dressage mentor, Jennie Jackson who coached us.

Jennie said, “Don’t let your Tennessee Walking Horse flat walk in a tight skirt!”

Lessons with Jennie helped us develop a solid medium walk leading to a bigger striding and smooth as butter flat walk one quality step at a time.

2014 Jennie Jackson clinic — Taking lessons from Jennie Jackson really helped improve the quality of our gaits using dressage.

Rider balance and its effect on the horse

Whether I am riding the medium walk, flat-footed walk, flat walk or running walk, a balanced horse will perform their best gaits. If I want my horse to be in balance, I need to be in balance.

One way that helps me maintain my balance is riding with shorter reins. Short reins don’t mean pulling back on the contact or a firm contact. Riding with short reins means maintaining a light feeling of the horse’s mouth with both reins while keeping my elbows at my sides. This helps me stay in a balanced ear, shoulder, elbows, hip and heel position over my horse’s center of gravity. If my elbows creep forward, soon my upper body begins to lean forward, and then I am out of balance. This causes my horse to fall on the forehand, onto the shoulders, and out of balance.

Maintaining my balance helps my horse stay in balance for quality gaits.

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

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Dressage for the Gaited Horse, French Dressage for Gaited Horses, Gaited Dressage Videos, Tips for the Gaited Horse

Counted Walk and the Gaited Horse

June 15, 2016 Jennifer Klitzke

The counted walk by a naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse.
How can a slow walk with small steps offer any benefit for a big striding Tennessee Walking Horse?
While studying French classical dressage with my naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse, I stumbled upon the counted walk which has helped improve our flat walk in unexpected ways.
Here’s my story…

Counted Walk and the Gaited Horse

By Jennifer Klitzke

I had been a long-time student of the German dressage system with non-gaited horses. A few concepts had been drilled into my paradigm. First of all, over track. Meaning, I rode my horse forward at a walk so that the hind hoof overreached the front hoof print after it left the ground. Then I rode my horse forward at a trot so that the hind hoof tracked up to meet the fore hoof.

When I became a naturally gaited horse rider in 2007, I applied the same ideas of riding forward for over track to produce big long strides for walk, flat walk, and running walk.

Then in 2014, I became acquainted with a differing dressage paradigm. I was introduced to classical French dressage as taught by the late Jean Claude Racinet and Philippe Karl through books and DVDs.

Among my growing library is a DVD, Getting Started in Lightness: The French Classical Dressage of Francois Baucher as Taught by Jean Claude Racinet produced by Lisa Maxwell. This terrific DVD has many inciteful take aways including helping the horse relax the mouth, find lightness, and discover balance through the “counted walk.” The counted what? In 30 years of passionate dressage study, I had never heard about the counted walk until watching this DVD.

Coming from my forward moving, over tracking, long striding paradigm, I wondered how a deliberately slow, small stepping walk could benefit my naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse.

However, I loved the lightness, relaxation, and balance the horses demonstrated in the DVD. Even though I didn’t expect this short stepping, slow walk to help my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse, I was wrong.

I began with the in-hand work by teaching my horse how to relax the mouth and jaw using a mild snaffle bit. Then we dabbled with a couple steps of the counted walk in-hand.

After a week or so of in hand work, we began the counted walk from the saddle. I immediately felt how it improved my horse’s balance, so much so I now use the counted walk as a balancing exercise. Each time my naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse feels heavy in front of me, like her weight is spilling through her front down a hill, we slow down, and the counted walk helps her rebalance herself. I feel my horse slow down, organize her legs under her body mass, and she grows taller through the wither, head and neck.

My naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse and I are far from a textbook example, but where we are has already made a huge difference. After a few steps of counted walk, I take the balance, lightness, and relaxation created into a flat walk or canter.

using the counted walk as a way to create balance into the flat walk and canter — Using the counted walk as a way to create balance into the flat walk and canter.

Now curious about the counted walk, I have searched for more examples. Some riders demonstrate the counted walk as a mini piaffe or half steps, which is a trot sequence of diagonal pairs. Others define it as a walk sequence of four even steps. In either case, both applications are excellent exercises for the naturally gaited horse to improve balance, lightness, and engagement.

Video: The Counted Walk to Flat Walk by a Naturally Gaited Tennessee Walking Horse

The Counted Walk

Cues for the counted walk

1. Relax the mind and body. First step is to help my horse be free of anxiety and tension by teaching relaxation of the mouth and jaw with a mild snaffle bit in hand.

2. Slow tempo and small steps. First, I teach my horse the counted walk along the fence in hand. The fence helps keep my horse straight as she learns the exercise. Then I teach the counted walk from the saddle. This is likely not the same day. It may even be a week or two of in-hand work before beginning the counted walk from the saddle.

Then from the saddle, I encourage the slowest walk my horse is able to do with the smallest steps possible. I allow my lower back, hip joints, and legs to be relaxed. Any bracing in my body tenses my horse. While my horse is walking, it feels like the withers, head and neck grow taller while the hindquarters lower. Each step feels soft.

If my horse wants to rush, then I gently position her into a leg yield, shoulder in or counter shoulder in along the fence until she slows down. Then I direct her straight into a few slow small steps of counted walk along the fence.

3. Halt and rein back. If we need more engagement. I will ask my horse to halt and take a few slow steps of rein back to engage the hindquarters and lift the back. Then I ask resume with a few more steps of the counted walk.

4. Transitions. When I feel my horse is in balance, we transition to a medium walk, flat walk or canter from the counted walk.

The counted walk might not look like much compared with the deep striding, head shaking flat walk, but when you feel the balance, relaxation and lightness it produces, you’ll know what I’m talking about!

Let me know the difference the counted walk is making for you and your naturally gaited horse.

More Exercises for the Gaited Horse to improve smooth gaits.

Learn more about Lisa Maxwell and the DVD: Getting Started in Lightness: The French Classical Dressage of Francois Baucher as Taught by Jean Claude Racinet.

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

Visit website: NaturallyGaitedHorse.com
Subscribe: Naturally Gaited youtube channel
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Dressage for the Gaited Horse, Gaited Dressage Videos, Tips for the Gaited Horse

Tennessee Walking Horse Head Nod (or Head Peck)?

June 9, 2016 Jennifer Klitzke

By Jennifer Klitzke

Tennessee Walking Horse Head Nod (or Head Peck)?

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between the Tennessee walking horse head nod and head peck? If your wondering what a “Head Peck” is, you’re not alone. That was my question after getting some cyber coaching from my gaited dressage mentor Jennie Jackson.

Western Gaited Dressage

I’ve been an English dressage rider for decades, so giving Western gaited dressage a try, I felt like how a cowboy would feel riding in Spandex.

Recently I rode my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse Gift of Freedom (Makana) in our first FOSH IJA Western Training 1 Test. After I received my Test results, I asked my gaited dressage mentor Jennie Jackson for feedback on how we can improve our Western gaited dressage riding.

Connection for a TWH Head Nod

For some reason, I had the misbelief that riding Western gaited dressage meant riding with longer, looser reins. (Maybe that’s what they do with the traditional, jogging horse variety.) According to national Tennessee walking horse judge, Jennie Jackson, the mechanics of a Tennessee walking horse head nod require connection from the hindquarters, through the body, through the rider’s legs, seat and rein aids, and through the shoulder, neck, and head, to the bit.

Riding the Medium Walk

Jennie gave me terrific feedback in regards to riding the medium walk, which makes up the majority of this test. The medium walk is an active, even, four-beat walk with a head nod. The rider’s seat follows the motion of the belly sway as the hind legs alternately step under the body. The head nod needs to be in connection with the hind leg steps through the rein, seat, and leg aids of the rider. Jennie said that at times during the medium walk of my Test, my horse displayed a “head peck” instead of a “head nod.”

What the Heck is a Head Peck?

Head peck? What the heck?! Jennie explained that the head peck is an evasion where the Tennessee walking horse’s head simply flicks upward and is not connected with its hind leg steps.

The Head Nod

The Tennessee walking horse head nod is where the horse travels forward from the hindquarter steps, through a neutral back into a connection with the rider’s seat and rein contact—not loose, floppy reins. The head and neck should nod down with each step of the hind legs instead of flick up.

Jennie said that I need to feel the engine of my horse from behind and through her body to connect her from back to front so that her hind legs step boldly under her body, through my aids, through her shoulders, neck, and head and to the bit.

Video: Head Nod (or Head Peck)?
This video shows and describes the difference between the Tennessee walking horse head nod and the head peck I learned from Jennie Jackson. It is far too valuable for me to keep to myself. I hope it is helpful to you as well.

Thanks for watching. Stay connected by subscribing to the Naturally Gaited youtube channel and join our community on facebook.com/naturallygaited. Subscribe to Jennie Jackson: Dressage en Gaite on Facebook.

Dressage for the Gaited Horse, Gaited Dressage Shows, Gaited Dressage Videos, Western Gaited Dressage

Video: Western Gaited Dressage – Our First Virtual Show

May 23, 2016 Jennifer Klitzke

FOSH IJA Western Training 1 bending through the corners — Medium walk showing bend through the corners.

By Jennifer Klitzke

I felt like I was dressed up for a Halloween costume party wearing this get up, but I thought I’d give Western gaited dressage a try again. This time without leaving home. I saw a Facebook post for a virtual Western dressage show that was open to gaited horses. So my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse Makana and I rode the FOSH IJA Training 1 Test which calls for regular walk, medium walk, free walk, intermediate gait (flat walk), and canter.

What’s nice about a virtual show is that you can ride from home—no need to trailer to the show grounds, as long as you have an arena marked off and someone to record your ride. No editing allowed, just the raw footage to capture the entire test, post it to youtube and wait for the results and feedback via email.

Then if you feel like it, you can share the video link with others and ask for their feedback as to how you and your horse could have ridden the test better.

Video: FOSH IJA Training 1

NAWD IJA TR1-first place — Always feels good to take home a blue (even if you’re the only one in the class).

One of the judge’s comments about our test was: “Excessive head nod.” Isn’t that what a Tennessee walking horse is known for?

Perplexed, I asked my gaited dressage mentor Jennie Jackson for feedback on how to improve my Western riding.

Jennie gave me terrific feedback in regards to riding the medium walk, which makes up the majority of this test. She said that at times during the medium walk, my horse displays a “head peck” instead of a “head nod.”

“Head peck? What on earth is that?!” I asked. Jennie said that the head nod is where the Tennessee walking horse travels forward from the hindquarters through a neutral to round back into a connection with the rider’s seat and light rein contact (not loose, floppy reins). The head nod should lower down from the head and neck with each step of the hind legs.

The head peck, on the other hand, is a disconnected head motion from the hind leg steps where the horse simply flicks its nose upward.

To correct the head peck, Jennie said that I need to encourage my horse to step deeply under her body where I feel her back raise up under my seat and then travel through the shoulders,neck, and poll to the bit.

Video: Head Nod (or Head Peck)?

Jennie also mentioned that I need to “freshen up” Makana’s canter with hand galloping to get her back to a three-beat canter. It’s not enough to be satisfied with just getting the correct canter lead. I need to work on improving our canter to the quality of the trotting horses. Will we ever attain it? Maybe not, but it is something to aspire to.

Ah, yes! After reviewing the video, I see the nose flicking head peck at the medium walk and the rather flat canter.

Now that’s terrific feedback I can begin working on the next time I ride. I hope by sharing these videos and feedback will help you at home as you train your gaited horse in dressage.

Feel free to write to me any time with your comments, questions, and stories. I’d love to hear about your gaited dressage journey. Stay connected by subscribing to the Naturally Gaited youtube channel and join our community on facebook.com/naturallygaited.

Photo gallery: (click to enlarge)