Category Archives: Gaited Horse Stories

Gaited Horse Stories, Overcoming Riding Fear

Facing Fear, the Sequel

Facing Fear, The Sequel

By Jennifer Klitzke

Riding at the MN Horse Expo last year inspired a story I titled “Facing Fear.” This year’s return to the Expo inspired “The Sequel.” Horses have a way of catching me off guard. I think God uses this to keep me humble and remind me to draw my strength from Him.

Gift of Freedom (Makana) and I arrived early Thursday morning to familiarize ourselves with the Coliseum. Our warm up rides were terrific, and it seemed that she remembered being there the last two years riding at the MN State Fair and last year’s Horse Expo. “Piece of cake,” I thought. So I wasn’t worried about how she’d be the next few days.

Friday morning we warmed up relaxed and forward in the practice arena with about 30 other horses. Then our group was called to the Coliseum. As soon as we approached the Coliseum gate, the announcer’s animated voice escalations and expectant crowd clapping panicked Makana. I felt like I was riding on a stiff plank caught by a swirling cyclone. The relaxation, softness and suppleness we had achieved just seconds before entering the Coliseum, quickly vanished. It was all I could do just to stay on. It seemed that nothing had prepared me for “Facing Fear, the Sequel.”

Returning to the barn, discouragement came over me like an ominous thundercloud. I thought about all of the preparation just to be there and the years of dressage study, lessons, clinics, shows, and experiences Makana and I have had together. How could we have been more prepared for this? It was daunting to think of facing four more demonstration rides. I wondered how I could regain control to show Makana’s true talent? Most importantly, how would I manage my anxiety knowing how explosive she had been? Certainly it would be easier to just to pack up and go home.

Saturday afternoon I watched Larry Whitesell and Jennifer Bauer’s gaited dressage demonstration. Larry explained the importance of relaxation, rhythm and balance beginning with the apex (poll). Larry said that if a horse is tense in the poll, it will brace through the whole body which will make bending impossible. I certainly understood what that felt like. Larry also said that a relaxed horse is a happy and safer horse to ride. If the horse is panicked, it’s the rider’s job to help the horse find relaxation and balance. In Larry’s words, “Teach the horse what TO do instead of punishing him for what NOT to do.” A horse’s fight and flight instincts need to be met with relaxation, balance and rhythm, not punishment. Punishing a horse for panicking only makes a horse distrust the rider’s leadership more.

Sunday morning I spent an hour teaching Makana how to relax at the poll from the ground and then while in the saddle. We faced our fear empowered with Larry’s helpful tools of relaxation, rhythm, and balance (and yes, lots and lots of prayer).

Gift of Freedom ridden by Jennifer Klitzke
At the 2012 Minnesota Horse Expo, Larry Whitesell explained the importance of teaching a nervous horse relaxation and balance which makes it safer to ride and improves a horse’s trust in the handler.

 

Story: Facing Fear>

Gaited Horse Stories, Overcoming Riding Fear

The Good, the Bad, the Ugly

Naturally Gaited TWH Trail Pleasure Class
Jennifer Klitzke riding Gift of Freedom in the Amateur-Owner-Trainer-Owner-Trainer Three-gait Tennessee walking horse class at the 2011 Mid-Summerfest Celebration Show in Cannon Falls, MN.

The Good, the Bad, the Ugly

By Jennifer Klitzke

The three-day 2011 Mid-Summer Celebration Show held at Simon’s Arena in Cannon Falls, MN drew talented Tennessee walking horses and well-schooled riders from Canada, Michigan, Missouri, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Jennie Jackson who is also the owner and trainer of the famous TWH dressage stallion Champagne Watchout was the judge of the Walking Horse classes. The show also featured Saddlebred, Morgan, Hackney, and Arabian classes.

A blue ribbon doesn’t always tell the whole story, but let me tell you, I worked hard for this one.

Gift of Freedom (Makana), my seven-year-old Tennessee walking horse and I won the Amateur-Owner-Trainer Three-Gaited Tennessee walking Horse class, and yes, we were the only entry.

After our ride, Judge Jackson commented, “That was really brave!” (You’ll understand what she meant in a moment.)

For me, the 2011 Mid-Summer Celebration Show was a new twist on an old cliché; it was about “the good” that came through “the bad and the ugly.” It seemed that Makana and I were off to a great start. She had an unusual amount of energy despite the 105-degree heat index. She had the right amount of energy for flat walk, running walk, and canter.

The lineup was another story. Makana normally shines in the lineup by standing calmly and backing soft and round on cue. Instead she exuberantly expressed a desire to back before it was our turn. She backed and backed and backed so much that the Judge Jackson excused us to the end of the lineup. When Judge Jackson reached the end of the lineup, she didn’t even ask us to back⸺maybe for fear that the class may never end! It was a good ride gone bad, and one we continued to practice class after class after class until our blue ribbon ride. From there it got ugly.

Gift of Freedom and I rode respectably through flat walk, running walk, and canter during her solo ride. She even stood calmly in a lonely lineup and backed softly on cue.

“Phew!” I thought.

Moments later the announcer declared us the winner. That’s when the whoop-whoop cheering Saddlebred crowd ignited Makana’s dance moves. She swirled through the air, around and around and around like a top and wore a hole through my panic button. The sequenced-dressed blue ribbon lady spun around like a disco ball to the beat of the organ music while she prayed for an opportunity to transfer the beautiful blue ribbon to my jacket.

Somehow, even without Photoshop, the show photographer actually captured a smile through this frightening frenzy.

Makana continues to teach me humility⸺or humiliation⸺whichever comes first. (Next time I’ll remember that humility is far more pleasant!)

“The good” that came through “the bad and the ugly” was the encouragement I received from many long-time competitors.

“I’ve been there, too,” each one would say.

I wasn’t alone in my fear and frustration when things don’t go according my plan. Each person encouraged me to persevere and face the next class with confidence. Some offered helpful tips like, “Remember to breathe,” and “Think of turning Makana’s antics into schooling opportunities.”

Another “good” that came from the Mid-Summer Celebration was the thrill of meeting national clinician Anita Howe and watching her ride her signature head nodding naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse stallion Papa’s Royal Delight who won a Grand Championship. Anita watched some of our rides and offered insights to help us establish better balance, softness, and engagement that will improve our flat walk, running walk, and canter.

If I had not experienced “the bad and the ugly,” I would have missed “the good” that many seasoned competitors like Anita Howe had to share. The blue ribbon reminds me of the good people who encouraged me when I wanted to pack up and go home. And the blue ribbon reminds me that I find a “gift of freedom” whenever I face my fears with a breath of fresh air.

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.

Gaited Horse Stories, The Versatile Gaited Horse

Crow-Hassan State Park

For over 20 years, I’ve been more of an arena rider, focusing on improving my dressage. That might change after this weekend’s ride at Crow-Hassan State Park. Two-and-a-half glorious hours riding through woods, open fields, along lakes, up and down hills, along the bluff overlooking a river. The ride renewed my spirit being overcome by God’s creation on a beautiful early autumn day.

Not only that, the varied terrain made for excellent conditioning exercise for my horse. It strengthened new muscles, improved her balance, and expanded her experiences. My horse seemed to love the ride and the company as much as I did.

The best part of riding gaited horses on the trail is no soreness the next day because of how smooth they are.

Gaited Horse Stories

2010 Minnesota State Fair English Horse Show

Jennifer Klitzke riding Gift of Freedom at the flat walk.

Ever since I was a child, I came to the State Fair and watched the riders in the exercise ring prepare for their classes and hoped that one day I’d be one of them. This was my year. I rode Gift of Freedom, my six-year-old Walking Horse mare, in Two-gait and Three-gait English and Western Lite Shod classes–barefoot (well, my horse that is). I was among exhibitors who traveled from around Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Canada.

After experiencing this firsthand, I have an even greater appreciation for people who show at the State Fair: hordes of people, many intoxicated and some belligerent, clogging the walkway from the barn to the Coliseum; loud rock music blaring from the beer garden amplifiers and panicking the horses into piaffe; city bus air brakes hissing and Harley Davidson motorcycles revving up alongside the warm up arena on Como Avenue; swirling rides with screaming passengers lighting up the sky; and fireworks erupting at show time which sounded like the beginnings of World War III. Wow, if your horse wasn’t bombproof upon arrival, it sure would be by the time you left!

Riding at the Minnesota State Fair was matchless. For me, it was a lifelong dream come true. Not only was it a high to be riding in the Coliseum, but my mare placed in three out of the four classes entered and nearly paid for my show expenses. The Lite Shod Walking Horse classes had seven to ten exhibitors and the Plantation Pleasure classes had five exhibitors with a $1,000 Stakes class for each division.

Adding to the fun was hanging out in Walker alley with fellow MWHA members and listening to stories told by Dale Frones who has been attending the Minnesota State Fair for 35 years. He recounted the year he dressed up as Santa Clause and threw candy to the crowd while riding his antler-shaking Walking Horse. Dale was also responsible for the plastic spider dangling by a string that used to scare me as a teenager while walking through the horse barn.

However, the behind-the-scenes horse show office disorganization was another matter: Forms getting lost, e-mails not returned, show receipts sent without admission tickets included, conflicting information between online and paper forms. Adding to the frustration were parking passes oversold which left exhibitors without a place to park (all for the sake of “making money” as one parking attendant put it); a dust-filled exercise arena that was as thick as a bar at closing time with the watering truck parked within sight; and show schedules that backed up past 1:30 a.m. which left me stranded overnight with nowhere to sleep but with the horses in the barn or face a mile-long journey to my car all alone in the dark.

Once I recover from sleep deprivation, dust-clogged sinuses, and the office frustration, I’ll ask myself if it was worth doing it all over again next year.

******************************************************************************************

Good news! As of this post the MN State Fair is improving the overnight parking situation. Visit: mnstatefair.org.

Video of 2-gait lite shod $1,000 stakes class>

Jennifer Klitzke riding Gift of Freedom and placing fifth out of nine in the $1,000 stakes two-gait english lite shod class.

Gaited Horse Stories

Larry’s Story

Larry’s horse meets him at the gate, looking at him with soft brown eyes. His horse has learned to trust him and enjoy his role as a dance partner.

It hasn’t always been this way though. Larry had been hard to beat in the show ring. He was a consecutive national champion, but the cost to win came at the expense of the horse: harsh bits that created pain avoidance and other unnatural gadgets and shoeing that sacrificed the horse’s comfort. His horse wasn’t a teammate or a dance partner; his horse was an object to build his success.

The nagging thoughts of losing in the show ring after being introduced to classical dressage training brought Larry to a cross roads in what had become a successful riding career. Would he continue to win at the expense of the horse’s comfort and happiness or would Larry find a new way to make a living and enjoy the trust and collaboration a dance partner brings?

Larry took another look into those soft brown eyes and his heart melted. There was no going back to harsh training methods just to produce his success. Thanks to Larry’s choice, he is imparting his classical dressage training methods to people around the country, teaching horses to be relaxed, in balance, comfortable and safer on the trail and at home. Larry’s techniques and training methodology put the horse’s well being before human agenda. And they put the joy into riding for both the horse and the rider.

Larry Whitesell>

Clinic with Larry Whitesell, May 2010

Larry Whitesell explaining shoulder-in. Jennifer Klitzke riding Gift of Freedom.

I took my six-year-old Walking horse Gift of Freedom to a gaited dressage clinic with Larry Whitesell. He is an amazing horseman of classical dressage and has decades of experience training gaited horses.

Larry has a marvelous training theory: pressure and release to teach relaxation, balance and forwardness to the bit. His methods model that of classical French dressage and he continually takes lessons with FEI level dressage instructors.

In all my years of taking dressage lessons and attending clinics, I have never heard dressage taught with practicality from the horse’s perspective. Larry becomes the best rider he can be to meet the horse’s needs vs. training the horse to do what he wants and meet his agenda. He uses every moment with the horse to build trust and relaxation through balance. The better this is communicated the more the horse relies on the rider as the trusted leader to keep him safe vs. the horse taking matters into its own hands through fight, flight and evasions. Each ride becomes a beautiful dance.

Since I am also working with a three-year-old Arabian Fareed, Larry gave me pointers on breaking a horse to ride. He starts a young horse in a snaffle bit and works them in hand to eliminate braces in the poll, neck, and shoulder through teaching a horse how to relax through pressure and release. Larry spends three days with desensitization training. Then he introduces one-rein stops, disengagement of the hindquarters, and shoulder-in to teach the horse how to move forward onto the bit in a relaxed and balanced frame. Larry also works a young horse on a lunge line using side reins for two weeks. After this work is complete, he begins work in the saddle. What Larry teaches from the ground directly translates to his aids when he begins work in the saddle.

Fareed’s Training Blog>