Category Archives: Tips for the Gaited Horse

Tips for the Gaited Horse

How to get on a horse that doesn’t want to stand

Getting on the horse that doesn't want to stand

Do you have a horse that walks off the minute you put your foot in the stirrup? Here’s a tip I learned that helps my horse relax and stand at the mounting block.

By Jennifer Klitzke

When my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse, Makana, was four years old, I took her to her first gaited dressage clinic with Bucky Sparks. I was so excited to be there and begin our gaited dressage journey.

I love Bucky’s teaching philosophy. He blends traditional dressage with practical elements of natural horsemanship. The former is what I came to the clinic for. However, I am forever grateful for the latter as I don’t know we would have learned much of the former if it hadn’t been for the latter.

You see, most of the time Makana stands perfectly at the mounting block until I get on, unless she is nervous. When my lesson time I was unable to get on. Every time I put my foot in the iron, Makana would walk off.

Thanks to Bucky, he showed me a helpful tip that worked that day and has helped me any time Makana doesn’t want to stand at the mounting block.

Watch: How to get on a horse that doesn’t want to stand

How to get on a horse that doesn’t want to stand:

1. Teach the horse to turn their head and neck to the side by slowly and gently drawing one rein to the saddle. Reward the horse by releasing as soon as the horse follows. Relaxation is the goal, not making the horse turn. Signs of relaxation include a lowering of the head and neck and when the horse licks and chews.

If the horse has tension in the poll, neck or shoulder, address these areas individually to release the tension before expecting a soft and relaxed turn to the side.

2. Once the horse understands how to turn to the side and is soft and relaxed, then turn the horse until the horse chews and lowers its head and neck. Then release the rein for a reward. Repeat this a couple more times.

3. Then turn the horse’s head and neck to the saddle and keep the horse turned while repositioning the mounting block and getting on. Then release the rein as a reward and encourage the horse to remain standing.

If the horse continues to walk off while turned to the saddle

During the clinic my horse kept walking off while in a turned position.

Bucky said, “You can’t make a horse stand.”

Don’t punish the horse. Just remain calm to encourage relaxation, keep the horse turned and gently follow the horse around. Pretty soon the horse will discover it is a lot easier to stand in a turned position than to walk around in a turned position.

Sure enough. It didn’t take long for my horse to stop. I repositioned the mounting block, got on, and released the rein. Then we moved on to the gaited dressage lesson I had signed up for.

This tip worked for me at the clinic and continues to work for me each time my horse doesn’t want to stand.

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

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Tips for the Gaited Horse

Flat Foot Walk & Flat Walk: How Can You Tell the Difference?

Tennessee Walking Horse Flat Foot Walk and Flat Walk: How Can You Tell the Difference?

While both the flat foot walk and the flat walk have a head and neck nod and are even four beat gaits, how can you tell them apart?

Flat Foot Walk and Flat Walk: How can You Tell the Difference?

By Jennifer Klitzke

How can you tell the difference between a Tennessee walking horse flat foot walk and a flat walk? While the horse has a natural head and neck nod and natural four beat gait in both the flat foot walk and the flat walk, how can you tell the difference?

The main difference between the flat foot walk and the flat walk is that the flat foot walk still has a lot of motion in the horse’s back that the rider needs to follow. In the flat walk, the horse’s back is still and there isn’t motion to follow so the rider’s pelvis doesn’t move.

Not only that, both the flat foot walk and the flat walk can be ridden in many variations: free walk, working walk, medium walk, collected walk, extended walk.

Watch this video below:

Flat Foot Walk vs Flat Walk, How to Tell the Difference?

The secret is in watching the rider’s pelvis. If the pelvis is moving to follow each step, it is a flat foot walk. If the rider is still without bracing, it is a flat walk.

If you are the rider, it is a little trickier to discern. Begin to notice if in motion, the horse’s back is still, the gait is smooth as glass, it sounds like a four-beat gait with a head and neck nod with each hind leg step. Then it is likely a flat walk or running walk.

If the horse’s back has a lot of motion to follow with your pelvis, while the horse’s head and neck continue to nod with each step, it is likely a flat foot walk.

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 for the Gaited Horse, Tips for the Gaited Horse

How to Lift a Gaited Horse’s Hollow Back

How to improve a naturally gaited hollow back

Does your naturally gaited horse travel in a hollow fashion? You know, pacey, choppy, and short strided caused by tension, a sagging back, trailing hind legs, lack of a soft and supple connection from back to front. No worries, there are ways we can help our naturally gaited horses improve the quality of their naturally smooth gaits.

How to improve a naturally gaited hollow back

By Jennifer Klitzke

Dang! It’s been nearly four months since I rode my naturally gaited fox trotting horse Lady due to snow, ice, and darkness. Never the less, I was thrilled to be back in the saddle on this March day.

From time to time throughout our ride I felt Lady’s back sag. Reviewing the video footage of our ride confirmed it. Ugh! A hollow back is an undesirable quality in dressage: it is hard on the horse’s body and doesn’t produce quality of gaits the horse is capable of.

As it relates to the naturally gaited horse, I pondered…do the biomechanics of the natural four-beat gaits hollow the horse’s back? Gosh, I hope not. Would engaging the horse’s abdominal muscles to lift the back to a neutral position change the quality of the naturally smooth gaits for better or for worse? (For better I would hope.)

Would teaching the naturally gaited horse a “round” gait—such as a quality trot [on cue] develop muscles that would strengthen the horse’s top line? Yes, of course.

Even better, could a quality trot on cue improve the naturally gaited horse’s smooth gaits? Yes, I believe this can.

No doubt, the diagonal timing of trot would break up the lateral timing of pace—and even improve the lateral canter. A quality trot teaches the horse to step deeper under its body with the hind legs and this would aid in improving its natural gait as well—at least for the naturally smooth gaited breeds that desire a deep stride like the Tennessee walking horse.

While I rode, there were a few things I did each time I felt Lady’s back sag. I transitioned to something that would lift her back. The last thing I wanted to do was reinforce a sagging back by continuing in that frame.

I transitioned Lady from gait to a few circles of quality trot on cue before transitioning back to the smooth gait. Pictured below Lady is performing a nice forward, connected working trot. Notice her neutral back and how her hind leg is reaching deeper under her body compared with the top photo.

trot on cue

Another back raising exercise were moments of a long and low walk on a loose rein. You can see how the back is raised to a neutral position versus the sagging position in the top photo.

Long and low

Another exercise to transitions to a quality trot on cue and a long and low walk, are diagonal steps of quality rein back. As you can see in the photo below, a quality rein back teaches the horse to bend its hindquarter joints, the horse steps deep under its body and, engages its abdominal muscles to lift the back.

Rein back

During our 40 minute riding session, we did about eight halt/rein backs, four in each direction. The rein back isn’t about speed, rather quality steps. Often it will be the third or fourth step when I feel the back raise and I’ll do two more quality steps before moving forward into gait. (For a detailed description with video about how to teach your horse a quality rein back, see Back and Forth to Better Movement).

Pictured below is Lady’s fox trot after a quality trot on cue, long and low walk, and quality rein back. We still have room for improvement, but I see how these exercises made a difference during our ride time.

Naturally gaited fox trot

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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

counted walk
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
Follow: facebook.com/naturallygaitedhorse

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

Tennessee Walking Horse Head Nod (or Head Peck)?

TWH Head Nod or Head Peck
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.

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