Category Archives: Tips for the Gaited Horse

By Jennifer Klitzke

Tips on Riding a Gaited Dressage Test

Interested in riding a gaited dressage test but not sure what to expect? Here are a few tips to help riders who are interested in giving gaited dressage a try.

Schooling dressage shows are a friendly environment to receive constructive feedback from an experience dressage professional on where the horse and rider are at in their training—what’s working and what needs improvement.

Flat walk — Each test has required movements in a variety of gaits, some are two gait tests and others include canter. As the horse moves up in levels, more collection is expected. This photo shows a first level flat walk.

I love riding dressage tests because they force me to train all of the required movements in both directions. Invariably, there is one way that is more difficult for the horse and some exercises that I would rather avoid, but a test makes me address them. The test itself challenges me to be a precise communicator to my horse to prepare and perform each movement at the letter, ride my horse in the correct frame through an effective use of aids and riding position.

Gaited Dressage Tests

There are many gaited dressage tests to choose from of varying levels of difficulty created by FOSH, Western Dressage, Cowboy Dressage, and the NWHA. The introductory tests are two gait tests for those not ready to tackle the canter.

What to Wear when Showing Gaited Dressage

Schooling shows require riders to wear an approved helmet with a chin strap and boots with a heel. Informal riding attire is acceptable such as breeches and a polo shirt for English gaited dressage or jeans and a cowboy shirt for western gaited dressage. The horse must be ridden in a mild snaffle bit and a dressage or all-purpose English saddle or western saddle depending upon the test that is selected. Formal riding attire and braiding the horse’s mane are optional. I often wear my formal riding attire since I don’t show at recognized shows (and it makes for nicer photos).

Where to Show Gaited Dressage

Some breed shows offer gaited dressage classes. Another opportunity to show your gaited horse in dressage is at USDF schooling dressage shows. Whenever I see a USDF open schooling dressage show in my area that I would like to ride at, I contact the show secretary and ask if I can enter my gaited horse and ride a gaited dressage test. If the show manager agrees, then I mail a copy of my tests with a copy of my current Coggins, completed entry form and fees by the closing date.

The show posts a schedule of ride times 24 to 48 hours before the show, so I can plan my arrival and warm up accordingly. When I get to the show I ask the show manager if the arena is open to school my horse during break times. Recognized shows do not permit this, but many schooling shows do. This helps nervous horses get acclimated to the strange surroundings and build their confidence.

Preparing for your Gaited Dressage Test

When I get to the show grounds, I get my horse settled and go to the show office to obtain my number and ask if the show is running on time. Sometimes there are scratches. Many times I’ve been asked to ride earlier. Although I am not required to, I will accommodate this if I am able. Other times the show may be running behind schedule. This is really important for me to know so that I can pace my warm up and not wear out my horse before our tests.

Riding your Gaited Dressage Test

When the rider before me completes their final halt and salute, that’s my cue to enter the outside of the arena to school my horse before my test. Relaxation for the horse is key. In the short couple minutes I have, I like to ride my horse by anything that might spook her, like the judging area, flower boxes along the rail, or bushes that are swaying in the breeze.

While warming up, I like to talk to my horse, but as soon as I enter the arena voice or clucking is not permitted during the test without penalty.

As soon as I hear the judge sound the bell or whistle (or sometimes the ‘toot’ of a car horn), it is my signal that I have 45 seconds to enter the arena and begin my test.

I like to position my horse to ride in straight at “A” down the center line to the halt and salute (remaining immobile for three seconds) before proceeding forward.

I try to remember to smile as I ride toward the judge and ride my horse into the corners to show a nice bend. Judges like to see the horse being ridden close to the rail without jumping out of the arena (which means elimination).

Most shows permit a ‘reader,’ someone who reads the test for the rider as they ride the test. Normally the reader stands at “E” or “B”. I rode with a reader for many years, and it has only been recently that I began memorizing my tests mainly because I show solo. (I’m hoping this will have an added benefit of prolonging my grandma brain!)

Each test has required movements that are evaluated on a score from 0 to 10. Among the judging criteria are rhythm, balance, bend, relaxation, impulsion, precision, gaits, rider’s use of aids and riding position. Dressage tests movements mirror each other to show that the horse has become ambidextrous because of its training.

After the final halt salute, I ride my horse forward toward the judge at a free walk on a long rein. Sometimes the judge offers verbal feedback in addition to the written comments on the test so I’ll stop and take it all in. Then turn right or left to exit the arena at a free walk on a long rein.

While a test is being ridden, the judge verbalizes feedback to a scribe who writes down the comments on a test sheet. The tests are given to the show office and added for the final percentage. Sometimes gaited dressage is placed in its own category and other times gaited dressage is scored with the trotting horses of the same level. Scores are usually posted for placings and the test will be available at the show office for riders to take home.

I try not to get discouraged when my horse doesn’t show all of my hard work during my test. It is common that horses perform better at home than when in a strange environment. I hold onto the magic moments that made it a positive experience for me and my horse. We did it!

When picking up my tests from the show office and returning my number, I like to thank everyone who helped organize the show and for accommodating gaited dressage.

Video: Tips on Riding a Gaited Dressage Test

Do you show your naturally gaited horse in dressage? If so, I’d love to hear from you. Please reach out and share your story by sending me a message.Or stay connected by subscribing to the Naturally Gaited youtube channel and joining our community on facebook.com/naturallygaited.

Gaited Dressage Videos, Tips for the Gaited Horse

Hard Trot to Easy Gait

July 31, 2015 Jennifer Klitzke

Do you have a gaited horse that has a hard trot instead of a smooth gait? I did. Don’t be discouraged. With a little patience and consistent training, you might discover a handful of easy gaits!
Here’s my story.

Hard Trot to Easy Gait

By Jennifer Klitzke

Meet Lady, a grade gaited horse who arrived at my place two years ago from a friend. When I first began working with Lady, she had two distinct gaits: a dog walk and a hard trot. My strategy was to increase the speed of her dog walk to develop a flat walk. Then I increased her tempo just before she broke into a hard trot. Over time a couple steps turned into a circle and then into a consistent naturally smooth fox walk and fox trot.

Over the last year Lady has developed four distinct easy gaits: a medium walk, a flat walk, a fox walk, and a fox trot. While her gaits aren’t fancy, nothing beats Lady on the trail. She’s bold, smooth, and extremely efficient in her gaits. She can ride for a couple hours without breaking a sweat. My naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse, Makana can hardly keep up with Lady on the trail without cantering!

Lady’s Easy Gaits

The medium walk is a even four-beat gait and the horse’s head and neck nod with each step. All horses, whether they gait or trot, can perform the medium walk. Ideally the horse’s hind hoof print should meet or overstep the front hoof print.

The free walk is also an even four beat gait where I allow the horse freedom to reach down and out with its head and neck and take maximum ground covering steps. I use the free walk as a great stretching exercise to begin and end every ride and several times within a riding session as a reward to the horse. An active balanced free walk is a great way to start the flat walk.

The flat walk is an even four beat gait where the horse’s head and neck nod with each step of the hind legs. Ideally the horse’s hind hoof prints should overstep the front hoof prints. Lady is naturally short strided, and we are working to increase her depth of stride through developing an active free walk on a long rein. The flat walk feels even smoother than the medium walk and free walk.

The fox walk which is a smooth, uneven four beat gait with a 1-2–3-4 timing. The horse’s legs on one side will lift up and set down independently. The front leg and its diagonal hind leg will move forward together, but the front hoof will meet the ground before the hind hoof.

The fox trot is my favorite of Lady’s gaits. Like the fox walk, it is a diagonal easy gait where the diagonal pairs of legs lift off the ground and move forward together, but the front hoof sets down before the hind hoof. In motion, the fox trot gait sounds like “ka-chunck, ka-chunck,” because the hind foot fall occurs moments after the fore footfall. The horse’s head and neck also nod with the motion of the hind legs. The fox trot feels like a gentle rocking forward and backward in the saddle. It is comfortable and fun.

Canter. Now that Lady is set in her easy gaits, I’ll start dabbling with canter. In the meantime, I continue to ask her to increase speed in her fox trot just before she breaks into a hard trot, and I allow her to move actively forward in a free walk to increase her depth of stride as she further develops her flat walk.

So if you have a gaited horse with a hard trot, don’t be discouraged. With a little patience and consistent training, you might find out that you have a handful of easy gaits ready to be discovered!

Watch: Gaited Horse Transformation:
Hard Trot to Easy Gaits

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

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

Video: Cues vs Punishments

April 10, 2015 Jennifer Klitzke

By Jennifer Klitzke

At what point does a cue escalate to a punishment—a whisper to a shout? Think about what the horse actually learns from a punishment. Here’s an important tip.

When I learn something from someone, I make it a practice to credit my source. In this case, I thank Grand Prix dressage rider Heather Blitz for a priceless tip that has transformed my riding with my naturally gaited Walking horse, Makana.

When Heather isn’t riding, training, or competing, she travels and teaches. I have learned so much from auditing her clinics when she visits my state.

At the last clinic, Heather shared a valuable tip in reference to a horse that was reluctant to go forward. She had my full attention, because of all the horses I’ve ever ridden, Makana is by far the least ambitious to go forward. I have tried every strategy I know of. Each strategy seems to work at first, but doesn’t have lasting success, and I could never figure out why until Heather shared this valuable tip.

She said, “Never let a punishment replace a cue.” Ask politely and lightly. That’s the cue. If the horse ignores you, then ask loudly and clearly using your legs and crop if needed. That’s the punishment. DO NOT proceed after the punishment. (That’s the critically important part.) Immediately stop and ask politely and lightly again to teach the horse the whisper cue. Then immediately STOP cueing when the horse responds. (That’s the second most important part.)

Proceeding right after the punishment was the essential ingredient missing from my training. To my horse the punishment became the cue, and it didn’t take long before she just tuned me out. While I was thinking, “You lazy horse. If you would just continue moving forward, I wouldn’t have to squeeze my guts out and use my crop to make you move.” While my horse was thinking, “You, bully, no matter what I do I never seem to get it right. I wish you would stop nagging me with every step!”

Ding-dong! Now I know why new strategies never lasted very long. It wasn’t that the strategies failed. It was that I wasn’t stopping after the punishment to ask lightly and politely to train the whisper cue. Plus, I continued to nag my horse after my horse had responded. While I felt sad at the miscommunication I had caused my horse, I was elated with the key to resolve our forwardness issue.

It is vitally important to immediately stop after a punishment and ask again in a whisper. The whisper cue is the aid the horse needs to respond to. Over time the horse will move off a polite and light cue and need less loud reminders.

This training tip has made an enormous difference for me and my horse. Makana is so much more responsive thanks to Heather. I hope that by sharing my mistake will save you and your horse miscommunication and lead you to quicker success and greater harmony.

If you are fortunate enough to live near one of Heather’s upcoming clinics, I HIGHLY encourage you to audit. While she doesn’t train gaited horses, you’ll learn so much as it relates to rider bio-mechanics and the essence of good dressage training which applies equally well to the gaited horse.

2015 Heather Blitz Clinics»

Video: Application of Cues vs Punishments

Dressage for the Gaited Horse, Tips for the Gaited Horse

Rider Position and its Effect on the Gaited Horse

February 20, 2015 Jennifer Klitzke

Did you know that there is more than one rider position? Did you know that rider position has an effect on the horse and smooth gait? Did you know that rider position can place you in a more secure position to help you confidently ride through spooks?

Rider Position and its Effect on the Gaited Horse

By Jennifer Klitzke

Since 1988, I’ve taken hundreds of dressage lessons, ridden at dressage clinics, read many books, and watched dozens of dressage videos. When it comes to rider position, there are a variety of methods.

Comparing Rider Positions

The rider position I first learned teaches an ear, hip, and heel alignment and balance by loosely following the horse’s movement. This position focuses on growing tall with the upper body while stretching the legs long and pressing the heel down into the iron. It gives the rider a straight leg feeling. The rider’s seat focuses on the three seat bones. While riding, there is a feeling of leaning back with the upper body, especially at the sitting trot.

Jennifer Klitzke riding at a Mary Wanless Clinic — Jennifer Klitzke riding her Spanish Mustang at a
Mary Wanless Clinic and getting established in the
A,B,Cs of riding bio-mechanics.

I learned another rider position when I rode at a Mary Wanless rider bio-mechanics clinic. She teaches balance through stillness made through the isokinetic bearing down of the core muscles and sealing the thighs and knees against the saddle. The rider’s seat includes the knees, thighs and seat bones where the majority of the rider’s weight is held in thighs and not pressed down into the heel. Instead, the toe lightly rests in the iron. This rider position also teaches an ear, hip, heel alignment, but with a 90-degree bend at the knee between the hip and heel instead of the straight leg. Instead of a leaning back feeling, there is a pressing forward feeling from the sternum as if resisting someone’s push.

Mary’s theories have been developed through her education in physics, biomechanics, riding dressage through the upper levels, and studying the best dressage riders of her time. She’s coached top riders such as long-time student and successful Grand Prix rider Heather Blitz.

Mary has a knack for putting words to how talented dressage riders ride. Even though I have been a book and video student for decades, it wasn’t until experiencing this clinic where her rider position and biomechanics really clicked.

naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse flat walk

Eleven steps to a more secure rider position that benefits the horse and smooth gaits

Stirrup length: Adjust the stirrups to a 90-degree bend in the knee. At first it might feel too short.
External alignment: While sitting on the horse just behind the wither, align the ear, hip, and heel.
Thigh and knee position: Then rotate the thighs inward so that the thighs and knees seal to the saddle. This helps distribute the rider’s weight along the horse’s back instead of resting on the spine. When the horse is comfortable, the horse moves smoother.
Toe in iron: The toes lightly rest in the irons.
Rotate tailbone: Next, rotate the tail bone forward as if drawing it between the thighs. This flattens the lower back.
Position in motion: In the rider position, ask the horse to walk. In each walk step feel one hip slightly rotate forward with the horse’s movement and then the other.
Bear down: While at a walk, add what Mary refers to as “bear down.” This engages the core and lowers the center of gravity for more stability in the saddle. Mary describes it as, “sucking in your stomach and pushing your guts against it.”
Seat bones: Then become aware of the three seat bones and lower them evenly to the saddle.
Breathing: Adding to bearing down and lowering the seat bones to the saddle, breath deep as if the lungs fill up the stomach.
Resisting the push: Next, imagine someone pushing against your sternum as you resist the push. This further engages the core.
Another concept is to imagine someone pushing against your hands as you hold the reins. This concept helps you riding forward with the horse instead hold the horse back with the hands.
Awareness of sitting surface: Finally, become aware of the full sitting surface: the lowering of the core and seat bones closer to the saddle for stability, the knees and thighs lightly holding the rider’s body weight along the saddle.

Rider Position and its Effect on the Horse

While Mary teaches this rider position to those with non-gaited horses, I’ve found that this rider position has worked well with my naturally gaited horses. Each time I align my position, lower my core, and distribute my weight through my thighs, my horses immediately lift their back, wither and shoulder, and move more naturally forward without prompting on my part. And best of all, their gaits are smoother.

This riding position has shown me how my rider position directly affects my horse. When I am riding in alignment and correctly positioned, my horse need less fixing and my horses move more comfortably forward. Each time my old habits creep back, my horses let me know by dropping their back and getting tense which reminds me to reposition myself.

A Secure Rider Position

When comparing my former riding position to the one Mary taught me, Mary’s rider position is more stable and secure. I notice that the angle my knees and thighs have to the back of my seat offer more stability when compared to a straight leg. Plus, by lowering my center of gravity closer to the saddle while holding my knees and thighs lightly along the saddle provides more security than when my upper body grew tall. Each time I ride through an unexpected spook, Mary’s rider position keeps me in place which builds my confidence. When I have confidence, it is easier to be relaxed which helps my horse relax.

Yes, there is more than one way to ride a horse. After 25 years of riding one way, I’m sure glad that I gave Mary’s rider position a try. It has made me a more effective, aware and confident rider which has translated into becoming a more trusted leader to my horse.

Video: Naturally Gaited Flat walk and Canter

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/naturallygaitedhorse.

Visit: mary-wanless.com for educational videos, published stories, books and DVDs. You can even become a cyber student and find where she is teaching world wide near you.

Tips for the Gaited Horse