This year my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse Gift of Freedom and I gave Gaited Western Dressage a try through North American Western Dressage Association (NAWD) Virtual Shows.
2016 was a year of firsts for all three gaited dressage winners
Friends of Sound Horse (FOSH) announced the award winners for the 2016 FOSH Gaited Dressage Program, a division of FOSH Gaited Sport Horse. This unique program recognizes and rewards gaited horses competing in the discipline of Dressage.
2016 entries included the Spotted Saddle Horse, Tennessee Walking Horse, Missouri Fox Trotting Horse, and Rocky Mountain Horse. Eligible scores ranged from 62.8% to 74.50%. Eligible tests may be Live, Virtual, English or Western. Recognition was given in Two Gait, Introductory, Training, First, and Second Levels.
Jennifer Klitzke riding her naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse Gift of Freedom at one of three North American Western Dressage Association Shows.
For my naturally barefoot and naturally gaited Tennesee walking horse, Gift of Freedom, this was the first we submitted entries for Western Dressage. While we have been award gaited dressage award winners in the FOSH gaited dressage category, this is the first time we have won in the Gaited Western Dressage division.
Loren Hilgenhurst Stevens riding Sosa’s Playboy at Sonset, a Tennessee Walking Horse.
I am thrilled to see gaited dressage grow! Congratulations to Sosa’s Playboy at Sonset, a Tennessee Walking Horse, owned by Nicole Mauser-Storer of Bartonville, IL who are a new entrant to the FOSH gaited dressage program. Not only did this duo submit seven test scores, they won the award for Training Level and achieved the highest score of 74.50%,.
Congratulations also to Cash-N-Out owned by Loren Hilgenhurst Stevens of Atkinson, NH who was a new entry in 2016. This Tennessee Walking Horse was the award recipient in the Two-Gait category, submitting six test scores.
To be eligible for awards in the FOSH Gaited Dressage Program, three scores of 60% and over must have been recorded in any level of Dressage competitions with a recognized judge. Tests must have been specifically developed and written for gaited horses. Recognized tests include IJA, NWHA, WDAA and Cowboy Dressage.
It has been a rainy summer. I was lucky to have one dry day to film our rides for the Harvest Virtual Western Dressage Show before another storm swamped the arena.
Since the last virtual Western dressage show, I’ve been working on improving engagement with my friend’s naturally gaited horse Lady and it paid off. Lady was the only gaited horse shown in NAWD Intro 2 and placed second out of 11 horses with a score of 64.821%.
Video: NAWD Western Dressage Intro 2
Lady ridden in her easy gait.
This show was the first time my Spanish Mustang Indian’s Legend (Indy) and my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse Gift of Freedom (Makana) competed against each other in the same show, riding the same test.
Indy placed first in NAWD Basic 3 with a score of 66% and Makana placed third with a score of 58.857%. She was the only gaited horse among the three horses riding NAWD Basic 3.
Video: NAWD Western Dressage Basic 3 TWH-style
Makana demonstrating a flat walk.
Video: NAWD Western Dressage Basic 3 Spanish Mustang-style
Indy being ridden on a 20 meter circle allowing the horse to stretch.
The show had a good turnout with 127 entries ranging from Intro through Basic, Freestyle, Therapeutic, Working in Hand and Versatility for Youth, Adult Amateur, and Open.
Finally a way to ride gaited dressage at recognized shows, and I don’t even have to leave home!
North American Western Dressage Association (NAWD) offers several Virtual shows each year. This year they have included gaited dressage in their recognized Virtual shows.
My naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse Gift of Freedom (Makana) and I gave it a try in May. Since then, I have been practicing the feedback I received from the judge’s remarks and from coaching I received from my gaited dressage mentor Jennie Jackson. I couldn’t wait for the next Virtual show to check our progress.
There have been several schooling dressage shows this spring and summer, but my Father has been terminally ill and in hospice care. I decided to put traveling shows on hold so that I can spend more time with my Dad. Virtual shows have made it possible for me to squeeze in a few showing opportunities without ever leaving home! All I need is for my adoring husband to widget some time between is golf games to record our rides.
In July NAWD offered the Midsummer Celebration Virtual Show (which doubled as a successful fundraiser for autism) and was their biggest show to date with over 150 entries! I entered my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse, Gift of Freedom (Makana), my Spanish Mustang, Indian’s Legend (Indy), and my friend’s naturally gaited grade horse, Lady. It was Indy’s first Western Dressage show and Lady’s very first show. All three horses competed in the same Recognized Dressage Show without leaving home!
Video: Naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse Gift of Freedom in IJA Western Training Level 2
I am very happy in how the medium walk and canter felt over the last test—more fluid and forward. Her canter was noticeably more impulsive and clearly three beat instead of a sluggish rather four beat canter. I was especially pleased with our improvement in connection from back to front and its effect on the head nod. Makana moved forward in her medium walk with deep steps from behind and a clear head nod instead of a nose flicking head peck. The judge noticed it too, and remarked, “It was a pleasure to watch the degree of reach with the hind legs and steadiness of the nod.”
Areas the judge encouraged us to work on are more distinction between regular walk, medium walk and intermediate gait; more roundness in canter right; straightness; and squareness and balance at the halt.
Score: 64.091% (1st of 1)
Video: My Spanish Mustang Indian’s Legend in NAWD Basic 3 in his first Western Dressage Test
This was Indy’s first Western Dressage Test. Although I feel like I’m dressed for a Halloween costume party, I am very pleased with how Indy looks in his Western get up. I could be hooked on this Western dressage after all!
Riding the test, I liked how balanced Indy felt overall and how he reached down and out in the freewalk. The judge remarked. “Yeah, baby!!!” Although Indy was busy in his mouth, he wasn’t heavy on the bridle or forehand; I think it was the bit. I usually ride him in a full-cheek snaffle and it isn’t legal for Western Dressage, so I switched to a bit he wasn’t used to.
The judge felt we rode the test well and with accuracy, balance and bend. Areas of improvement are for us to work on improving softness in the bridle. She felt Indy was impulsive and balanced in the jog and needs to work on more impulsion in the canter and softness in the transitions to halt.
I had to giggle when the judge remarked how much she loved my “Fjordie.” We get this all of the time! Don’t get me wrong. I love Fjords, it is just that my Indy is a Spanish Mustang.
Score: 69.844% ( 1st of 3)
Video: Naturally gaited grade horse, Lady, showing for the first time in NAWD Intro 2
This is Lady’s very first show and I am tickled with how well she did considering that riding with contact is something rather new to her and arena riding is something she’s not fond of. Trail riding is her gig.
The judge remarked that she can see how this horse can be a bit difficult—like she might be all ‘go’ and very little ‘whoa.’ The judge said, “I think you are doing a very nice job bringing her along. Movement #4 (KXM change rein at easy gait) showed the real horse: relaxed, engaged and brilliant.” Which really helps me move towards more of that in our training.
Score: 60.357% (5th of 9)
This feedback is so helpful, and the reason I show dressage. I need unbiased feedback from an educated professional as to where I’m at in my training.
From the judges’ comments in all three rides, I feel like we are heading in the right direction in this Western Dressage ‘thang.’ The feedback has given us something to work on until we check our status next time.
Naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse Gift of Freedom performing IJA Western Training 2.
By Jennifer Klitzke
This year I’ve pretty much put showing on hold, because its been so touch and go with my Dad who is in hospice care. But, I thought I could sneak in a few local events: a Virtual Western Dressage Show (that I can do without leaving home), a Cow Sorting League (only minutes from my house) and the Mosquito Run Endurance Ride (held once a year at a local park).
Only I didn’t seem to notice that all three events were held in the same week until the week of. Working full time with an ailing father in hospice, what was I thinking?!
Virtual Western Dressage
North American Western Dressage Association (NAWD) offers several Virtual shows each year. Makana and I gave it a try a couple months ago and we couldn’t wait for the next one. We have been practicing the feedback I had received from the judge’s remarks and from my gaited dressage mentor Jennie Jackson.
When I saw that NAWD was having another Virtual Show, my over zealous enthusiasm overtook my sense of available time. I registered three horses for the show. Most challenging was finding time to squeeze in the rides between working full time, visits with my Dad, the cow sorting league, endurance rides, filming the tests around my husband’s schedule, the week’s inclement weather, and forcing my grandma brain to memorize three new Western dressage tests!
For this Western Dressage Virtual Show I entered my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse, Gift of Freedom (Makana), my friend’s naturally gaited grade horse, Lady, and my Spanish Mustang, Indian’s Legend (Indy). It was Lady’s very first show and Indy’s first Western Dressage show.
Naturally gaited grade horse, Lady, in her easy gait while showing for the first time in NAWD Intro 2.My Spanish Mustang Indian’s Legend showing a required movement in NAWD Basic 3, a jog allowing the horse to stretch its head and neck out and down.
Our window for recording our rides just happened to be at the same time our neighbor took down his trees next to our arena with the brush hog. This stirred up an arsenal of repellent-resistant biting flies that came in for the attack!
Despite the distractions, we made the best of it. I rode Makana in IJA Western Training Level 2, Lady in NAWD Intro 2, and Indy in NAWD Basic 3.
Cow Time!
A couple weeks back I saw a last minute opening for the July Cow Sorting League. I knew Makana was due for some cow time, because it’s her favorite thing to do. (My theory: since she’s lowest on the pecking order, cows give her something to push around!)
We finished our first week getting all ten cows sorted in order within 70 seconds! Not the fastest by far (which was an amazing 46 seconds) but it felt good to officially achieve this milestone.
Endurance Ride
On Sunday, I entered Makana in a ten-mile Mosquito Run novice endurance ride at Crow Hassan Park Reserve. That morning we were hit with ANOTHER thunderstorm. Many riders had packed up and headed for home just before Makana and I arrived. So many riders had left that I thought the event had cancelled. (At least it made it easy to find a parking spot!)
The novice ride headed out with two large groups of seven. The footing was slick in spots with lots of puddles, but the storms cooled down the temperature for a comfortable ride.
The week’s thunderstorms had taken a toll on the park. We passed hundreds of mature trees that had fallen during the storms. Many thanks to the Park Reserve staff who worked hard to clear the trails so that the endurance ride could go on.
Our group was composed of three Tennessee walking horses, a Rockie, and three Arabians. It was wonderful to ride with other gaited horses. While our gaited horses outpassed the nongaited horses at a walk, the speed required of the ride in order to make time forced our gaited horses to trot, speed rack (or canter) the majority of the ride. I asked Makana for a speed rack. She held it for a while, but waffled between the rack, the trot, and canter.
Three miles before the finish line we all cooled off in the lake. Makana and I took our first swim! We walked in the water until her entire body submerged and all that surfaced the water was her ears, nostrils, and eyeballs. Thank God horses are intuitively good swimmers!
Makana and I made the optimum time and took sixth place out of 12 entries. (We even surpassed the Arabians!)
I’ll see you soon Dad. Hang in there! I love you! (Next time I’ll double check my calendar before committing to these events.)
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.
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.
Learn more aboutLisa Maxwelland 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.
Areas the judge encouraged us to work on are more distinction between regular walk, medium walk and intermediate gait; more roundness in canter right; straightness; and squareness and balance at the halt.
The judge remarked that she can see how this horse can be a bit difficult—like she might be all ‘go’ and very little ‘whoa.’ The judge said, “I think you are doing a very nice job bringing her along. Movement #4 (KXM change rein at easy gait) showed the real horse: relaxed, engaged and brilliant.” Which really helps me move towards more of that in our training.
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