Can dressage rehabilitate a former Big Lick Tennessee walking horse? Can dressage transform a tense, high-headed and hollow-backed frame into a relaxed posture that builds the top line? Can dressage break up a hard pace into a natural four-beat gait without heavy shoes and pads? Can dressage mend a damaged mind and help a horse develop trust in a rider, accept a light snaffle bit contact, and respond willingly to leg aids without exploding? Can dressage prolong soundness of a Tennessee walking horse?

Here’s my story…

Sore No More: Rehabilitating a Big Lick Tennessee Walking Horse with Dressage

By Jennifer Klitzke

It was time to apply the “Now That’s a Walking Horse” program grant awarded in 2015 to me and my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse, Makana, by the United States Humane Society.

Cheryl Jacobson, Deputy Director, Equine Protection of The Humane Society of the United States wrote:

“Your application showcases the sort of approach to training of Tennessee Walking Horses that the NTAWH program hopes to promote. This includes correct training of horse and rider without the use of artificial enhancements or aggressive shoeing techniques while focusing on the gymnastic development as a way to improve and establish the gaits of the Walking horse.”

“We are further impressed by your volunteer efforts to “spread the word.” The best promotion for the breed is a good example. It is clear that you have provided that, sharing the good news about the natural Walking horse to the trotting as well as to gaited enthusiasts who have seen the limitless potential in the breed in new ways because of your efforts.”

Becoming a working student under Jennie Jackson

In January 2016, I had the opportunity to further my dressage as applied with the naturally gaited horse when I flew to Theodore, Alabama to be Jennie Jackson’s working student at the Amazing Gaits Equestrian Center. Jennie is the only person in history who has trained and shown a Tennessee walking horse through the highest levels of dressage, and she, along with her husband Nate, have been on the front lines fighting against Big Lick soring and abuse for over 30 years.

Meeting Champaign Watchout

While there I had the privilege of watching Jennie ride her famous 21-year-old naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse stallion, Champagne Watchout! He is the ONLY living Tennessee walking horse who had competed in the 1998 Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration World Grand Championship class. Watchout was also the only flat shod entry ridden among Big Lick horses. When horses are subjected to the cruelty and abuse of Big Lick practices, they simply don’t stay sound or live that long.

My days with Jennie were filled with riding several Tennessee walking horses at various levels of training, flat walking the ocean coast, riding in a Dauphin Island Mardi Gras parade, and being introduced to the challenges of retraining a rescued Big Lick horse.

Big Lick it’s something I’ve encountered in Minnesota. In fact, I didn’t even know what Big Lick or soring were when I bought my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse, Makana. I stumbled upon Big Lick when I searched YouTube for TWH training information.

After watching a few Big Lick videos, I wondered, “Is this how a Tennessee walking horse is supposed to move?”

The horrifying truth behind Big Lick motion

To me, the Big Lick Tennessee walking horses are like a Picasso painting coming to life: exaggerated, disjointed, and unnatural. Picasso once said, “Art is a lie that makes us realize the truth.” While some people might think Big Lick is expressive and exciting to watch and ride, how its motion is achieved unveils a horrifying truth.

The exaggerated Big Lick motion is produced by applying caustic agents to the horses’ front feet. This is known as soring. Then heavy shoes, pads and chains are added to the front feet. Horses are forced forward by the riders’ sharp spurs. With each step the chains slap against the horses’ sored feet. The horses react in pain. Their feet are further propelled by the heavy shoes. To evade the pain, horses learn to shift most of their weight to the hindquarters which produces extreme engagement. The horses are ridden in harsh curb bits to restrain them from exploding. This is the real reason the horses move as they do. Torturous. Sadistic and unlawful. Yet Big Lick still exists.

I made a firm decision after watching a couple Big Lick videos that dressage is all my barefoot Tennessee walking horse would know. Maybe boring to watch in comparison, but dressage is humane and trains the horse with respect and dignity. Then I began to support organizations like Friends of Sound Horses (FOSH) who advocate against Big Lick soring and abuse, and I began to meet others like Jennie Jackson who teach and train dressage for the naturally gaited horse.

Thankfully my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse has never experienced Big Lick. Makana was imprinted at birth and raised by a loving family. I bought her in 2007 as a barefoot, just-turning-three-year-old filly. Natural and humane training is all she knows—no rehab needed.

Not so for many Tennessee walking horses down South.

Sweet Caroline’s story: A Big Lick survivor and given a second chance with dressage

A few weeks before my trip, Jennie had acquired a lovely mare named Sweet Caroline who had sadly experienced “Big Lick” training trauma. Like many Big Lick Tennessee walking horses, Caroline was bred to pace. When the heavy shoes and pads are added, then the horses move into a four-beat gait.

For years, Carolyn had been driven forward with sharp spurs into a harsh curb bit. She developed a habit of rushing off in a tense, high-headed and hollow-backed frame. The soring scars on her front feet tell the rest of the story.

Now Caroline is barefoot. Could dressage break up her pace to develop a natural four-beat gait? Could dressage transform her tense, high-headed and hollow-backed frame into a relaxed and neutral posture? Could dressage help her trust a rider’s gentle hands, seek a snaffle bit contact, and accept light leg cues without rushing?

If anyone could teach me, it would be Jennie who has been training naturally gaited Tennessee walking horses for decades using dressage. Jennie had been retraining Caroline for several weeks prior to my arrival, so she knew how to coach me as I rode this hot, tense, and sensitive mare.

Dressage encourages relaxation which helps develop smooth gait for a barefoot former Big Lick TWH

Dressage produces relaxation and rhythm whether a horse trots, tolts, flat walks or fox trots. Relaxation replaces tension and is key to break up pace with a natural four-beat smooth gait like flat walk.

Jennie coached me through a great exercise to establish relaxation with Caroline.

True bend/counter bend transitions on a circle

At a regular walk on a 20-meter circle, Jennie coached me through transitions with Caroline between a true bend and a counter bend. The true bend is along the arc of the circle in a shoulder fore position. The counter bend is outside the arc of the circle. This exercise helped Caroline relax at the poll, lower her head and neck to a neutral position, which began to break up the pacey steps into an even four-beat walk.

The true bend/counter bend exercise taught Caroline to step beneath and across her belly with her hind leg each time I applied my calf lightly at the girth. This engaged her abdominal muscles to lift her back.

As I squeezed and released the inside rein softly, it relaxed the tension in her poll so she could soften and look slightly to the inside of the circle as she lowered her head and neck. The opposite rein (the indirect rein) maintained a light contact against her neck to keep her from moving sideways.

Then I’d squeeze and release the outside rein softly to relax the tension in her poll to soften slightly to the outside of the circle while applying my outside calf at the girth as she maintained a neutral head and neck position.

The true bend and counter bend exercise on a circle also helped to diagonalize Caroline’s foot fall. After she relaxed into the bending exercise at a walk, Jennie encouraged me to move her up into flat walk.

I clearly felt the difference between the tense pace and the relaxed four-beat flat walk. Each time Caroline lost relaxation, she became tense and rushed off into stiff bumpy pace. I transitioned her back to a walk and helped her regained relaxation in the bending exercise before transitioning back to flat walk.

Half halts for the gaited horse

When Caroline began to rush and pace, that’s when Jennie taught me the effectiveness of half halts: squeeze my fists together on the reins without pulling back and still my hips and back. As soon as Caroline slowed down into a smooth flat walk, I immediately relaxed my fingers (without letting the reins slip through my hands), and I followed her movement with my fingers, hip joints and lower back.

While riding Caroline, I got LOTS of practice with half halts and releases. We had a few soft, round steps of flat walk with rhythm and relaxation. Then she would try to rush off again. I learned that it takes a lot of patience and quiet repetition to rehabilitate a traumatized Big Lick Tennessee walking horse.

Cantering the hillside

After Caroline and I became acquainted in the arena, Jennie tacked up Watchout and we rode along the scenic trail system at the Amazing Gaits Equestrian Center. I schooled Caroline in flat walk and canter along the hillside overlooking the lake. We would canter up the hill to develop engagement and walk down the hill to help her learn balance. I switched between the flat walk and canter up the hill so Caroline would listen to my cues instead of anticipating canter.

In the few days I was there, it was delightful to witness how dressage began to rehabilitate a Big Lick Tennessee walking horse into a naturally smooth gaited and barefoot Tennessee walking horse. 

Each day I rode Caroline, we had more prolonged moments of relaxation and rhythm. She had more and more consecutive steps of a natural four-beat flat walk. She was beginning to seek a snaffle bit contact instead of curling behind the bit to evading contact, and we began to build some trust.

I grew to love this spunky little mare. Returning home I felt good knowing that Sweet Caroline was in good hands with Jennie and that for the rest of her life she’d be sore no more.

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