Have you heard people say, “Never trot a gaited horse, because trot will ruin the smooth gait?” I bought a gaited horse for a smooth ride. Yet I discovered how a quality trot on cue can improve the quality of the smooth gait.
Here’s my story.
Benefits of Teaching the Smooth Gaited Horse a Quality Trot on Cue
By Jennifer Klitzke
Walk-trot-canter are my roots. I began dressage with non-gaited horse breeds in 1988. Twenty-nine years later, my youthful mind grew into a grandma body. Dressage with smooth gaited horses launched my new destiny. I thought my posting days were behind me. Then I discovered a quality trot on cue offers great benefits for the naturally gaited horse.
Whoever panicked gaited horse riders by saying trot ruins smooth gait, missed two important facts.
First, the difference between letting a gaited horse trot versus the rider directing the horse into a quality trot on cue. The former lets the horse train the rider. The latter is the rider training the gaited horse.
Secondly, not all trot is the same. Just as not all gait is the same. There are quality smooth gaits that have relaxation, even strides, regular rhythm and tempo. Just as there are poor-quality gaits with short and uneven strides, a hollow frame, irregular rhythm, and a rushed tempo that fall in and out of pace and a smooth gait.
Trotting the naturally gaited horse isn’t for every rider and every horse. If you ask an educated dressage rider, teaching a gaited horse a quality trot on cue has many benefits.
Video: Benefits of Trotting the Gaited Horse on Cue
Benefits of a quality trot on cue for the smooth gaited horse:
Helps develop relaxation
Develops the top line muscles when ridden in a neutral position
Develops rhythm
Improves engagement and forward movement without rushing
Strengthens the hind quarters for deeper strides reaching under the body
The diagonalized motion of trot breaks up a lateral moving pace
Teaching the naturally gaited horse a quality trot on cue improves rhythm and engagement that can improve these qualities of the smooth natural gaits. Plus, the diagonalized foot fall of the trot can help break up a lateral pace.
Transforming a hard trotting gaited horse with dressage
Lady was purchased from a sale barn. My friend was told she was a six-year-old unregistered gaited horse. Yet the only gaits Lady had were a walk and a hard trot. After a couple years of trail riding on a long floppy rein with Lady, my friend brought her to my place. She wanted to know if Lady had a smooth gait after all.
Dressage rider meets a trail ridden gaited horse
Riding with a light snaffle bit contact was as new to Lady as riding on a long floppy rein to me. I did my best to keep arena riding interesting for Lady. I mixed up our rides with lots of transitions, circles, serpentines, changes of direction along the diagonal, and lateral exercises.
My strategy with Lady: We began with a relaxed state of mind and body beginning at a walk. Then I would increase the tempo before she began trotting. Over time, Lady developed three smooth gaits on cue: a dog walk, a fox walk, and fox trot.
Lady’s smooth gaits aren’t showy, but they are fun to ride, especially on the trail. We see a lot of the forest in a short amount of time and my grandma body doesn’t pay for it later! Plus, I took the dressage to the trail, and it made both Lady and I happy. Dressage made more sense to Lady on the trail than the arena.
I also learned that Lady enjoyed our time together best when I met her halfway. I asked for a smooth gait on cue with a light snaffle bit contact. Then I would release the contact to a long floppy rein as long as she maintained her smooth gait in self-carriage. This was Lady’s reward, and this dressage rider enjoyed another way of riding.
Who says dressage needs to be in an arena?
Lady’s first dressage show as a smooth gaited horse
In July 2016, I entered Lady in her first dressage show. It was a North American Western Dressage Virtual Show open to smooth gaited horses. Even unregistered grade horses, like Lady, were welcome to enter!
Lady and I rode a Western Gaited Dressage Intro Test. It included walk, free walk, and a smooth gait which replaced the jog trot. Also, the dressage test required a snaffle bit contact with no floppy reins during the test.
Turns out, Lady was the only smooth gaited horse competing at our level. In her first show, she placed 5th of 9 horses with a score of 60.357%. I was thrilled!
Lady in her smooth gait while showing her first Western Gaited Dressage Intro Test
The ah-hah moment: Feedback from the dressage judge
The dressage judge provided wonderful written feedback on our dressage test. While I was happy with Lady’s smooth gait, the judge noted where Lady seemed tense and lacked engagement. She also pointed out where Lady moved more relaxed and engaged to work towards that.
The feedback provided helpful insights in our training and what needed improvement. Since our dressage test was recorded, I could watch where the judge made these comments!
The ah-hah moment was realizing the difference between a smooth gait and a QUALITY smooth gait!
Up to this point, developing a smooth gait was my goal. Now I had a new goal: developing quality smooth gait. I began focusing on a relaxed state of mind and body, engagement from behind, and a softer connection with the bridle.
Lady’s response to engagement wasn’t rainbows and unicorns. She resisted by rushing off with tense, short steps until she blasted into a hard, hollow trot. Ooh, my grandma body felt those jolts! Then I had a flash back to my trotting horse days and had an epiphany.
Epiphany: Drawing insights from dressage with non-gaited horses…a quality trot on cue!
The jarring trot jolted my memory back to the days I posted 20-meter circles developing a quality trot on cue. A quality trot helps develop the horse’s top line muscles with a relaxed mind and body, as well as rhythm, connection, and engagement from behind.
Did you know that not all trot is the same?
When a trotting horse is tense and hollow, the trot is a rough ride. When the horse learns to relax its back, engage from behind, and step deeper under its belly, the trot becomes smoother. I learned this to develop a manageable sitting trot. Plus, a relaxed back is beneficial for the horse.
Recalling these benefits of a quality trot on cue became my strategy for Lady. Any time she resisted a quality smooth gait on cue by blasting into a hard trot, I redirected her into a QUALITY trot on cue.
While teaching the gaited horse a quality trot on cue, it is important to allow moments for the horse to stretch out and down to stretch the topline muscles and spine. The rider lightens their posting in a two-point position to allow the horse’s back to round. Avoid too many consecutive steps in this position as it drives the horse onto the forehand.
Huh!? Why would I teach trot to the hard trotting gaited horse I just taught a smooth gait?!
The difference between evading through hard trot and teaching a quality trot on cue
There is a big difference between an evasive hard trot the horse chooses and the rider teaching the horse a quality trot on cue.
Lady’s hard trot was an evasion to avoid a quality smooth gait on cue. The hard trot is not quality, nor was it on cue. She would grab the bit and run away in a tense, high headed hollow trot. Left unchecked, Lady was training me.
Instead, I need to teach Lady a new way to trot. I needed to guide her trot into relaxed state of mind and body, moving forward from behind into a light contact with the snaffle bit on a 20-meter circle, and develop an even rhythm and tempo without rushing.
Teaching the gaited horse a quality trot on cue has many benefits:
Breaks up lateral pacey movement since trot is a diagonal gait
Develops the abdominal muscles to lift the back to a neutral to round position instead of an unhealthy hollow positionStretches the top line muscles and spine, when trotting in a neutral position, which is beneficial to the gaited horse
Stretches the outside muscles when performed on a 20-meter circle and promotes symmetry when both directions are stretched
Develops the topline muscles of the neck and back instead of the underside neck muscles
Encourages engagement which teaches the gaited horse to step deeper under the body with each hind leg step and lift the back to a neutral to round position producing depth of stride to improve the quality of the smooth gait
Develops rhythm that improves quality in all gaits
Teaches the gaited horse gaits on cue, teaches rider and horse proper roles in the relationship
Teaching a smooth gaited horse a quality trot (or soft trot as shown) on cue has many benefits: engagement, rhythm, balance, strengthening the top line muscles, and breaking up pace. This type of trot produces depth of stride which improves the quality of the smooth gait.
After a few circles of quality trot, I cue for the smooth gait. I am amazed how much better the smooth gait has improved after a few circles of quality trot on cue.
Lady’s easy gait improves in engagement, rhythm, and balance after a few 20-meter circles of quality trot on cue.
My strategy has been to ask Lady for an engaged smooth gait on cue first. If her response is resistance or a lack of engagement, then I cue for a quality trot. It doesn’t take Lady long to prefer an engaged smooth gait over a quality trot on cue.
Second dressage show as a smooth gaited horse
In September 2016, we put our strategy to the test. I entered Lady as a smooth gaited horse in her second Western Gaited Dressage Intro Test with the NAWD Virtual Show.
Not only did Lady’s smooth gait improve with more relaxation and engagement, but she placed 2nd of 11 horses with a score of 64.821%. Lady was the only smooth gaited horse in the class!
Video: Western GaitedDressage Intro Test
Teaching the smooth gaited horse a quality trot on cue isn’t for every rider or every horse. It has helped my gaited horse, Lady establish more engagement in her smooth gait. Now that she is working in a quality smooth gait with connection, rhythm, relaxation and engagement, I haven’t had to ask for the quality trot on cue.
Will trotting a gaited horse on cue ruin the smooth gait?
Whoever began the myth, “Never trot a gaited horse, because trot will ruin the smooth gait,” maybe didn’t know the difference between letting the gaited horse hard trot versus training the gaited horse a quality trot on cue.
A quality trot on cue teaches the gaited horse rhythm, relaxation, balance, and forward movement without rushing to develop engagement, a softer connection, a deeper stride beneath the body with each hind leg, and it breaks up a lateral moving pace.
My naturally gaited fox trotting mare, Lady in a quality, balanced fox trot with contact.
That’s where years of dressage on trotting horses have paid off for me. I never imagined that I would be trotting a smooth gaited horse on purpose, since I got a gaited horse for a SMOOTH ride. Yet I discovered that teaching the gaited horse a quality trot on cue can improve the quality of the smooth gait.
In the end Lady prefers an engaged smooth gait over a quality trot on cue any day, and that makes us both happy!
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