What is rooting? Why does a horse root? How can you help a gaited horse overcome rooting and establish bit acceptance, connection and contact? Here’s my story…

Contact & Connection with the Naturally Gaited Horse

By Jennifer Klitzke

Rooting. It is an evasion when a horse grabs the bit and pulls the reins out of the rider’s hands. When it comes to contact and connection, rooting is on the opposite end of the dressage galaxy.

While we have made steady progress in developing smooth gaits, my naturally gaited fox trotting horse, Lady, still prefers traveling on the forehand, disengaged from behind on a long, floppy rein. It’s been six summers and Lady is 15. Maybe I should just give up trying to establish contact. Riding on a long floppy rein is a lot easier.

Lady has never been a fan of contact—even a light, one-ounce contact. She’s been this way ever since she came to my place six years ago. I don’t know her training history before she came from a sale barn. Lady is unregistered, and our best guess is that she is a Morgan/Tennessee walking horse cross. If anyone looked at Lady as a dressage prospect, they would have passed on by. She’s beautiful, but she is built ventro flexed, on the forehand with short legs and a long back.

Don’t give the horse something to pull against

Lady is a beautiful black trail horse deluxe. She doesn’t root on a long, floppy rein because there is nothing to pull against.

I like trail riding Lady on a long, floppy rein, too. Lady is bold and smooth and covers a lot of ground in a short time with her smooth gait. I can enjoy the beauty of God’s creation and my aging body won’t pay for it later. Only, riding on a long, floppy rein isn’t dressage. It is more like being a passenger than a two-way dialogue between horse and rider.

There is nothing wrong with riding on a long, floppy rein. It just a different way to ride. It’s like comparing apples and oranges. Yes, there are moments in dressage where the horse stretches down and out, but the horse is not predominantly trained in a long and low position without contact.

Dressage and the naturally gaited horse

While riding on a long, floppy rein may not give the horse something to pull against, it isn’t the solution to the real issue—bit acceptance and contact.

Instead, I think the answer lies in applying dressage with my naturally gaited horses. As a rider, it is my job to help my horse establish relaxation of mind and body, balance, rhythm, connection, engagement, straightness, collection, and harmony. Dressage requires a two-way, ongoing dialogue between me and my horse.

Dressage begins with me becoming a better rider through my hands and Lady’s mouth; my balanced riding position in line with the horse’s center of gravity; and the effective timing and use of my rein, leg, seat, and weight aids to help my horse improve her quality smooth gaits and range of motion.

Allowing my horse a good, long and low stretch is great, but I don’t train my naturally gaited horse like this the entire ride, especially if my horse is in a position that disengages from her hind legs, travels on the forehand, and hollows her back. Or if it feels like my horse’s center of gravity is like a boulder in her chest, ahead of my seat.

Contact & Connection with the Naturally Gaited Horse

Dressage requires connection and contact. Connection is an orchestration of the rider’s rein, leg, seat and weight aids to help the horse best utilize its entire body, tempo, direction, gait, and frame. The rider needs to help the horse engage its hindquarters to step under its body, activate its abdominal muscles to lift its back to a neutral position, and raise its wither so that the horse isn’t on the forehand. Rather, that the horse learns posture and balance to carry its weight on all four legs.

Contact isn’t forcing head set by pulling back on the reins, nor is it a tight and constant grip of the reins with the horse’s mouth. Rather, contact is a gentle invitation to relaxation of the lower jaw and mouth which has a way of relaxing the entire body and back. Contact can direct the horse into chest posture and balance. Contact is an ongoing dialogue with the fingers and the horse’s mouth; asking and releasing when the horse responds. The horse accepts an even, steady, light contact with both reins AND that the rider learns to follow the natural head and neck motion of the horse with relaxed shoulders, arms and hands. Contact is a two-way partnership between the rider and horse.

Contact is when I begin encountering rooting behavior with Lady.

What causes rooting & how do you overcome it?

Each time I encounter a training challenge, I return to the learning lab and explore what’s missing in my dressage. How can I be a better rider and communicate better with Lady to work through this rooting reaction to connection and contact?

I have read so many perspectives about why horses root and how to overcome it.

Horses root for many reasons, such as:

• A heavy-handed rider that pulls back on the reins and causes pain on the horse’s tongue; the horse roots because it hurts; the horse roots to escape the pain
• An inexperienced rider hangs onto the reins to keep their balance; often school horses encounter this and they root because it hurts; the horse roots to escape the pain
• A tense or stiff rider that doesn’t follow the horse’s natural head and neck motion; the horse roots because it hurts; the horse roots to escape the pain
• A harsh or improperly fitting bit that causes pain; the horse roots because it hurts; the horse roots to escape the pain
• Teeth that need a float or dental care; the horse roots because it hurts; the horse roots to escape the pain
• A poorly fitting saddle; the horse roots because it hurts; the horse roots to escape the pain
• A horse that is not fit enough to do the work that is being asked; the horse roots because it hurts; the horse roots to escape the pain
• A horse that has learned that rooting can get out of working; rooting becomes a bad habit

Ways to help the horse overcome rooting are:

• Having a vet evaluate if the horse has a physical pain issue in its mouth or body
• Riding with a properly fitting saddle and a comfortable bit
• Following the natural head and neck motion of the horse with relaxed shoulders, arms and hands
• Teaching the horse how to taste the bit and relax the jaw as taught by Classical French Dressage Masters Philippe Karl, Jean Claude Racinet and others, first in-hand and then from the saddle
• Teaching the horse lateral exercises such as the shoulder-in, shoulder-out along the fence, haunches in, pivot the fore, first in-hand and then from the saddle
• Not giving the horse an opportunity to pull by releasing the reins before the horse roots and then encouraging engagement from the hindquarters
• Helping the horse decide that connection and contact are enjoyable by encouraging every positive effort
• Taking the time needed for the horse’s progress instead of imposing expectations
• Mixing up a riding session to keep it interesting for the horse
• Trying different snaffle or mullen mouth bits: thinner bits or hollow mouthed bits; bits with a lozenge or French link bits; different flavored bits like sweet copper, German metal, Happy Mouth, or rubber bits

My theory about why Lady roots

I’ve ruled out physical causes due to dental care, body pain, saddle fit, and heavy hands. What could be causing Lady’s rooting behavior?

Lady loves to travel with her nose to the ground and on the forehand. In this posture, she disengages behind and travels with a hollow back. She roots to put herself in this position. It’s what she knows. It’s how she’s built. It’s easier for her. It’s even smooth and it’s great on the trail, but it’s not dressage. And she stumbles a lot in this position which isn’t safe for the rider.

Contact is when I follow her natural head and neck motion in her easy gaits with an even, steady, one-ounce contact with relaxed shoulders, arms and hands on both reins. Lady will take a few relaxed, smooth, balanced steps and then she will draw her nose to her chest and yank at the reins. 

Since Lady came to my home with a rooting issue and six years later at the age of 15, still has one, I have to focus on the good moments between each yank instead of thinking that each yank means no progress has been made. 

Then there is connection which asks Lady to engage her hindquarters to step under her body, activate her abdominal muscles to lift her back, and find balance to carry her weight on all four legs. This challenges her habit of disengaging her hind legs (traveling more behind her tail than stepping under her body) and pushing her weight onto the forehand.

I am a chronic chair sloucher. It is hard for me to change my posture. I have to WANT to change my posture and re-position my body to make it happen.

Lady loves to be a trail horse. Does Lady want to change her posture? I think she argues about it by rooting to avoid engaging, using her abdominal muscles to lift her back, carrying her weight on all four legs, and accepting an even, constant, one-ounce contact with the reins.

In my opinion, Lady isn’t objecting only to the contact. She is objecting to re-posturing her body out of her habit and preference. She would rather disengage from behind and carry her weight on her forehand with a hollow back and no contact than be in balance.

So why don’t I just let Lady be a trail horse?

The reason I encourage Lady to adjust her posture is for her long-term soundness. If Lady develops balance, relaxation and flexibility she will be sounder longer than she would if she continues to travel with a hollow back and on the forehand.

Dressage will benefit her body so that she will be a sound horse longer. Connection is so important for Lady to develop engagement so that she steps deeper under her body, activates her abdominal muscles to lift her back to a neutral position, lift her withers so that she carries her body mass more equally on all four legs instead of disengaging behind and traveling on the forehand with a hollow back.

Contact is important between horse and rider for communication, relaxation of the lower jaw, and softness.

My approach with Lady using dressage

Being a good student of dressage, I listen to my horse, do my best to negotiate through an evasion, then seek answers when I am stumped. 

So, knowing what I know now about rooting, Lady’s conformation, Lady’s preferences, and dressage. How do I proceed? Do I quit trying to develop a two-way relationship with Lady and just ride her like a trail horse on a long, floppy rein? Do I scrap the idea of helping her improve her balance, rhythm, relaxation, connection, engagement, straightness, and collection to improve the quality of her naturally smooth gaits and prolong her soundness? Or do I tweak my approach?

I choose the latter.

Contact and connection strategies with a rooting horse:

• I try different bits and bitless bridles: a thinner, double-jointed, full-cheek snaffle with a lozenge; a Dr. Cook bitless bridle; a hollow mouth sweet copper snaffle with a lozenge 
• Become aware of my breathing and body relaxation and follow my horse’s natural head and neck motion with relaxed arms, shoulders and hands
• Separate the timing of my rein aids from my leg aids; being conscious to not combine the stop and go aids at the same time
• Hold my weight in my thighs so that I am not sitting on my horse’s spine and following my horse’s belly sway with relaxed hip joints
• Not give my horse an opportunity to root by releasing the reins just before she draws her nose back and pulls, then encourage engagement from her hindquarters, and re-establish a light, following contact
• Ensure my horse is tasting the bit and relaxing her jaw; if not, halt and encourage this relaxation before proceeding
• Ride my horse in symmetry exercises, such as the shoulder-in, shoulder-out along the fence, haunches in, pivot the fore, and ride in a shoulder-fore position to develop flexibility, strength and suppleness
• Help my horse decide that connection and contact are enjoyable by encouraging every positive effort with release, reward, and plenty of halt-stretch breaks
• Mix up riding sessions to keep it interesting
• After a few relaxed, smooth, balanced steps, transition to a halt before my horse roots. Then ask her to take the bit down to the ground as a reward
• Erase all expectations and go at my horse’s timing not mine

To my amazement, all of the above worked wonders for Lady. The most surprising is that she preferred the super gentle hollow mouthed, sweet copper snaffle bit with a lozenge to the thinner bit with a copper lozenge and bitless bridle.

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