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Dressage for the Gaited Horse

Smooth and Quality Smooth Gaits

Quality smooth natural gaits

By Jennifer Klitzke

Experience quality smooth gaits: flat walk, running walk, fox trot or saddle rack through dressage!

There’s smooth and then there’s QUALITY smooth gaits

It’s like waking up to a couple scoops of pre-ground canned coffee brewed in a drip coffee maker, and then there’s waking up to freshly ground coffee brewed French press style. Both coffees will jump start your day, but the latter is a memorable experience. Why go back to pre-ground canned coffee after that! Right?

To me there is no comparison to riding a naturally gaited horse trained using dressage. Why settle for an untrained gaited horse with random, undefined gaits when I’ve experienced dressage to develop quality smooth gaits on cue: flat walk, running walk, fox trot, saddle rack, and canter.

Tennessee walking horse flat walk ridden bareback
Makana at 17 ridden bareback and barefoot at a flat walk.

There’s no greater feeling than the connected power and well-oiled looseness of a naturally gaited horse performing a smooth-running walk or the collected happy dance of piaffe on cue!

bareback piaffe
Naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse piaffe riding bareback.

Dressage benefits the majority of gaited horses 

Some naturally gaited horses, like the ones you see at breed shows, are blessed with astonishing movement, big strides, and huge head nods. Many say these horses are born to gait and easy to train the natural smooth quality gaits.

More common are naturally gaited horses that pace, have a hard, hollow trot, or not much overstride. Is there hope for horses like these? Will a pacey or trotty horse ever gait smoothly? Can a smooth gait improve in quality?

Dressage is for all riders and all horses, whether they trot or not!

Dressage teaches the rider to lead their horse into balance, relaxation of mind and body, rhythm, forward movement without rushing, connection, symmetry, and collection over time. The rider develops a balanced riding position and communicates with the horse through effective use and timing of leg, weight, seat and rein aids. This training develops a partnership of trust as well as the horse’s best possible quality smooth gaits and maximum range of motion.

Dressage develops quality smooth gaits, too!

At nine years old, my naturally gaited fox-trotting horse, Lady, came to my place. She had a dog walk on a loose rein and a hard, hollow trot when I took up contact with the snaffle bit. Lady has an inherent fox walk, fox trot, and flat walk, but it took time, patience, and consistent dressage to develop these smooth gaits on cue.

It also took time, patience, and consistent training to earn Lady’s trust with contact. I began with just an ounce of snaffle bit contact and increased the tempo of the dog walk to a fox walk. I focused on relaxation (of mind and body) and rhythm.

Once we established a consistent fox walk, I further increased the tempo just before she would trot to establish the fox trot. This process took several months of riding Lady 4-5 days a week for 45 minutes each time. We worked through issues that came up and finally experienced a natural smooth gait one step at a time.

Smooth gaits to quality smooth gaits

When Lady and I had established smooth gaits on cue, I further refined those smooth gaits to quality smooth gaits. We applied dressage exercises that produce balance, relaxation, rhythm, connection, engagement, symmetry, and collection. These exercises include circles, serpentines, figure eights, leg yield, pivot the fore, shoulder in, shoulder out, haunches in, rein back, transitions between walk and fox trot, transitions between the gait, and even teaching her a quality trot on cue!

Rein back engages the hindquarters and lifts the back and wither
Lady is being ridden in a Dr. Cook bitless bridle showing rein back on a loose rein. The rein back engages the hindquarters and lifts the back and wither.

I communicate with Lady through effective use and timing of my rein, leg, seat and weight aids as well as became aware of my riding position and its effect on her to develop more and more steps of “the feeling of right“.

Dressage will not transform Lady into astonishing rail class movement, but dressage will help Lady develop her best quality smooth gaits on cue. We are still working on more engagement, relaxation, and connection. I am thrilled with how smooth and fun Lady is to ride on the trail!

Naturally smooth foxtrot

What about the bumpy lateral horse?

Unlike Lady’s diagonal, hollow trot, other naturally gaited horses have bumpy lateral gaits like pace, cross canter, and lateral canter. Don’t be discouraged if your horse has one or more of these. Smooth gaits are inherent. It takes consistent training, patience, and time to bring them out. Dressage is a lifelong journey and a partnership with your horse.

trotting a gaited horse over ground rails helps break up pace
Trotting a gaited horse over ground rails helps break up pace.

Ground rails and teaching the lateral gaited horse how to develop a quality trot (on cue) are helpful ways to break up pace, cross canter and a lateral canter.

Video: Breaking Pace & Cross Canter Using Trot & Ground Rails

Over time dressage helps the naturally gaited horse develop its best quality smooth gaits and full range of motion. This means a deeper and longer stride length, breaking up pace with a smoother, more even four-beat gait, breaking cross canter to a truer three-beat canter, and breaking a hard, hollow trot to a smooth fox trot.

Beginnings of my dressage journey

In 1988, I was invited to watch my first dressage show at Brightonwood Farm where dressage trainer Kathy Theissen and her upper-level Morgan, Bullwinkle, danced to the rhythm of a musical freestyle. She led him through his full range of motion and gaits—collected to extended. I loved the partnership, harmony, connection, expression, joy, and beauty Kathy and Bullwinkle shared. This moving performance is one I will never forget. I came to the show unfamiliar with dressage and left deeply inspired to become a devoted dressage student.

Watching my first dressage show: Kathy Theissen riding Bullwinkle, 1988, inspired me to become a devoted dressage rider.

For 19 years I became an avid dressage student with trotting horses: riding 5-6 days a week year-round, taking regular lessons, attending clinics, reading books, and watching videos.

Then in 2007 my aging body desired a smooth gaited horse. That’s when I bought Makana, a three-year-old Tennessee walking horse. It didn’t take long to realize the smooth gaits would need to be developed through consistent training.

Fortunately, most of Makana’s gaits were smooth, except the stepping pace and lateral canter. Discerning which smooth gait was my biggest challenge. Then adding cues to each gait through effective use and timing of my reins, legs, seat and weight aids.

Smooth gaits and quality smooth

shoulder in
Work the shoulder in and haunches in at a slow balanced, collected walk. Don’t worry about depth of stride and head nod. There will be little to no head nod in the collected walk. Lateral exercises supple, strengthen and improve symmetry and the quality of natural smooth gaits.

After each smooth gait is established with a set of cues, I use dressage to improve the quality of her smooth gaits through exercises that help strengthen her body, like circles, leg yield, shoulder-in, haunches-in, pivot the fore, rein back, transitions between gaits and within gaits. These exercises help develop balance, relaxation, connection, engagement, straightness and collection which improve the quality of my naturally gaited horse’s smooth gaits.

Naturally Smooth Gaits»
Today Makana is able to express the following natural smooth gaits on cue and in balance and self-carriage on a loose rein: free walk, medium walk, flat walk, running walk and canter.

Makana is also able to perform the following natural smooth gaits on cue, in balance and with acceptance of an even snaffle bit contact: medium walk, flat walk, running walk, saddle rack, fox trot, collected walk, counted walk, piaffe, canter, counter canter, collected canter, and medium canter.

Developing quality gaits on cue doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time, consistency, and patience. Yet the time it takes develops a partnership. Every ride is a new conversation with my horse and every lesson, clinic, and dressage show is an opportunity to learn and grow. I can’t wait to experience what we will discover next!

Dressage begins with the rider learning a balanced riding position and communicating with the horse through effective use and timing of rein, leg, seat and weight aids to lead the horse into balance, relaxation of mind and body, rhythm, connection, forward movement without rushing, symmetry, and collection.

If you thinking about starting your dressage journey and need help, here are a few ideas:

  • Join a local dressage association to find local dressage instructors, clinics, and schooling shows open to gaited horses
  • Travel to a gaited dressage clinic
  • Host a gaited dressage clinic

Video: How Dressage Improves Movement in Naturally Gaited Horses

If you are on this gaited dressage journey, I’d love to hear from you. Please contact me, join the NaturallyGaited Facebook community, and subscribe to the NaturallyGaited YouTube channel.

The Versatile Gaited Horse

Trail Challenge at Governor Knowles State Forest

Governor Knowles State Forest Trail ChallengeBy Jennifer Klitzke

Working cows with a gaited horseNext to the 2017 August Cow Sorting League with our personal best by leaps and bounds (5th of 17), I’d have to say that riding the Trail Challenge at Governor Knowles State Forest on September 3, 2017 with Stephanie, Brian, Indy, Lefty and Lady was one of the best memories of the summer.

The St. Croix River vista through the ears of Indy.
The St. Croix River vista through the ears of Indy.

Earlier this year, I made the heart-felt decision to sell my Spanish Mustang Indian’s Legend back to his previous owner, Stephanie. My Dad had passed away after an illness and my life circumstances had changed. Indy wasn’t happy as a backyard dressage horse. He missed our weekend-get-aways.

As much as I miss him, my heart is happy and at peace  knowing that Indy is with Stephanie and Brian who love him like I do. Not only that, but Indy is living in his happy place and in the trail horse dream: miles and miles of mature forests and river crossings every weekend with lots of pasture space to goof off with his fellow Spanish Mustang comrades.

Stephanie had checked in with me a couple weeks prior to the Trail Challenge at Governor Knowles State Forest. I quickly got naturally gaited foxtrotting horse Lady up-to-date on a Coggins so that I could join her and Brian.

All three of us
Lady with two Spanish Mustangs–all barefoot and sound!

What an amazing day: enjoying their great company, great scenery, great horses, great weather, and challenging obstacles, with the added bonus of several river and bridge crossings to boot! A first for Lady.

Indy and Stephanie eating up the obstacle
Indy and Stephanie eating up the obstacle.

It was so fun to watch Indy and Stephanie eat up those trail obstacles. They gave Lady and five-year-old Spanish Mustang Lefty courage to give them a try. There were six obstacles along a 10-12 mile trail through scenic mature forest, ferns, wildflowers, butterflies, and songbirds. The footing was perfect for naturally barefoot horses like the three of us were riding. It was a comfortable temperature and the sun made its brilliant appearance mid-point of the ride.

There were two divisions, the just-for-fun and the jackpot. I entered Lady in the just-for-fun since this was her first obstacle challenge. Stephanie and Brian opted for the jackpot—why not—no doubt Indy was up for the challenge!

The first of six obstacles was opening and closing a gate without letting go. After closing the gate, then maneuvering to a barrel and  picking up a clanger. Then navigating through two poles and ringing the “come-an’-get-it-dinner-is-ready triangle three times in two minutes or less. I was amazed how afraid Lady was of the gate. At home, all she wants to do is open and close the gate herself! Dang! We danced around the gate until the two minutes ran out.

The jackpot level had to back out of the rails after clanging the triangle in the same amount of time. Indy and Stephanie did this obstacle really well.

The second obstacle was navigating the horse through a wooden ladder in two minutes or less. The horse had to step within the narrow ladder prongs, turn on the fore and return through the narrow ladder prongs. After Lady realized that the ladder wasn’t going to eat her, she killed this obstacle—even on a loose rein!

For those in the jackpot level, they had to side pass the ladder in the return. Indy rocked this obstacle! I wish I had video to show for it!

Me and Lady playing some broom ball, if we can only get close enough to the ball.
Me and Lady playing some broom ball, if we can only get close enough to the ball.

The third obstacle was broom balling a heavy soccer ball with a wispy broom through a goal in two minutes or less. Sound simple? Yes, in reality. Yet, it was very difficult. Lady as well as many of the horses seem to have ball phobia. (Peeps, practice makes perfect! Until next time. Right!)

The jackpot level had to WEAVE the ball through a set of cones and into the goal. Stephanie and Indy made it look easy and received the fastest time thus far. WAY TO GO!

Me and Lady at the ring toss
Me and Lady at the ring toss…better luck next time.

The fourth obstacle was a ring toss. The horse and rider needed to pick up rings placed on a barrel next to a super spooky skeleton. Then the rider needed to position the horse at a rail and toss a ring to loop onto a steer horn, then advance to the next rail and do the same.

The just-for-fun level had four rings and the jackpot level had eight rings to pick up and toss in two minutes or less.

I congratulate Lady for her effort. Me, on the other hand, ugh. I did not navigate the rings anywhere near the horn. Stephanie and Indy ringed several on the horn. Well done!

Me and Lady doing the dressage moves through the log obstacle.
Me and Lady doing the dressage moves through the log obstacle. One of two obstacles we crushed!

The fifth obstacle was a log maze. The just-for-fun level had to pivot through the log maze, do a turn on the fore and return through the log maze. Lady rocked this obstacle. We’ve been working on these exercises all summer and it paid off.

The jackpot level had to pivot through the log maze and then rein back through it. Stephanie and Indy killed this obstacle as well!

Harder than it looks!
Harder than it looks!

The final obstacle was picking up a pole where the end of it needed to remain in a hoop while the horse and rider rode in a circle and over two rails and back to the starting point in two minutes or less. Lady’s initial try didn’t go very well as she ran away from the pole that was chasing her. Since we had two minutes, we had time to give it another shot and we maneuvered our way through the obstacle with flying colors and time to spare.

The jackpot level had to do this obstacle with a turn on the fore after the first circle and then ride the opposite direction before returning to the starting point. Indy and Stephanie rocked it again! I was sure that they would be in the money!

Between obstacles the horses rode together terrifically. Spanish Mustang Lefty has such a large, scopey walk that Lady and I fox trotted the entire 3-1/2 hour JOY ride! (I don’t think that Stephanie minded trotting and cantering Indy to keep up!)

I know that there are strains of Spanish Mustangs that have a natural four-beat gait. I wonder if Lefty is one of them. He is a stunning example of the Spanish Mustang. Several riders along our route stopped and asked what breed of horse Brian and Stephanie were riding. I was so happy, none of them asked: “Is that a Norwegian Fjord?” (Really, I have nothing against this breed. I really do like them. It’s just that Spanish Mustangs are not Norwegian Fjords.)

One woman asked what type of horse I was riding. (Yes, it is clear that Lady is NOT a Norwegian Fjord). Of coarse, Lady is anyone’s best guess since she isn’t registered. When my friend bought Lady, she was told that she was a Tennessee walking horse (in part). This woman replied, “I think the horse you’re riding is a Tennessee walking horse/Morgan cross.” Hallelujah! This affirms my thoughts in movement, intelligence and temperament. When Jennie Jackson was in Minnesota giving us lessons, that was her thought, too.

It was a great time had by all—people and horses. Walking Lady back to the trailer, I could hear Indy whinnying through the trees, “Until next time, my friends, until next time!”

Photo Gallery: (Click to enlarge)

Me and Lady: Team 230.
Lady and Indy get reacquainted.
Brian, Stephanie, Lefty, and Indy through the ears of Lady.
Lady’s first river crossing and it came up to her chest! And this wasn’t even one of the obstacles!
Indy and Stephanie eating up the obstacle.
Me and Lady.
The St. Croix River vista through the ears of Indy.
Me and Lady with Indy
Me and Lady at the scenic St. Croix River vista.
Me and Lady doing the dressage moves through the log obstacle. One of two obstacles we crushed!
Brain and Lefty leading with me and Lady following.
Me and Lady.
Trail riding
Me and Lady at the ring toss…better luck next time.
Lady and I kick it into fox trot.
Me and Lady playing some broom ball, if we can only get close enough to the ball.
All three of us
Harder than it looks!
Brian and his five-year-old Spanish Mustang Lefty.
Stephanie with her Spanish Mustang Indy (my old pal).
Stephanie and Brian riding their beautiful and talented Spanish Mustangs. (Stephanie and Brian are the Horse Couple of the Year in my book!)

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Dressage for the Gaited Horse

Breaking Pace & Cross Canter Using Trot & Ground Rails

Breaking pace and cross canter

Do you refine pace or cross canter? Likely not. Instead learn ways to break pace and help your gaited horse develop quality smooth gaits and a true canter.

Here’s my story…

Breaking Pace and Cross Canter Using Trot and Ground Rails to Develop Quality Smooth Gaits

By Jennifer Klitzke

Do you have a gaited horse that paces or cross canters? If you’re like most gaited horse owners, you don’t practice improving the quality of the pace and cross canter, right? We work on breaking pace for a smooth gait and replace cross canter with a true three beat canter.

My gaited dressage mentor Jennie Jackson taught me many valuable tips over the years. Among these tips are breaking pace and cross canter by disrupting lateral movement using diagonal gaits like the trot and true canter.

Introducing ground rails to teach trot and canter

A great way to start diagonalizing movement to breaking pace and cross canter is introducing the gaited horse to ground rails to teach trot and correct the canter.

In the video below, I show the progression of how I introduce my naturally gaited horse to a ground rail using trot and use the ground rail to break up her cross canter as she learns true canter. Above all we focused on relaxation, balance, rhythm and forward movement without rushing starting at the walk, then the trot, and then the canter. I teach all of the gaits on cue.

Watch: Breaking Pace & Cross Canter Using Trot & Ground Rails

Steps to introduce ground rails to help break up pace:

  • Introduce the horse to the equipment to encourage relaxation: Introduce the rail(s) and lunge whip gently and gradually so the horse isn’t afraid of them and finds relaxation.
  • Begin at a relaxed walk and increase tempo gradually: Encourage the naturally gaited horse to find relaxation, balance, rhythm and forward movement without rushing. Begin at a relaxed walk. Then cluck and say, “trot” to increase tempo to a trot. If the horse doesn’t trot, say, “trot” cluck and motion the lunge whip. Only escalate the aids if the horse isn’t responding. After a few steps of trot. Stop and praise. Do this a few times until the horse understands trot.
  • Then help the gaited horse settle into a relaxed, balanced, trot with even rhythm and forward movement without rushing. This might take some starts and stops if the horse is explosive. Encourage relaxation, as this is the first element to establishing rhythm.
  • For canter, start with one ground rail and then add a second a canter length apart (6-9 feet). One ground rail can help correct cross canter any time the hind legs are traveling on the wrong lead. When the horse hops over the ground rail they often correct the hind legs to the true canter lead. If the horse gets tense or loses its balance, gently transition the horse back to a walk or trot to re-establish relaxation, balance, rhythm and forwardness before transitioning back up. If you have a round pen, you can set up a rail or two or a rail to a small fence or cross rail.
gaited horse over jump
Free lunging over a jump in a round pen is another way to help the gaited horse develop a quality 3-beat canter.
  • Teach quality gaits on cue: Teach a quality walk, trot and canter on cue over ground rails to build the correct muscles. Don’t let the horse decide its gait, blast off into tension, or travel continually in a hollow ewe neck frame. Teach gaits that build the top line muscles, encourage a deeper step under the body, and gaits that develop relaxation, balance, forwardness without rushing, and even rhythm and tempo.

If you struggle with a lazy four beat canter, uncoordinated cross canter or a tense pacey canter, pace or step pace with your gaited horse, you’re not alone. I have experienced all of these in the training of naturally gaited horses.

Breaking Pace Canter or 4-beat Canter for Quality Canter

In the video below, me and my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse, Makana show exercises to breaking pace canter and a four-beat canter to improve canter quality. The goal is a relaxed three beat canter with more airtime.

The first exercise uses rein back to bend the hindquarter joints and engage the abdominal muscles to lift her back before transitioning to canter. This positions my horse in the best posture for a depart to a quality canter.

The canter second exercise is SUPER FUN over ground rails. It elevates the canter and breaks up a four-beat canter.

Watch: Exercises to Break a Pacey Lateral Canter or 4-Beat Canter

More Exercises for the Gaited Horse to improve smooth gaits.

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

Visit website: NaturallyGaitedHorse.com
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Dressage for the Gaited Horse, Gaited Dressage Shows, Starting a Gaited Horse Over Jumps

Gaited Dressage [and Jumping] at Northwoods

Gaited dressage and jumping at Northwoods

By Jennifer Klitzke

Thanks to the familiar faces, I felt like I was showing among friends at the Northwoods schooling show instead of me, Makana, and tripod.

Northwoods offered their first annual schooling dressage [and hunter] show on May 30, 2015. I took my naturally gaited Walking horse Makana—the only gaited horse/rider entry among 29 trotting horse tests ridden, Intro through First Level.

Nearing the arena I heard someone say my name. I turned to look and a woman introduced herself. We came to know each other through NaturallyGaited.com. I was delighted to connect with her face-to-face.

Then another woman I had met through the Western Dressage Association rode her Norwegian Fjord at her mare’s first dressage show. These women, among the other friendly spectators and competitors, made it feel like I was riding with friends instead of showing solo—me, Makana, and tripod.

Since Makana seems to run out of gas so quickly, I’ve been making a point to do more conditioning with her during our rides at home. It really paid off. We rode both First Level Tests One and Three back-to-back and Makana had enough energy to spare. The tests were held in Northwood’s spacious mirror-lined indoor arena with dust-free rubberized footing.

This show marked the first time Makana and I had ever ridden First Level Test Three which is filled with lots of new challenges: leg yield zig zag at a flatwalk, 10-meter flatwalk circles, counter canter, and simple changes of lead at X through the flatwalk, in addition to the running walk, canter lengthenings, and 15-meter canter circles.

To my amazement Makana scored 70.294% on First Level Test Three and received a respectable score of 65.926% on First Level Test One.

After our rides, Judge Colleen Holden remarked, “That was really fun to watch how you orchestrated all those variations of walk.” She said that we received an “OMG” on our free walk and medium walk because they were the best she had seen all day, and she was very impressed with our transitions, and the quality of our canter. Areas she encouraged us to work on are developing better bend which will improve the overall elegance of our tests.

After the dressage tests were completed, the outdoor arena was set for the hunter course. While I continue to school Makana over ground rails and small jumps at home to improve her canter, it had been a couple years since we entered a hunter course.

The last time we rode a course of ground rails, Makana spooked, refused, and hesitated getting near the strangely colored poles. The Northwoods schooling show promised to be a fun and beginner-friendly event, so I entered Makana in the hunter course over ground rails.

What a terrific course—eleven poles with lots of turns and canter stretches made it feel more like a cross country course. I was so proud of my girl. She confidently cantered the entire course of rails without a spook, refusal, or hesitation! In fact, I was tempted to enter her in the 18″ cross rail course.

Video: Naturally gaited (and barefoot) Walking horse over a hunter course of ground rails

Special thanks to Northwoods Stables for hosting their first annual dressage and hunter schooling show and for accommodating gaited dressage.

Dressage for the Gaited Horse, Gaited Dressage Clinics

2014 Jennie Jackson Dressage en Gaite Clinic

dressage-as-applied-to-the-gaited-horse

By Jennifer Klitzke

2014 Jennie Jackson Clinic: Dressage as Applied to the Gaited Horse

Coming from 28 years as a devoted dressage student riding trotting horses, dressage is not new to me. But applying dressage training methods to my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse has raised a few questions: How do I ride a head-shaking horse on-the-bit? Does the dressage training pyramid apply to the gaited horse? Can a gaited horse reach high levels of dressage? Is it possible to collect a gaited horse without trotting? What about rider position?

In January 2013 I stumbled upon Jennie Jackson’s Dressage en Gaite training DVDs and purchased them with my Christmas money in hopes of finding answers to these questions.

Jennie is the only person I’ve come to know IN HISTORY who has trained and shown a Tennessee walking horse to the highest levels of dressage: piaffe en gait, passage en gait, canter pirouettes, tempi changes, and has developed the full range of motion–collected through extended walks, gaits, and canters.

Watching Jennie’s DVDs began to answer my questions. That’s when I invited her to teach a Dressage as Applied to the Gaited Horse Clinic in MN last year. The clinic was a huge success. So this year, I team with the Minnesota Walking Horse Association for the 2014 Jennie Jackson Clinic held Friday-Sunday, May 30-June 1 in Proctor, MN.

Not only is Jennie the pioneer of Dressage en Gaite, she is an international Walking Horse judge and clinician and has a full scope of knowledge and experience with Tennessee walking horses‒from breeding through breaking, training and finishing, in and out of the show ring: English, western, trail obstacle, driving, stadium jumping, cross-country, and dressage. Plus, Jennie and her husband Nate have been on the front lines fighting soring and abuse for 30 years. What an honor to have them in our midst!

Auditors, riders, gaited horses, and a gaited mule came to the clinic from various backgrounds: some from the Walking horse show world, others from the trail, some new to dressage, and a few returned for more advanced dressage teaching.

Clinic riders and auditors experienced the importance of: teaching the horse relaxation, stretching and seeking a snaffle bit contact; teaching the horse to move away from the rider’s lower leg, step across and under its belly with its inside hind leg, and into the outside indirect rein through leg yield, turn on the fore, and shoulder in exercises; using ground rails to break pace; using half halts to discourage trot and establish a smooth four beat gait; establishing correct canter leads over ground rails; using travere through counter canter to maintain lead; applying the freshening canter to establish a true three-beat canter; collected walk-canter-walk transitions; simple changes at “X”; transitions between collected, medium, flat walk, and running walk; turn on the forehand; turn on the haunches; walk pirouettes; leg yield to half pass; introducing the kinton noseband and its function; introducing a double bridle and the function of the curb vs. the snaffle bit; plus demonstration rides by Jennie on some of the student’s horses to help riders, horses, and auditors understand the exercises Jennie taught.

I hope everyone who attended the clinic enjoyed it as much as I did. Thank you Jennie and Nate Jackson for traveling to MN and to the MWHA for sponsoring this clinic!

Photo gallery>

For more about Jennie Jackson and Dressage en Gaite, visit Jennie Jackson: Dressage En Gaite