Tag Archives: gaited horse

How Dressage Improves Smooth Gaits

Naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse Flat Walk
Naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse flat walk.

Did you buy a naturally gaited horse and expect a smooth gait? You’re not alone. A lot of gaited horse owners think this, including me. There are a few lucky people who have one, but it wasn’t me. Here’s my story about how dressage improves quality smooth gaits.

After 20 years of dressage study with non-gaited horses and sitting a jarring trot, I learned about naturally gaited horses. Riding a smooth gaited horse that didn’t trot sounded good to my aging body. So, in 2007 I fell in love with a just turning three-year-old Tennessee Walking Horse filly named Makana.

seili first recognized show
Previous to beginning my gaited dressage journey, I had been a dedicated dressage student of trotting horses since 1988 and showed my Trakehner/thoroughbred gelding successfully through Second level dressage.

Smooth did not come easy

It didn’t take long to realize smooth didn’t come easy. Yes, my three-year-old naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse was bred for smooth gaits, but it was up to me to help her develop each gait on cue. Just how would I do this when dressage is the only training I knew?

We’d give dressage a try and find out.

Watch: How dressage improves smooth gaits for naturally gaited horses

In this video, I show the progress of how dressage improves smooth gaits with my Tennessee Walking Horse. Over time dressage has improved her full range of motion and quality smooth gaits on cue, in and out of the arena.

Dressage for the Gaited Horse

I’ll never forget what it was like in the beginning. When I would cue my gaited horse for the flat walk, she would take a few steps of stepping pace, flat walk, fox trot and rack, and I had to figure out which smooth gait was the one I had asked for.

Using dressage as our training method, it would take us time to unravel this mish mash of gaits. Dressage became a consistent communication with my horse through my rein, leg, seat, and weight aids as I put cues to each gait.

Over time, dressage helps develop:

  • More relaxation (less mental anxiety and body tension)
  • Better balance (less pre-dominance on the forehand and more evenly on all four legs)
  • Steady rhythm
  • Even tempo and stride length
  • Forward movement without rushing
  • Stretch and strengthen my horse’s top line muscles
  • Depth of stride under the body mass
  • Connection between me and my horse through my rein, leg and seat aids
  • Greater symmetry and flexibility traveling left and right
  • Pushing power and carrying strength

A Head Nodding Horse?

In addition to forming consistent communication and putting cues to smooth gaits, I had to figure out how to ride a head nodding flat walk with a light even snaffle bit contact.

Dressage requires riding with even, steady contact using a snaffle bit. I knew I would need to earn my naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse’s trust with her mouth and my hands in order for her to accept contact with the bit.

What about Bit Acceptance?

Bit acceptance is a lot easier riding a trotting horse whose head and neck remain stationary. Following a head nodding horse is not so easy at the flat walk, running walk, and fox trot. How would I maintain a steady, even rein contact while my Tennessee Walking Horse nodded her head and neck with each step? This was a big question I wrestled with as we began our training using dressage.

Where do you learn dressage for the gaited horse?

There weren’t many dressage instructors in my area and no one in my state who taught dressage for the gaited horse. I read books, watched videos, and attended clinics whenever gaited horse experts traveled to my area.

Jennie Jackson dressage for the gaited horse clinic
Attending a Dressage for the Gaited Horse Clinic with Jennie Jackson.

Combining 20 years of dressage lessons with non-gaited horses and the few gaited dressage clinics I rode at; I began to ride my gaited horse with greater awareness of cause and effect. This helped me develop a greater feel for when it felt right and when I needed to make a correction. I listened for the regularity of foot falls and watched the head and neck motion.

Then I began to capture video of our rides. I’d slow down the video frames which confirmed whether or not what I felt while riding my gaited horse and heard from the saddle was aligned with the instruction I had been receiving. Video became a helpful tool.

Showing Dressage on a Horse that Doesn’t Trot?

In 2010, I learned of a schooling dressage show not far from my home. I thought it would be a cool way to get feedback from a trained dressage professional about our dressage training. I longed for feedback about our balance, relaxation, connection, engagement, harmony, my riding position, and use of rein, leg, seat and weight aids as we navigated the test requirements at each letter.

I contacted the show manager and asked if I could ride my Tennessee walking horse at a flat walk instead of a trot. The show manager agreed. I never imaged that I’d be back showing dressage on a horse that didn’t trot.

dressage improves smooth gaits showing gaited dressage Training Level
2010: My first dressage show riding a horse that didn’t trot.


Sharing How Dressage Improves Smooth Gaits

Then in 2010, I launched NaturallyGaited.com and began to share how dressage improves smooth gait with others. I have been thrilled to meet others online around the world who are also searching for information about dressage for the gaited horse.

Dressage Improves Quality Smooth Gaits

Over the years, it is clear that dressage improves the quality of smooth gaits on cue with my Tennessee walking horse. Her medium walk, free walk, flat walk, running walk, collected walk, and canter are well established now.

dressage with gaited horse
Showing dressage with a horse that doesn’t trot.
Learn more: Tips on Riding a Gaited Dressage Test

Dressage is an On-the-Go Versatile Language

My naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse and I have met many people since we began this gaited dressage journey. These fun-loving people have broadened our versatility and dressage has been the consistent language that travels with us wherever we go and whatever we do together. Whether we are moving cows in team penning events and cow sorting leagues: enjoying the beauty of our State Parks by horseback; endurance rides; orientation events; trail challenges; riding in the snow; stadium jumping; or bareback riding, the same rein, leg, seat and weight aids are used to communicate with my naturally gaited horse to bring about relaxation, balance, rhythm, forward movement without rushing, connection, symmetry, engagement, and a partnership of trust and harmony.

My naturally gaited horse enjoys moving cows more than anything!
Learn more: Gaited Horses and Cows
Riding endurance with a gaited horse.
Learn more: Sisu on the Border Endurance Ride
I began gymnastic jumping with my naturally gaited horse, a Tennessee walking horse, to improve her canter. It was just the ticket and lots of fun, too!
Learn more: Starting a Gaited Horse over Jumps
Naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse flat walk riding bareback and on a loose rein.
Learn more: Gaited Horse Bareback Riding
Trail riding on gaited horse
Enjoying the autumn color on a smooth gaited horse.
Tennessee walking horse flat walk in snow
Riding a smooth gaited horse in the snow is my favorite winter sport!

Dressage has been the common language through the versatility of experiences we are enjoying together!


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

Visit website: NaturallyGaitedHorse.com
Subscribe: Naturally Gaited youtube channel
Follow: facebook.com/naturallygaitedhorse

Forward Movement without Leg Aids

Forward movement without leg aids
Naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse in forward movement, relaxation, rhythm, balance and contact in the flat walk. Horse is ridden bareback and barefoot.

Do you have a gaited horse that is lazy? I’ve discovered the key to forward movement with my smooth gaited Tennessee walking horse: Stop using my leg aids.

Here’s my story…

Forward Movement without Leg Aids

By Jennifer Klitzke

Forward movement without rushing is a requirement in dressage. Other requirements are relaxation (of mind and body), rhythm (consistent tempo and strides), contact (acceptance of the bit), straightness (developing evenness in both directions), and collection (balance) as you move through the training process with the horse.

Coming from decades of German dressage, I learned to ride my horse forward from the hind quarters, through the body and into a snaffle bit contact. I developed an unconscious habit of driving my horse forward with my legs and seat, clucking and squeezing my calves against the sides of my horse to move forward with each step and into the contact. If that didn’t prompt forward movement, I would add the tap-tap-tap of a dressage whip.

I couldn’t figure out why my horse had less and less forward movement.

I explored saddle fit, my horse’s physical condition, and I even changed horse’s diet. Nothing seemed to get my horse to move forward without my continued prodding. I figured I just had a lazy horse.

The same thing began to happen when I began training my Tennessee walking horse until I stumbled upon a new training approach which helped me realize my error.

Separate the “go” from the “stop” for forward movement

At a classical French dressage clinic, I was introduced to the book Another Horsemanship by the late Jean Claude Racinet, a classical French dressage master who followed the work of Baucher’s second training method. Racinet’s book opened my eyes to a new idea: separating my leg “go” aids from my hand “stop” aids.

By combining my riding aids: driving my horse forward with my legs and seat into a snaffle bit contact, two things happened:

  1. My horse became confused, “Do you mean ‘go’ or ‘stop’? I cannot do both simultaneously.”
  2. When my horse chose to slow down, I developed the habit of becoming the engine that drove my horse forward with each step.

Lightness to the Leg for Forward Movement

From French dressage, I learned that forward movement is the horse’s responsibility not the rider’s. The rider needs to train the horse this responsibility. The rider needs to teach the horse to move forward with ONE squeeze and release of the calves and maintain this forward movement without continued squeezing.

This is how to obtain lightness to the leg for forward movement:
  • First, teach horse what the leg aid means.
  • Important: do not combine the leg aid with rein action.
  • Second, immediately cease using leg aids when the horse moves forward.
  • Third, be consistent in the application to train the horse to maintain lightness to the leg without prodding the horse along with each step.

Looking back, I realize that I didn’t have lazy horses. I had either confused my horses by combining my “stop” and “go” aids or dulled my horses to my leg aids with my continued squeezing with each step.

Riding with awareness to develop forward movement

Combining my stop and go aids had become an unconscious habit, so did driving my horse forward with each step.

As soon as I changed my training method to be responsive to the first leg cue without combining my go and stop aids, my horse maintained forward movement without continued leg aids with each step.

The concept of obtaining forwardness without leg aids works for someone like me who has gotten into the habit of squeezing with each step. Now I am riding with more intentionality and awareness of cause and effect, which I believe will replace those unconscious bad habits over time.

Forward movement is possible without leg aids. The calves have a place, just not with EVERY step the horse takes.

flat walk bareback loose rein
Naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse moving in forwardness, relaxation, and rhythm in the flat walk. Horse is ridden bareback, barefoot, and on a loose rein.

Let me know your thoughts by sending me a message. Stay connected by subscribing to the Naturally Gaited youtube channel and “like” us on facebook.com/naturallygaited.

Bareback Riding on a Gaited Horse

Does bareback riding offer benefits for the naturally gaited horse?

Here’s my story…

Bareback Riding on a Gaited Horse

By Jennifer Klitzke

With the exception of a couple summers of riding lessons, my early riding years were as a trail guide at a local ranch. Paying riders rode with the few saddles on hand while the guides rode the horses bareback. Us guides also introduced the horses fresh from auction to the trail system. Would they be string keepers or return to auction? I hoped for a lucky draw and learned riding balance out of self-preservation.

Five years later, I purchased my first horse (and a saddle). Where I rode, there were two riding styles: dressage and hunter jumper. More people fell off hunter jumper style, so I picked the safer alternative.

Years later, remembering my fond experiences leading groups through the winding woods including white wintery wonderlands, I gave bareback a try with my then third horse, a Trakehner/Thoroughbred gelding. In a split second I met the frozen ground in an ouch. That’s when I learned some horses are cold backed. Bareback riding is not an option for all horses.

So, I returned to the security of my saddle and tucked away those fond youthful bareback memories.

Bareback riding on my gaited horse

Fast forward 20 years when gaited horses entered my life. The idea of riding bareback drew flashbacks of airtime to a bone-crunch landing. Until one white wintery morning when hoar frost sparkled like a crystal forest in the sunshine. Memories of my youthful trail guide days grew stronger. Would my now grandma body be willing to give bareback riding a try? My smooth gaited horse Lady was a safe choice. That’s how my friend rode her before Lady became mine.

Wibble. Wobble. At first, I felt unsteady. No stirrups for support. It was like my first-time kayaking. I just needed to take a deep breath, relax and find my balance. Then take in the surrounding beauty. With each smooth step Lady took, I became more confident, and I felt youthful again, if only for a moment. Without the saddle, Lady’s body warmed me as we rode through the white winter wonderland.

Watch: Riding bareback on a gaited horse

Riding a gaited horse bareback through a frosty winter wonderland.

After that frosty bareback ride, I gained enough confidence to try riding my smooth gaited Tennessee Walking Horse, Makana, bareback, too. Thankfully neither of my naturally gaited horses were cold backed like my Trakehner/Thoroughbred was.

Bareback dressage?

Spring sprung, and I couldn’t wait to begin our dressage now that the ice and snow had melted. After a couple months of bareback riding, I wondered if dressage would be possible without a saddle. We gave it a try and sure enough, we were able to do every exercise bareback: Counter bend turns, flechi droit, shoulder in, haunches in, shoulder out, renver, half pass, and more. Plus, we rode the full range of walks, smooth gaits, canter, and even piaffe bareback!

bareback riding a naturally gaited horse at a running walk

Eight ways bareback riding benefits naturally gaited horses.

1. Bareback riding offers closeness and connection

Bareback riding provides greater awareness and feel of how my horse is moving beneath me. I enjoy the closeness and connection we have for more timely adjustments to my riding position and rein, leg, seat and weight aids.

2. Bareback riding allows for better alignment over my horse’s center of gravity

Since there is no saddle between me and my gaited horse, riding bareback makes it easier to stay aligned over my horse’s center of gravity. Saddles often slip forward, backward, or to the side which place the rider in an unbalanced position. Riding bareback is easier to feel whether my horse is balanced or too much on the forehand, as well as hollow or lifting the back and wither.


3. Bareback riding helps lead to a correct feeling of balance

The sense of balance I feel riding bareback raises new questions for when I ride in a saddle. If my saddle slips behind my horse’s center of gravity, then we are no longer in balanced alignment. What happens to my feeling of balance? It gives me a false feeling of my horse being on the forehand when it is actually me being out of balance with my horse.

This was a huge light bulb moment for me I didn’t realize until I began to ride my gaited horses bareback. It is so important that the rider is balanced over the horse’s center of gravity, so riders are getting the correct feeling of balance.

Cantering bareback on a gaited horse.

4. Bareback riding improves rider position

Riding bareback has helped me find a balanced position over my horse’s center of gravity. I feel so much more without the saddle. I feel her breathe. I feel her back lift or hollow. I feel the lift in the wither when the shoulders engage.

It is important that I don’t ride on my horse’s spine. This would be uncomfortable to my horse. Instead, I need to support my weight in my thighs. This doesn’t mean clamping my thighs together to stay on. This would communicate a half halt or halt to my horse. If I intended to go forward while in a clamped position with my thighs, I would be sending mixed messages to my horse and produce stiff and braced movement⚊likely pace or step pace.

Instead of gripping with my thighs, I hold my weight in my thighs and move my hip joints with each belly sway to encourage free forward movement. When I desire to halt, then I still my pelvis and lower back.

Tennessee walking horses can piaffe, too!

5. Bareback riding has no stirrups to press into

Riding bareback removes the stirrups to press my feet into. This is beneficial to the horse. Too much weight in the stirrups places more pressure on the horse’s spine. This encourages hollowness and can lead to pacing or hard trot.

6. Bareback riding makes smooth gaits possible, too!

I wondered if riding bareback would influence smooth gait. I haven’t noticed a difference. In fact, riding bareback, I am able to stay aligned with my gaited horse’s center of gravity better. It seems we are more consistent in our smooth gaits for longer periods of time.

The flechi droit is a great warm up exercise to stretch the outside neck muscles while keeping the shoulders and body straight.

7. Bareback riding improves rider confidence

Clearly my riding confidence has improved since facing my apprehension and giving bareback riding another chance. I actually prefer bareback riding over riding with a saddle now. Bareback riding has expanded my riding position and riding with awareness in so many ways.

Bareback riding has:

  • Improved my riding confidence
  • Improved my balanced riding position
  • Strengthened my core
  • Improved my connection and communication with my horse
  • Improved my sense of feel
  • Improved my riding awareness of cause and effect
  • Improved a partnership of trust and harmony with my horse
Tennessee Walking Horse Flat Walk (loose rein self carriage)
Flat Walk (self carriage)

8. No saddle-fit issues with bareback riding

By riding bareback, I don’t have saddle-fitting or saddle-slipping issues to deal with! This is a wonderful benefit for those of us who have had trouble finding a saddle that fits our gaited horse. When riding bareback, the shoulders aren’t pinched, the girth doesn’t get chaffed, additional weight isn’t added to the horse’s back. However, it is my responsibility to be an easy load for my horse to carry with a balanced riding position and distribute my weight in my thighs.

Now to find a saddle that fits and doesn’t slip. Awe, heck, just ride bareback!


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

Visit website: NaturallyGaitedHorse.com
Subscribe: Naturally Gaited youtube channel
Follow: facebook.com/naturallygaitedhorse

Bit Contact and the Gaited Horse

Lady fox trot
My naturally gaited fox trotting mare, Lady in a quality, balanced fox trot with contact.

What is contact and why have it? How much contact do you need? Is contact and head set the same thing?

Discover why contact is essential for communication between the rider and the naturally gaited horse. Find out how bit acceptance leads to smooth gait. 

Here’s my story…

Contact is a Partnership between the Rider and the Gaited Horse

By Jennifer Klitzke

There are many ways to ride a naturally gaited horse. Some trail ride one handed on a long floppy rein. Others show rail class and ride their gaited horses two handed with contact using a curb bit. Still others, like me, ride dressage with their naturally gaited horse using a snaffle bit with even contact. I’ll explain why I choose the latter, and how dressage benefits my naturally gaited horses to produce relaxation, balance and quality smooth gaits on cue.

Even within dressage, there are different training methods. I have studied two methods since 1988. I began with the United States Dressage Federation (USDF) pyramid of training for competition. Then in 2014 I began studying Ecole de Legerete (School of Lightness) developed from Classical French Dressage by Philippe Karl. Both dressage models begin training with a snaffle bit and teach the horse contact.

My first 24 years of study has been with the USDF pyramid of training which describes rhythm, suppleness, contact, impulsion, straightness and collection.

A few years ago, the USDF changed “connection” to “contact” and “relaxation” to “suppleness.”

Since 2014 my dressage study has been focused on learning the Legerete dressage model. This model identifies respect to the horse as the foundation. Then relaxation (lightness to the hand), balance (lightness to the seat), impulsion (lightness to the leg). Followed by Legerete (lightness), flexibility (suppleness), mobility (straightness and rhythm) and collection (cadence).

Contact is not mentioned in the Legerete model, yet contact is required in order to produce relaxation of the lower jaw, mouth and poll; acceptance of the bit; teaching the horse balance through rein aids to help the horse find chest and shoulder posture to carry its own head and neck and not lean on the bit; and to direct the horse to flexibility and straightness.

Connection (which utilizes the orchestration of rein, leg, seat and weight aids) and contact are essential whether you choose the USDF or Legerete training model. Neither focus on headset per se. (However, there are do’s and don’ts.) Position of the head and neck are outcomes of the contact, connection, and training level of the horse.

What is Contact?

Contact is a two-way dialogue between the rider’s hands and the horse’s mouth. The rider teaches the horse how to accept and follow a light snaffle bit contact and the rider learns to follow the natural head and neck motion of the horse.

There are moments of gentle action. These moments are applied consistently and at the right moment to communicate clarity to the horse. Then there are moments of stillness and quiet of the aids when the horse has responded to the action of the aids.

Contact isn’t pulling back on the reins. Instead, the reins are shortened to make a meaningful light feel of the horse’s mouth with a gentle snaffle bit. The contact doesn’t need to be firm⚊just light enough to be effective. The contact can be as light as the weight of the reins.

Through consistent dressage training, the rider teaches the horse how to accept and follow a snaffle bit contact. While at the same time, the rider learns to follow the horse’s natural head and neck motion with an even and steady feel of both reins to maintain contact with the snaffle bit.

In dressage, the rider follows the natural head and neck motion of the horse with relaxed shoulders, arms and hands. This is true whether the horse is naturally gaited or non-gaited.

For the non-gaited horse, the rider follows the natural head and neck motion at the walk and canter. For the naturally gaited horse, the rider follows the natural head and neck motion at the walk, canter, and smooth gaits, like the flat walk and fox trot. It is important that the rider remains relaxed in their following contact with their arms, shoulders and hands.

The bit acceptance by the horse and the rider’s following the horse’s natural head and neck motion becomes a two-way dialogue of contact.

Benefits of Contact

When a horse accepts and trust the rider’s hands, the horse is able to relax its mouth, tongue, lower jaw, and poll. This relaxation is especially important for the naturally gaited horse.

Why? When gaited horses are tense and resistant in the mouth, they are more likely to be tense in the shoulders and back. This leads to rough and jarring gaits like step pacing, hard pacing and hard trot.

Relaxation leads to the smooth gaits the horse was destined for and the smooth gaits we enjoy riding.

naturally gaited flat walk
A good riding program develops the horse’s best natural quality smooth gaits on cue.

A relaxed contact leads to smooth gaits

For quality smooth gaits, it is important that we teach our naturally gaited horses how accept the bit, trust our hands, and relax their lower jaw. As riders, we need to ride with soft hands and follow the horse’s natural head motion. We also need to use a comfortable bit that doesn’t pinch within the mouth and wide enough not to pinch the corners of the mouth.

Learning effective contact as a rider is the first step. Then we need to teach our naturally gaited horse how to accept the bit and follow our rein aids. We need to follow their natural head and neck motion. All of this develops a two-way dialog. Then when the horse becomes tense, we can help them relax their lower jaw and poll. We can help them relax by lightly massaging the inside rein until they soften. Then we need to immediately stop massaging the rein and return both hands to a neutral position with a light following contact.

Stopping the cue as the horse responds to our cue is just as important as the timing of the initial cue. Consistency in communication with our horse is the key.

How to teach contact to the gaited horse

In-hand exercises are a great way to teach contact. In hand exercises help our horses learn how to accept and follow contact. They also learn how to develop a balanced posture without leaning on our hands. When a horse leans on the bit, it is slouching. The horse collapses its chest and shoulders and gets heavy on the forehand.

teaching the horse how to follow contact

The earlier a two-way dialogue is taught the easier it will be for the horse and rider. However, horses that have had a harsh bit experience may take longer to trust a rider’s hands. Yet, with patience, understanding, and gentle consistency, horses can regain trust.

Teaching bit acceptance and following contact

Working in hand is the best place to start teaching our horses to accept contact with the bit and follow our hands. Working in hand can also teach our horses a posture of balance instead of leaning on the bit.

Watch this video: Teaching contact in-hand

Any time the horse leans on the bit, the rider standing in front of the horse immediately responds not with force, but with gentle upward nudges towards the ears with both snaffle rings, to say, “No leaning on the bit.” These upward nudges encourage the horse to lift its head and neck, “high enough to be light,” as one of my coaches says. It reminds the horse to find a posture of balance. It is just as important that the rider immediately stops the upward nudges as soon as the horse is light and tasting the bit.

If the horse isn’t tasting the bit, the rider, while still facing the horse, can rotate the bit slightly and slowing to gently turn the horse’s head so the ears point toward the 11 o’clock position and then gently to the 1 o’clock position. This can help the horse begin to relax the jaw and tongue and taste the bit. By making communication clear to the horse, the rider helps the horse learn relaxation with the bit and find its own balance without leaning on the hands of the rider.

After learning contact in hand, then the rider teaches the horse the same exercises from the saddle at a halt. Then the rider can progress to a slow walk.

Watch video: Teaching contact in saddle

These are common Legerete exercises. I have been fortunate to learn from three French Dressage instructors who have studied Legerete with Master Instructors. Book and DVD study is helpful, but nothing beats one-on-one coaching for timely personalized instruction.

Watch video: Flechi droit

Here’s a great warm up exercise that stretches the outside neck muscles. It isn’t an exercise I have ever seen with the USDF model, but it is one common to Legerete: flechi droit.

Through this work in hand, flexions in saddle at a halt and slow walk, us riders can learn meaningful contact with our horse’s mouth using both reins with even and steady contact through the snaffle bit. The rein aids converse with our horse to position its head and neck, as well as to soften and relax the jaw, slow and rebalance. All of these preparatory exercises lead us to effective two-way communication, quality smooth gaits, as well as a partnership of harmony with our naturally gaited horses.

So what happens when the horse leans on the bit while you are riding?

Here’s my story…

Bit resistance or imbalance?

Some horses accept contact better than others. My naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse, Makana, accepts and follows contact well at a halt and walk. Yet, sometimes she leans on the bit and gets heavy in my hands at the running walk and canter.

For Makana, this heaviness in my hands isn’t a bit-acceptance problem. It is a symptom of too much weight on her shoulders⚊slouching on the chest. To correct, I need to remind her with upward nudges, so she repositions her chest posture and rebalances. It is easier to rebalance at a halt or slow walk. The faster she travels out of balance, the more challenging it is to rebalance with the upward nudges. This is where additional exercises come in to play.

Counter bend with contact
Counter bend with contact teaches the naturally gaited horse to move balance from one shoulder to the other.


I also reposition her balance from one shoulder to the other with counter bend neck rein exercises. Other exercises such as shoulder in, haunches in, shoulder out and renver help her shift more weight bearing to the hindquarters.

Naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse shoulder-In with contact
Naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse shoulder-In with contact.

Once Makana rebalances her posture, she becomes lighter to my hand since her weight is carried more evenly over all four legs. In this balanced posture, the quality of her flat walk improves.

Naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse flat walk with contact
Naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse flat walk with contact

Bit Acceptance vs Bit Avoidance

One of the goals of contact is to help the horse develop bit acceptance. This is when the horse seeks contact with the bit while following the rider’s rein requests. The horse begins to trust the rider’s hands because the rein aids are gentle, clear, and consistent and cease once the horse has responded to the cue.

Riding with a light meaningful even contact is a dialogue with the horse. There are moments of quiet hands because the horse is responding to the rider’s request. Then there are moments of using the hand or hands to help the horse soften the jaw, flex the poll, flex to one side or the other, open the poll and extend the neck forward, or nudge the hands upward when the horse leans on the bit to ask the horse to carry its own head and neck.

Bit avoidance is what you don’t want. This self-protective measure happens when the horse doesn’t trust the rider’s hands. Bit avoidance can occur when the horse feels pain in its mouth, distrusts the hands of a rider, or has mental scars from past experiences.

Horses learn bit avoidance when:

  • Being ridden in a harsh or poorly fitting bit
  • Being ridden with low, fixed hands
  • Being ridden with unclear or inconsistent rein aids
  • Being ridden with sharp, unfloated teeth
  • Being ridden with loose reins and suddenly surprises the horse with firm contact
  • Being ridden with too much contact or when the rider finds their balance holding onto the horse’s mouth through the reins

Horses have great memories, and mental scars are not easy to overcome. It will take even more time, patience, consistency and gentleness to earn the horse’s trust with your hands over time.

Here’s my story…

Avoiding contact: Finding a key to unlock an unknown past

My naturally gaited fox trotting mare, Lady, is a marvelous trail horse who loves to be ridden on a long floppy rein. Only, leaving it up to her, she travels heavily on the shoulders where she is prone to tripping. This unbalanced state isn’t safe, and it isn’t the balance we seek in dressage.

Adding to this is her unknown history. Some horses, like Lady, come into our lives with mental scars. Lady is a grade horse from a sale barn. In her case, she was 7-12 years old when she arrived. Difficult to catch. Nose in the air. Hard to bridle. Once bridled, Lady was bit resistant. She would snatch the bit out of your hands and run off in a hard hollow trot.

Lady’s teeth have been checked and floated regularly. She has learned the same in-hand exercises my naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse knows. I have tried numerous bits, even a bitless bridle. I was about to give up until I tried one more bit: a sweet copper, hollow-mouthed, loose-ring snaffle with a lozenge.

Lady immediately accepted a light contact with this bit. Is it the flavor? Is it the thickness? Is it the lozenge? Is it the combination. It didn’t matter. I was thrilled I finally found a bit she liked where she and I could begin a two-way dialogue of contact.

Lady fox trot
My naturally gaited fox-trotting mare, Lady in a quality, balanced fox trot with contact.


Lady accepts the bit much better, and I follow her natural head and neck motion with relaxed shoulders, arms and hands. Her fox trot is regular, smooth, relaxed, and has steady rhythm with balance and more tempo without breaking into a trot. She is now learning to collect more in her fox trot for the full range of motion.

Gaited horse fox trot on a long rein with contact
Naturally gaited fox-trotting horse ridden on a long rein with contact while maintaining balance.


Months have passed. Then I re-introduced the Fulmer snaffle. Lady accepted it just as she had the hollow-mouthed snaffle.

Adding to this, we began counter bend exercises on a serpentine, on a square, on a circle, and on a figure eight. These shoulder balancing exercises have been making an ENORMOUS difference in Lady’s mobility, balance and lightness.

balanced fox trot with contact
Fox trot with contact.


Now we have added shoulder in and haunches in to our rides with lots of neck extensions as a reward.

Shoulder in on a circle with contact
Shoulder in on a circle with contact at a slow walk.


Then we began shoulder in on a circle at a slow walk to encourage her to engage more. The engagement helps to tip her pelvis downward, bend her hock joints, activate her abdominal muscles to lift her back to a rounder position, lift her chest and shoulders so that the energy from behind travels through her back, neck and to the bit.

The result of contact and connection with Lady is a smooth, relaxed natural fox trot with even strides, rhythm, relaxation, and balance for longer periods of time.

According to the USDF model, as the horse progresses in its dressage training (third level and higher), a curb bit may be added along with the snaffle bit (bradoon). The rider uses two reins in each hand, yet continues to ride with contact using the snaffle bit predominately and the curb bit secondary to find tune the horse.

Lady and I may never reach third-level dressage, but that’s okay. We have found a key to unlock the mystery of contact and connection using a mild snaffle bit.

Finding the right bit can make a difference for the naturally gaited horse to promote bit acceptance. This can lead to relaxation of the mouth and jaw that relaxes the back for natural smooth gaits.

Why have contact?


I rode at a few clinics with Susan Norman who is a French dressage instructor. She was fortunate to have been a three-year student of Philippe Karl and a 15-year student of the late Jean Claude Racinet.

During my lessons, Susan would say:

“There is no intimacy
with a long floppy rein.”

why have contact

Neither the USDF or Legerete dressage models train horses into self carriage by riding on a long floppy rein. That doesn’t mean in dressage that horses are never ridden on a loose rein. What this means is the release to a loose rein has a purpose that the horse understands. Horses need to be educated in a partnership of contact where the rider releases the horse to a loose rein for moments at a time when the horse is in a position of balance and relaxation and in the desired frame chosen by the rider (not the horse). The release is a reward.

Loose reins need a consistent place and purpose in the horse’s training to be effective.

If the reins are loose without a purpose, it leaves the horse wondering what the rider wants. Naturally the horse makes decisions of its own about position, direction, tempo, gait, eating grass, wondering off, or heading back to its buddies. Then the reins are quickly snapped up with abrupt contact. The horse is punished in the mouth and doesn’t know why. This leads to bit avoidance.

In addition, it is true that many naturally gaited horses travel smooth on a long floppy rein. Lady is one of them. However, her natural way of going is hollow, disengaged and on the shoulders as seen below.

Out of balance and no contact
Out of balance and no contact. The horse is on the forehand. Can you see how the shoulder and pectoral muscles are collapsed, the hollow back, the disengaged hindquarter and how much more weight is on the forehand?

While Lady’s gait is smooth while traveling with her nose to the ground, it isn’t good for her soundness long term, nor is it a two-way dialogue with me. It’s kind of like being at the dinner table with family and everyone is on their cell phone. She’s there, yet not present. Plus, she is prone to tripping.

Contact is a partnership between horse and rider

A better approach is to first establish a partnership of contact with Lady through mental and physical relaxation, engagement, and establishing chest posture and balance. This will help Lady trip less.

Lady neck extension in smooth gait with western saddle
Here’s a better position for my naturally gaited fox trotting mare, Lady to develop her top line muscles. She is stepping more under her body mass with her hind leg, less hollow, lifting her pectoral muscles while extending her head and neck out and down without getting too low.

Then developing flexibility and strength to help Lady become ambidextrous for quality smooth gaits and the full range of motion. This will help Lady maintain soundness longer for more years of riding.

Then I add impulsion (forwardness without rushing) and release Lady to a loose rein as long as she is in balance. I will retake the contact and restore the balance if she begins to fall on the shoulders and forehand. I offer releases to a long rein with contact or loose rein in self carriage during each riding session.

Contact to Connection: Importance of Separating Stop and Go Aids

The effective use and timing of aids rein, leg, seat and weight aids produce connection with the horse to communicate position, tempo, gait, direction, engagement and lateral movements while maintaining relaxation and balance. This partnership of contact and connection lead to harmony where each ride is more like a dance.

The rein aids have a purpose to help the horse relax the tongue, lower jaw, flex the poll, bend the neck side to side, position the neck up and down, direct the shoulders, help the horse be balanced, and closed fingers communicate halt.

The seat, leg and weight aids also have a purpose to direct tempo, forwardness, engagement, and direction. The goal is to teach the horse to responding to the lightest aid. Then the rider needs to stop cueing once the horse responds. This takes consistent training on the rider’s part to achieve.

After studying the USDF and Legerete methods. I find the French dressage more effective in that the stopping aids of the rein are not used at the exact same time as going forward aids of the leg and seat. Combining the legs and driving seat aids with the hand aids is like driving a car with one foot on the brake and the other foot on the gas at the same time. I have found that combining the stop and go aids to be unproductive and confusing to the horse, and actually makes it difficult to teach lightness.

Here’s my story…

Why won’t my horse go?

I applied the USDF model for the first five years of training my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse, Makana. My understanding of this model was to drive my horse forward with my legs and seat into my hands for contact and connection.

Adding to this, many TWH rail class riders told me to ride with low fixed hands and minimize the movement of my riding position to show how smooth my horse is.

Makana lacked the desire to go forward. I thought I had a lazy horse, so I used more and more leg to squeeze her forward. That didn’t seem to help, so I tapped her with a dressage whip while I clucked and squeezed her forward. Then Makana became anxious, and I didn’t know why.

It wasn’t until I began studying French dressage that I realized what was going on. When I began separating my hand aids for stopping from my leg and seat aids for going, I realized I had created Makana’s lack-of-forwardness problem. She was doing exactly what I had been cueing her to do: go forward into my hand and stop. Then she began to feel claustrophobic as a result of being driven forward into a restraining hand.

In addition, French dressage taught me that riding with low fixed hands presses the bit into the tongue and causes pain. Rather, I learned that by communicating with the corners of the horse’s lips is gentle, so I cue with raised hands and ride with relaxed following shoulders, arms and hands. I also learned the difference between driving with the seat and following the natural motion of the horse’s belly sway. The latter actually produces more forwardness than a driving seat because a driving seat is irritating to the horse.

By separating the “stop” from “go” aids, Makana’s lack of forwardness has disappeared. My need to continually use my leg and whip disappeared. She has also become less anxious and spooky ask a result of not being restrained by fixed low hands and a rigid body to make her look smooth.

Watch video: Naturally Gaited Tennessee Walking Horse Gaits

Naturally gaited TWH flat walk and running walk.

While applying dressage with my naturally gaited horses, contact and connection have led to enormous changes in posture balance, relaxation, engagement, and rhythm to produce quality smooth gaits and full range of motion.

Enjoy the journey to smoother gaits, naturally and humanely with dressage!


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

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Dressage Improves Quality Smooth Gaits

balanced flat walk with contact
Balanced flat walk.

Through relaxation, balance, connection, forward rhythm without rushing, connection and symmetry, dressage develops full range of motion for quality smooth gaits.

How Dressage Improves Quality Smooth Gaits

By Jennifer Klitzke

2 year old Tennessee walking horse
My Tennessee walking horse, Makana as a two year old.

As an avid dressage rider of the trotting horse variety since 1988, I had competed with my hard-to-sit Trakehner/thoroughbred gelding successfully through Second level dressage.

Then in 2007, I learned about smooth gaited horses that don’t trot, and I began searching for a horse that would be easier on my aging body. That’s when I fell in love with my first naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse, Makana. She was just turning three years old. Dressage was the only riding method I knew, so that’s how she was trained.

Trot or smooth gait, all horses need training

Beginning our training, I thought a Tennessee walking horse was born to be smooth! Well, smooth gaits like the flat walk and running walk are natural and inherent, BUT it was up to me to develop them.

I was familiar with walk, trot, and canter. My naturally gaited TWH had these gaits, too—plus a myriad of new gaits. Some were smooth, some not so smooth. I needed to identify the smooth gaits as the flat walk, running walk, fox trot, and saddle rack and began to develop each gait on cue. Then I helped my horse maintain more and more consecutive steps of each smooth gait without breaking. Over time we would work on refining the quality of each natural smooth gait.

My naturally gaited Walking horse also came with a few gaits that were not so smooth such as the pace, stepping pace, and lateral canter. These were gaits I wanted to discourage.

Communication tools

A dressage rider communicates with the horse through consistent use and timing of rein, leg, seat and weight aids. The reins connect to a mild snaffle bit, and the rider teaches the horse how to accept and follow the snaffle bit contact. The rider learns to follow the natural head and neck motion of the horse.

It takes an educated rider to train a horse. Regular lessons are a great place to start. I have been taking lessons for over 30 years. Dressage is never mastered. It is great for people who are life-long learners.
Learn More: Is Dressage Riding the Right Choice for You?

Smooth, natural gaits such as the flat walk, running walk, fox trot and saddle rack are fun to ride! Shown above is a naturally gaited and barefoot Tennessee walking horse performing an evenly timed, four beat flat walk with a head nod.

Connection and the head nodding horse

My biggest question, “How do you ride a head nodding horse using dressage?”

Dressage taught me to follow the natural head and neck motion of the horse’s walk with relaxed arms to maintain a light snaffle bit contact. Some naturally gaited horses, such as my Tennessee Walking Horse nods her head and neck at the walk, flat walk, running walk, and fox trot. Do I follow the natural head and neck motion in these gaits to maintain a light snaffle bit contact? yes.

It was a lot easier to maintain a light contact riding at a trot since the horse’s head and neck remained stationary. Now I would need to learn a following contact with my horse’s head and neck nod. This would prove important since maintaining low fixed hands leads to tension in the mouth, lower jaw and back which encourages pace and hard trot.

Following the natural motion of the head nod with relaxed shoulders, arms and hands would be my best way to earn trust and relaxation with my horse. This was new territory as we began our gaited dressage journey.

A good dressage program teaches the naturally gaited horse:

  • Relaxation of mind and body
  • Balance
  • Forward rhythm and tempo without rushing
  • Connection
  • Symmetry
  • Collection

Over time, these attributes develop the full range of motion of collected through extended smooth gaits and improve the quality of natural smooth gaits for long term soundness.

How dressage improves quality smooth gaits:

  • Dressage teaches a rider a balanced position and effective use and timing of rein, leg, seat and weight aids that lead a horse into relaxation of mind and body, balance, forwardness without rushing, rhythm, connection, straightness and collection over time
  • By relaxing the horse’s mind, the horse is in a more trainable state of mind
  • By relaxing the horse’s mouth, jaw and back, pace and hard trot can be replaced with a smooth natural four beat gait
  • With lateral exercises, the naturally gaited horse can develop symmetry to be more ambidextrous and supple
  • A good dressage program improves confidence in the rider which leads the horse into more trust in the rider as the leader
  • Most of all, naturally gaited horses flourish when ridden using a good dressage program that builds partnership, trust, and respect as compared with domination training methods or the use of severe bits, heavy shoes, chains, pads, artificial enhancements, and mechanical devices
naturally gaited flat walk
A good dressage program develops your horse’s best quality, smooth, natural gaits on cue.

Over the years, it is clear that dressage has improved the smooth, four-beat quality and range of movement in my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse. Her collected walk, medium walk, free walk, extended walk, flat walk, running walk, fox trot, saddle rack, and canter are well established now—all smooth and on cue. We are even dabbling with counted walk and steps of piaffe! 

Watch: How dressage improves smooth gaits

Enjoy the journey! If you are on this gaited dressage journey, I’d love to hear from you. Contact us»

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