Tag Archives: natural 4 beat gait

By Jennifer Klitzke

Naturally Walkin’ in Wonderland

I live in the frozen tundra where the winter’s cold and dark imprisons us for up to six months. No indoor arena. No deep pockets to travel South. If I want me and Makana my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse to stay in shape, I have to get creative.

Winter riding is not new to me, but using the snow to improve and condition my horse’s naturally smooth gaits is a new concept. The snow has encouraged my gaited horse to lift her shoulders and engage from behind, so much so that I now know what the rocking chair canter feels like. I’m hoping that winter riding will ingrain muscle memory in Makana and for me, the “feel” of the rocking chair canter.

The snow has also introduced Makana and me to the Tennessee trot. Yes, I know that I’m crossing the thresh holds of taboo, but I believe that my Walking Horse is established enough in her naturally smooth four-beat gaits to develop another gait on cue. So adding to the free walk, medium walk, flat walk, running walk, canter and counter-canter, we are tackling the trot. After all, I’ve enjoyed 25 years of riding traditional dressage horses, so trot is a welcomed gait. I believe that as long as the trot is trained on cue, it will not disrupt Makana’s naturally smooth four-beat gaits.

My cues for flat walk and trot

For flat walk and running walk, I encourage Makana to lift in the shoulders, and I follow her head nod with a light rein contact. At the same time, I lighten myself in the saddle by distributing my weight into my thighs. This allows Makana to neutralize instead of hollow her back.

For trot, I hold my weight in my thighs and hug my calves through the upward transition while holding a light steady contact with the reins. This holding the reins with a steady contact discourages the head nod and encourages the trot. Then I post instead of sit each trot step. Every stretch of trot on cue is followed up with flat walk and canter.

Not only is riding in the snow an utter blast, but it has been a good workout for both me and Makana (especially the posting trot). Who knows, if I can develop Makana’s trot on cue in and out of the snow, nothing will stop us from entering the traditional dressage shows!

Remember, dressage is more than trot (but gaited horses can learn trot on cue, too, and it won’t ruin their naturally smooth gait!)

Video: Walkin’ in Wonderland

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Dressage for the Gaited Horse, Gaited Dressage Shows, Gaited Dressage Videos

Gaited Dressage: Eighty-eight entries and only one gaited

October 2, 2012 Jennifer Klitzke 2 Comments

By Jennifer Klitzke

Peak autumn color draped the landscape of the Rocking R Farm schooling dressage show held September 29, 2012 in Foley, MN. Eighty-eight horse/rider combinations were shown and only one of them gaited–me and my eight-year-old Tennessee walking horse mare Gift of Freedom. Her black winter coat was well on its way as a gorgeous Indian Summer day heated up to 80-degrees.

I applied a blend of what I learned from Larry Whitesell and Jennifer Bauer at the clinic I recently attended and focused more on relaxation, rhythm, and balance versus overstride and head nod. I think this resulted in a more true four-beat first level dressage frame. The judge seemed to agree and gave us an overall score of 68.96% on our First Level Test One ride with 7’s on gaits, riding position, and effectiveness, and 8’s on harmony.

Show delays and warm temperatures seemed to drain Makana’s gas tank. By the time we rode First Level Test Three, we sputtered on fumes in the deep sand along the rail and corners. This had been our first shot at riding this busy test which includes flat walk, 10-meter flat walk circles, leg yields at a flat walk, stretching flat walk, lengthened gait, medium walk, free walk, canter, medium canter, 15-meter canter circles, and canter serpentines on the same lead to show counter canter, halt and salute. We received a score of 60%.

Next schooling show I think I’ll only ride one long test and bring a second horse to ride instead of pushing Makana beyond her energy reserves.

Photo gallery>

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Gaited Dressage: From First Level to Intro?

May 28, 2012 Jennifer Klitzke

By Jennifer Klitzke

In an unexpected turn of events, Gift of Freedom (Makana) found her way to the Three Ring Circus schooling show held at Carriage House Farm in Hugo, MN on May 28, 2012 and sponsored by St. Croix Saddlery.

And how’s that, you ask? Well, I woke up at 5am to give Indy, my six-year-old Spanish Mustang a bath before his second schooling dressage show, when I noticed a gash under his chin where the bridle would fasten. “Oh, crap!” I thought as I cleaned up his wound. Then I wondered if the show manager would let me switch horses as long as we rode the tests we had entered. Being 5:30am and our first class at 7:58am with an hour drive time, I took the gamble and cleaned up the other horse I have a current coggins on: Gift of Freedom. The only problem is that Makana doesn’t trot and this is a large trotting horse show.

“Oh, well,” I thought, “we’ll go for the experience.” So I quickly got Makana ready, and we were on our way to the largest show I’ve ever been to—over 200 horses entered. Makana rode in place of Indy in Intro A, B, and C dressage tests with 24 horse/rider teams in each category. We drew a lot of attention as the only horse that didn’t trot, and as a result, I had several great conversations with people about gaited horses and dressage training.

I even met one family who’s daughter shows their Tennessee walking horse at a trot and has done very well at recognized shows. She said her horse’s trot is super smooth. Now that would be ideal, a smooth trotting horse. Compare that to my warmblood who practically sends me to the chiropractor every time I ride him! So if you have a Walker that trots, maybe traditional dressage shows are in your future. Gaited dressage clinician Bucky Sparks says his Walking horse stallion can trot on cue without it disrupting the flat walk and running walk, so I know it is possible to train a horse to trot and gait. As for me, I bought a gaited horse to gait and a trotting horse to trot.

We had terrific weather for the show. The Carriage House Farm facility is top-class with dust-free rubberized footing in the indoor and well-drained ag-lime footing outdoors. The show was extremely well organized for the number of trailers transporting over 200 horses and hundreds of cars filled with spectators. Amazing!

Makana seemed to enjoy being there as much as I did. I giggle because we had skipped Intro level when we began showing at dressage schooling shows a couple years ago. Now we are schooling second level and here we were showing Intro level. Makana did the best she could. After the first ride, the judge commented, “I have no idea how to judge your tests because you didn’t show a trot.” After our last ride she commented, “Nicely ridden. That’s a very nice, obedient, supple gaited horse.”

We finished all tests in the 53-56%-range and about middle of the score board—not bad for a horse that doesn’t trot!

Gift of Freedom and Jennifer Klitzke were the only gaiting gaited duo among a hundred entries at the Three Ring Circus Schooling Show held Sunday, May 28, 2012.

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Dressage for the Gaited Horse

Snow Day

March 4, 2012 Jennifer Klitzke

Snow Day

Gotta count my blessings. We received our first snow storm of the season—and it’s nearly spring! More often than not, the snow season begins in November and lasts until March.

In any case, I had a blast riding my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse Makana in the snow. We were practicing our four-beat flat walk, running walk and canter for the March 24, 2012 western gaited dressage demo held at Enchanted Hollow Stables in Buffalo, MN.

Thankfully it will be held indoors!

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Northwoods Dressage Clinic features Gaited Dressage

August 21, 2011 Jennifer Klitzke

Northwoods Dressage Association Gaited Dressage Demonstration

Tennessee walking horse Gift of Freedom and Jennifer Klitzke were featured as one of the demonstration teams at the Northwoods Dressage “Ride-A-Test” Clinic in Proctor, MN. The team demonstrated how gaited dressage training can improve the natural movement of the gaited horse and rode through NWHA First Level, Test Two before a couple dozen onlookers.

Dressage is More than Trot

I was honored to bring my seven-year-old naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse mare, Gift of Freedom, to the Northwoods Dressage “Ride-A-Test” Clinic in Proctor, MN to demonstrate the benefits of gaited dressage training.We were among five demonstration horse/rider teams over the lunch hour. Other informative and well-executed demonstrations included gymnastic grid training over fences, dressage driving, tandem driving, and an encapsulation of Training-Fourth Level frames, gaits, and movements.

After a bouncy, three-hour trailer ride along 35W road construction, Makana, my saintly husband, and I made it safely to the Dirt Floor Arena with an hour to spare before our NWHA First Level, Test Two gaited dressage demonstration. There were the usual Proctor race track distractions such as a model airplane show to our right, heavy equipment prepping the race track behind us, and a well-used port-a-potty relieving spectators to our left, plus cones, jumps, and carts chasing horses around the warm up arena. My husband even caught on camera some impromptu port-a-potty inspired piaffe between restroom visitors.

Makana rode a respectable test–gaited dressage style–demonstrating the range of gaits: medium walk, free walk, flat walk, running walk, canter, medium canter, and halt. Afterwards we demonstrated suppling exercises that help establish balance, bending, engagement and range of motion. These exercises included the leg yield, shoulder in, haunches in, rein back, transitions between flat walk and canter, serpentines, and 10- and 15-meter canter circles. In case you are wondering, these exercises are not intended to train the gaited horse to trot. Rather, these dressage exercises are meant to bring out the best natural, innate smooth gaits your horse can achieve!

While USEF tests require a trot, dressage as a training method is not measured by whether your horse trots or not. The essence of dressage is to produce balance, rhythm, relaxation, connection, harmony and engagement. These qualities improve the movement of all horse breeds, whether they trot or gait, and to help any horse be the best it can be and a joy to ride.

Whether you intend to show gaited dressage at schooling shows, recognized dressage shows that offer gaited dressage classes or just ride for pleasure, dressage training builds teamwork with your horse and improves your horse’s movement without the use of mechanical devices, harsh bits, and expensive shoes. I’ve witnessed dozens of pacey horses transformed into four-beat, smooth mounts with the use of dressage training–and not one of them trots!

Photos: Gaited dressage demo»