Gaited Trail Horse or Gaited Dressage Horse—Why not Both
By Jennifer Klitzke
Whether you have a talented naturally gaited horse for the trail or dressage ring, versatility training helps them be smoother, safer, and sounder for longer.
I have two naturally gaited horses: Lady and Makana. Lady is a fox trotting grade, gaited horse who is phenomenal on the trail. Makana is a registered Tennessee walking horse who is gifted for gaited dressage. While each is wired for the trail or the gaited dressage show ring, I like to expand their worlds, and here’s why…
The Naturally Gaited Trail Horse
Me and Lady at the scenic St. Croix River vista.
My naturally gaited fox trotting mare, Lady, was born for the trail. She is bold and smooth and loves exploring nature just as much as I do. She loves being ridden on a long, floppy rein without the constant dialogue of rein, leg, seat and weight aids.
Is Lady gifted to be a gaited dressage show horse? I don’t think so. Her conformation provides challenges with a long, hollow back and shorter legs. She doesn’t have a natural over track (where the hind leg steps over the fore foot print). And Lady is built heavy on the forehand.
Can Lady learn dressage? Absolutely. But, if I’m not interested in showing Lady in gaited dressage, why would I teach her dressage?
Here are three great reasons why I teach dressage to my naturally, gaited trail horse:
Improving natural smooth gaits: Dressage helps Lady improve the quality of her natural smooth gaits through teaching her balance, relaxation, rhythm, engagement, connection, straightness, and collection. By improving the quality of Lady’s naturally smooth gaits, we can cover a lot of ground faster on the trail and my body won’t pay for it later.
Improving soundness: Dressage teaches Lady how to re-position her posture from hollow to neutral which can help Lady be sounder on the trail for many more years to come.
Improving balance: Dressage helps Lady re-distribute her weight from traveling on the forehand to developing balance to carry her weight on all four legs. This balanced posture will prolong Lady’s soundness on the trail. Plus, she won’t trip as much when she isn’t on the forehand, and that will keep me safer and more secure as a rider.
Here’s Lady ridden in a Dr. Cook bitless bridle showing an engaged, relaxed, and balanced fox trot in connection with rhythm and contact.
The Naturally Gaited Dressage Horse
Makana and I showing gaited dressage at an open dressage schooling show.
Then there’s my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse, Makana. She is gifted with good conformation and naturally balanced gaits. Makana has a natural over track of three to four hoof prints. She enjoys the gaited dressage show ring and likes the two-way communication between us. Makana likes learning new exercises like leg yield, shoulder in, haunches in, rein back, roll backs, cantering rails and gymnastic jumping. She also enjoys a variety of smooth, easy gaits on cue: freewalk, medium walk, flat walk, running walk, fox trot, saddle rack, canter, counted walk, and piaffe.
Makana takin’ a real close look at that trail sign and wonders, “Are we there yet?”
On the trail, Makana becomes overly reactive. She gets nervous and can spook without notice. Does that mean I should never ride Makana on the trail? I don’t think so.
While on the trail, I converse with her through my rein, leg, seat and weight aids to help her relax and stay balanced. This way she is less spooky and settles into enjoying nature. I wear my helmet, ride with others, and we have a good ol’ time. (Plus, trail riding is one way to get my husband to join me.)
Since acclimating Makana to trails, we enjoy endurance riding as well.
Dressage helps the naturally gaited horse be more versatile
So to me, dressage is more than the show ring. Through dressage, naturally gaited trail horse can develop smoother natural gaits, become more balanced and trip less to keep the rider safer, and improve their posture and muscle development to keep stay sounder longer.
For the naturally gaited dressage horse, dressage helps them on the trail as well. Using dressage, the horse and rider can converse through two-way dialog, where the rider can lead the horse into relaxation and balance. As the reactive horse becomes more relaxed, it will be less spooky.
Naturally gaited trail horse or naturally gaited dressage horse? How about naturally gaited trail AND dressage horse.
If you are on this gaited dressage journey, I’d love to hear from you. Contact us»
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.
Here’s a great example of long and low on the forehand. I am riding my naturally gaited fox trotting horse Lady. While this is a nice stretch and helps the horse relax, it puts the horse on the forehand, the horse disengages behind, and the back remains hollow.
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.
While a few steps of long and low stretching is good, I don’t like to train my horses to be on the forehand, disengaged from behind (not stepping deep under the body), and getting hollow in the back. Lady is being ridden in a Dr. Cook bitless bridle.
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.
Here’s Lady ridden in a Dr. Cook bitless bridle showing an engaged, relaxed, and balanced fox trot in connection with rhythm and contact.
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
The rein back engages Lady’s hindquarters, activates her abdominal muscles to lift her back, and it raises her wither. Lady is being ridden in a Dr. Cook bitless bridle.Lateral exercises, like the shoulder-in on a square, have been working wonders with Lady. She is soft and light. She tastes the bit, engages from behind, lifts her back and withers, and carries her weight on all four feet. If her body becomes straight again, she roots, so I keep her in a shoulder-fore position. Lady is being ridden in a full cheek snaffle with a double-jointed copper lozenge. Shoulder in on a square and pivot the fore help Lady engage from behind, lift her back, get soft on the bridle and accept the contact.Shoulder out along the fence has really helped Lady. It is a great way to introduce lateral exercises. The fence and the rider’s aids guide the horse into the exercise.
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.
If you are on this gaited dressage journey, I’d love to hear from you. Contact us»
Does hand position make a difference with how well the naturally gaited horse accepts a snaffle bit contact? Can hand position help or hinder relaxation in the naturally gaited horse? How does hand position impact smooth gaits?
Hand Position & Its Effect on Smooth Gaits
Studying Classical French Dressage has opened my eyes to new concepts in my riding. Not only have these concepts impacted the quality of smooth gaits, but they have also brought joy and harmony to my rides with my naturally gaited horses.
A few years ago, I audited and rode at a few Susan Norman clinics who teaches riding with lightness. She studied under, not one, but two French Classical Dressage Masters: Philippe Karl and the late Jean-Claude Racinet. Susan’s clinics introduced me books and DVDs produced by her protégés. These resources have opened my eyes and awareness to new ways of interacting with my horses that have greatly improved their smooth gaits.
French Classical Dressage Master Philippe Karl’s DVDs Classical vs. Classique and Classical Dressage, volumes 1-4 are excellent resources.
Other favorites are ean Claude Racinet’s book Another Horsemanship and Lisa Maxwell’s DVD Getting Started In Lightness: The French Classical Dressage of Francois Baucher as taught by Jean Claude Racinet presented by one of his students Lisa Maxwell.
While Norman, Karl, and Racinet apply dressage with horses that trot, I have found that the French Classical Dressage principles they teach apply well with the naturally gaited horses as well. What I have learned has produced lightness, balance, mental and physical relaxation, rhythm, engagement, straightness, collection, harmony, and joy. In turn, this humane method has developed full range of motion and quality natural smooth gaits.
The difference hand position makes
Among the differences is hand position. Karl’s teachings opened my eyes to how hand position impacts movement―for the better and the worse. Did you know that where the bit makes contact with the horse’s mouth is the difference between tension or pain and relaxation? Did you know that a tense horse moves differently than a relaxed horse? I didn’t have this awareness until I began to study Karl’s dressage application and begin to understand his philosophy.
For years I had been instructed to maintain a low hand position. Raising my hands to cue my horse was frowned upon. According to Karl, riding with low fixed hands applies tongue pressure. The horse’s response to this pressure is pain or tension and resistance. This leads to avoiding contact by going behind the bit and over flexing; going above the bit and becoming hollow; or getting tense in the jaw leading to a braced back. For the naturally gaited horse, a braced back leads to pacing, step pacing, a hard hollow trot, or stiff movement―certainly not the smooth gaits I am aiming for!
There is a big difference between riding my horse with low fixed hands and riding my horse with higher hands for cueing. A low fixed hand position presses the bit into my horse’s tongue which produces pain, tension and resistance. Cueing with higher hands makes contact with the less sensitive corners of my horse’s lips. Once my horse responds to the cue, I lower my hands to a neutral position with a light following contact. This means I gently follow the natural head and neck motion. If my hands remain in a low fixed position, it accentuates the bracing, pacing and rough gaits.
Watch: Rider Position and Effect on Smooth Gaits
The purpose of nosebands
Another eye-opener for me was the use of nose bands and flash attachments. For years, I showed my horses at dressage competitions. A quiet mouth was prized, so we rode with nose bands and flash attachments to keep the horse’s mouth closed.
Karl rides with a loose nose band or no nose band at all. Why? This permits the horse to freely open its mouth, taste the bit, salivate, and swallow to encourage relaxation. When a horse is ridden in a snug fitting noseband with or without a flash attachment, it can prevent the horse from swallowing. When you see excessive foam dripping from the horse’s mouth, it is likely that the horse isn’t swallowing. A little salivation is good, as long as the horse is able to swallow. When the horse is unable to swallow, this can lead to mental and physical tension which leads to a braced back. For naturally gaited horses, a braced back leads to pacing, step pacing, a hard hollow trot, or stiff movement―definitely not the smooth gaits I seek.
While educating the horse to the rider’s hands, the rider will have higher hands in training until the horse finds its balanced. Once the horse finds balance, the rider’s hands can be lowered to a neutral position.
A bit maker’s perspective
I recently watched a YouTube video: Dale Myler Bitting Series: #1 Understanding Bit Resistance (below) that reinforces Karl’s belief about tongue pressure. Mylar believes that riding the horse with tongue pressure cuts off the horse’s ability to salivate and swallow which distresses the horse. When the bit presses into the tongue by low fixed hands, the tongue begins to affect the horse’s ability to breathe. Adding to this, tension in the jaw encourages the horse to travel on the forehand and shortens the horse’s depth of stride.
Now, I certainly don’t want these qualities for my naturally gaited horses. Do you?
Thinking this through, as I ride my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horses and fox trotting mare, I apply a higher hand position for cueing, then a light neutral position that gently follow the natural head and neck motion. This helps keep my gaited horses relaxed in the jaw, accepting the snaffle bit contact, and has improved our smooth gaits.
I hope this is helpful. Let me know your thoughts by sending a message.
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.
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!
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!
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!
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.
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
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
Does dressage permanently alter smooth gaits? How is gaited dressage different from rail class shows? Could rider aids influence the outcome of a horse’s gait?
Misconceptions about Gaited Dressage
By Jennifer Klitzke
Dressage will make my gaited horse trot. Cantering my gaited horse will ruin my horse’s natural smooth gait. Dressage will destroy my gaited horse’s show gait. These are misconceptions about dressage for the gaited horse.
Where do misconceptions come from?
Do people watch a recognized dressage show with non-gaited horses and believe that competition dressage makes horses trot?
Do people expect to see show gait from beginning to end of a gaited dressage test?
Do people believe that dressage permanently alters the length of stride when a gaited horse shows collected movements with shorter strides?
Do people think that competition dressage is evaluated with the same criteria as rail class?
Here’s good news! Dressage teaches the rider a balanced riding position and effective use and timing of rein, leg, seat, and weight aids. This is a communication system with the horse to improve the quality of natural smooth gaits on cue and develops the horse’s full range of motion. Dressage can even improve the quality of the show gait!
You can learn dressage with your gaited horse and reap these great benefits without ever showing. If you do show competitive dressage with your gaited horse, here’s more good news…
Gaited Dressage and Rail Class are Different
First of all, competition dressage and rail class shows are judged by different criteria. It is like comparing apples and oranges.
How Gaited Dressage is Evaluated
Competition dressage offers many levels and tests from Introductory two-gait tests to upper level three-gait tests. The higher-level tests require more range of development such as extended through collected gaits and engagement from the horse.
In competition dressage the rider and horse perform a test in front of a professional judge. The horse and rider are evaluated on how well the rider helps the horse execute the Pyramid of Training as they move through a series of required gaits, transitions, and movements precisely on the letter.
The 2019 Pyramid of Training:
Rhythm (Regularity and Tempo)
Suppleness (Elasticity and Freedom from Anxiety)
Contact (Connection and Acceptance of the Bit through Acceptance of the Aids)
Impulsion (Engagement and the Desire to Go Forward)
Straightness (Improved Alignment and Equal, Lateral Suppleness on Both Reins)
Collection (Balance and Lightness of the Forehand from Increased Engagement)
Harmony and submission are factors in scoring, as well as the horse’s gait quality; the rider’s balanced position; and the rider’s effective use and timing of leg, seat, weight, and rein aids as the horse is ridden through the test requirements.
Competitive dressage is a great way to confirm where you and your gaited horse are at in your training. You’ll get written feedback by a professional dressage judge which can help you know where you need to improve or confirm that you and your horse are ready to move up a level.
Rail class is a performed in a group of horse/rider teams. A judge will award ribbons for first through sixth place. The judge evaluates the horse’s movement according to the class requirement. For Tennessee walking horse rail classes, big strides and exaggerated head nods are prized.
To achieve a maximum length of stride, the horse needs to be positioned in a frame where the hind leg trails behind the tail and pushes from behind while the other hind leg steps deep under the body to pull the horse along. This frame positions the horse in a neutral to hollow back and flat croup where the push and pull of the hind legs activate the head and neck nod with each step.
The Rail vs Rider Aids
A horse ridden in rail class is predominantly ridden in straight lines along the rail. During a dressage tests, there is no rail for the horse to follow so the horse needs to be directed by the rider’s balanced riding position and effective use and timing of rein, leg, seat, and weight aids.
The purpose of the rider aids is to lead the horse through the test requirements of circles, transitions between gaits and directions, and lateral exercises. The goal is to produce soft, round, relaxed, engaged, and balanced movements.
Why the show gait isn’t seen throughout a gaited dressage test
The show gait is achievable during portions of a dressage test when a flat walk or running walk is called for along the diagonal. However, the show gait becomes bio-mechanically impossible to maintain during collection while the horse performs small circles and lateral movements.
Collection and engagement place the horse in a frame that bends the hips and hindquarter joints. The horse carries more weight from behind and lightens the fore. Instead of pushing and thrusting with its hind leg steps for maximum length of stride, the hind steps remain in front of the tail and under the horse.
Here’s why. As the horse advances to higher levels of engagement and collection, the rider encourages the horse to bend the hindquarter joints to carry more weight from behind, engage the abdominal muscles to bring the back to a neutral to slightly round position, while engaging the chest and shoulder muscles to lift the wither and lighten the forehand. The horse grows taller in the wither, head, and neck. The movement produced by this posture is biomechanically different than that of the show gait. This makes it impossible for the horse to push and pull with the hind legs and produce the same length of stride as in rail class.
Instead the horse’s steps are shorter because there is little to no trailing of the hind leg extending behind the tail. The collected gait shortens and the head nods less.
Notice as pushing power increases the hind leg becomes disengaged (stepping behind the tail) and the overall stride length increases. As carrying power increases, the hind leg disengages less (steps less behind the tail) and the stride becomes shorter.
Does Dressage Permanently Alter Gait?
Does this mean that dressage permanently alters gait? Yes and no. Yes in the way that dressage helps the naturally gaited horse develop its full range of motion and improves the quality of its natural gaits—collected through extended.
No in the way that collected gaits or extended gaits are simply the response of a horse’s training combined with the application of rider aids that position the horse in the expression of gait. One set of aids allow more carrying power from behind for collected gaits. Another set of aids allow more push and pull for maximum stride length.
Dressage helps the naturally gaited horse develop its full range of motion so that even the show gait can improve in quality with deeper strides. Plus, dressage teaches the rider a balanced position and effective use and timing of the rein, leg, seat and weight aids.
Does dressage permanently alter gait? Yes it does, but in the best possible way.
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