Classical French Dressage Master Philippe Karl offers unique insights to break up pacey walks in trotting horses. If this is true, this can also remedy pacey naturally gaited horses.

Pace and the Naturally Gaited Horse

By Jennifer Klitzke

Recently I came across a Facebook post from Becky Holden, an accomplished dressage rider/trainer/instructor/clinician, licensed School of Légèreté teacher, and long-time student of Classical French Dressage Master Philippe Karl (PK), founder of the School of Légèreté.

In Becky’s last clinic lessons with PK, she rode a younger trotting horse that had a tendency to pace at the walk.

Yes, even trotting horses can struggle with a pacey walk often called a camel walk.

What I found interesting was PK’s insights as he taught Becky how to help her horse break up the pace to a natural four beat walk. I believe PK’s insights translate directly to naturally gaited horses that struggle with pace.

PK explained that horses with a pacey walk are lazy with their hind legs and/or are too quick with their front leg steps.

To remedy the pace, PK’s suggestions to Becky are that, “We need to stimulate activity from the hind legs with shoulder-in on the circle and slow down and give amplitude to the front legs with neck rein turns or counter shoulder-in on the circle.”

Neck rein turns are a great way to lighten a horse that is heavy on the shoulders. By neck rein, the rider draws both hands to the outside of the bend with equal light contact and a nudge sideways if needed.

In addition to a counter bend neck rein on a circle, you can do a counter bend figure eight or counter bend serpentine by changing the counter bend and neck rein for each circle or serpentine loop. For a serpentine, slightly bend the horse to the outside of a serpentine and neck rein (counter bend) the opposite direction of the bend. Then straighten the horse a few steps and bend the other direction and neck rein (counter bend) the opposite direction of the bend and straighten a few steps until the serpentine is complete.

After a couple figure eights or a serpentine, liven the horse in a forward gait along the straight side and repeat the figure eight or serpentine counter bend neck rein exercise. Theses exercises can be first taught to the horse at a walk and then at a trot or gait.

Don’t practice pace—practice quality gait

Instead of practicing a poor quality gait, such as a pacey walk, PK encourages riders to apply plenty of transitions between gaits and exercises using the rein back; figure eight at a walk (one circle shoulder-in and the other circle counter shoulder-in).

Then the rider can proceed in a straight line while maintaining a quality slow, yet forward walk in rhythm; and trot [gait] shoulder-in on the circle, transition to walk shoulder-in on a circle, and transition back to trot [gait] shoulder-in on a circle.

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

I find PK’s insights regarding pace interesting. Often our remedy to pace in the naturally gaited horse world focuses on relaxing the back through lots of long and low. Many times the long and low gets too low where the poll falls below the whither and the naturally gaited horse develops a habit of traveling on the forehand. When the horse is on the forehand it trips more often and this can be dangerous for the rider.

Long and low on the forehand disengaged from behind — Long and low can relax the back and break up pace, but it can also cause the horse to disengage the hind legs and fall on the forehand.

By controlling the timing of the foot falls using transitions and lateral exercises, PK’s approach improves balance on all four legs, relaxation, and quality of natural gaits.

Shoulder in on a circle helps Lady engage from behind to step under her belly, lift her back and whither by activating her abdominal and chest muscles, improving balance, and relaxing her jaw, tasting the bit, getting softer on the bridle, and accepting a light, stead, even contact with both reins.

In fact, PK doesn’t support long and low (when the horse’s poll is below the height of the wither) because it trains the horse to travel on the forehand, slouching its pectoral muscles, and travel out of balance. Instead he teaches neck extension (head, neck and nose out and down yet no lower than poll to wither height) in a forward walk, trot or canter.

The neck extension provides the same great benefits as long and low, yet maintains the horse’s balance, plus relaxation, strengthening the top line muscles, stretching the spine, and improving engagement.