Dressage develops quality smooth gaits. Over time and consistent training, dressage for the naturally gaited horse develops full range of motion for quality smooth gaits on cue and long-term soundness.

Why Dressage for the Gaited Horse

by Jennifer Klitzke

Dressage offers many benefits for the naturally gaited horse. For starters, classical dressage is a humane training method and a communication language through the rider’s effective use and timing of rein, leg, seat and weight aids to the horse. This communication can be taken with you wherever you and your horse go and whatever you do together.

How dressage benefits the naturally gaited horse

• More mental and physical relaxation (less anxiety and tension)
• Better balance (less pre-dominance on the forehand, more even balance on all four legs developing poised pride and confidence)
• Steady rhythm and head nod
• Even tempo and stride length
• Forward movement without short quick steps
• Stretching and strengthening the horse’s topline muscles
• Stretching the spine and encouraging a neutral back
• Depth of hind leg step under the body mass
• Connection with the rider through the communication aids (rein, leg and seat)
• Greater symmetry and flexibility
• Pushing power and carrying strength to improve the quality of natural smooth gaits and full range of motion

Relaxing the mind

A relaxed horse is a more attentive horse with less anxiety. A relaxed horse is a more present and teachable horse. Relaxing the horse’s mind helps build a partnership of harmony between the horse and rider to promote trust. A relaxed horse is able to listen to the rider more than worry about the distractions around. This reduces the risk of spooking.

Relaxing the body

When a naturally gaited horse’s body is relaxed, the horse is more trainable. Relaxing the body transforms tense muscles and a hollow posture that produce pace into more flexible and maneuverable movement for smoother gaits.

Relaxing the body begins with educating the mouth, comfort of the lower jaw and poll, removing braces and tension, stretching and flexibility of body muscles, teaching exercises that encourage a maneuverable posture, and lift the chest, shoulders, and back. For the naturally gaited horse, a relaxed body promotes smoother gaits—less tense and hollow gaits such as pace, step pace, hard trot, and lateral canter.

Stretching

Stretching exercises help the naturally gaited horse stretch the spine, topline and neck muscles. Stretching reduces hollowness and a contracted neck. By encouraging deeper hind leg steps under the belly in a neutral walk the horse can improve its depth of stride and the length of stride.

Developing symmetry

Through gymnastic exercises such as leg yields, counter bends, shoulder in, haunches in, rein back, circles, figure eights, serpentines, transitions, and more, the naturally gaited horse becomes more ambidextrous. These flexibility exercises promote balance, strength, symmetry, and evenness of stride, length of stride, and depth of stride.

Breaking up pace

Diagonal moving exercises, such as shoulder in, haunches in, shoulder out and renver, break up lateral foot fall sequences as pace and step pace. These exercises also soften and supple the horse’s body and lift a hollow back to a neutral position. All this leads to smoother gaits.

Developing quality smooth gaits

Over time and consistent training, dressage for the naturally gaited horse develops full range of motion for quality smooth gaits and long-term soundness. This means developing smooth gaits on cue like the ground covering flat walk and running walk as well as the more collected saddle rack.

Watch: How dressage improves smooth gaits

Let me know your thoughts. Send me a message. Visit my website: NaturallyGaitedHorse.com. Stay connected by subscribing to the Naturally Gaited youtube channel and “like” us on facebook.com/naturallygaitedhorse.