All posts by Jennifer Klitzke

Balance for Gaited Horses

How to Build the Top Line Muscles of the Naturally Gaited Horse

Best way to build the top line muscles of the naturally gaited horse

Here’s how to build the top line muscles of your naturally gaited horse while also developing balanced, quality smooth gait.

Did you know that developing the top line muscles of your naturally gaited horse is more than lowering the horse’s head and neck? Did you know that not all long and low produces the same result? Did you know that too low is not necessarily beneficial to the horse? Find out why…

Building your horse’s top line muscles is a full body activity.

How to Build the Top Line Muscles of Your Naturally Gaited Horse

By Jennifer Klitzke

There is more than one humane way to train your naturally gaited horse and develop smooth gaits. Dressage is one of those ways. One of the purposes of dressage is to develop the horse’s full range of motion (lengthened and collected) for quality gaits and long-term soundness.

As an avid dressage rider since 1988, I’ve learned the importance of developing the top line muscles of the horse. It’s one of the first things I learned as a dressage student riding and training my then five-year-old Trakehner/thoroughbred gelding, Seili. As a result, Seili had a well-developed top line until he passed away at 34. I rode him until he was 29.

Seili in 2013 at 29 years old
My Trakehner/thoroughbred, Seili in 2013 at 29 years old.

Benefits of building the top line muscles of the horse:

1) Soundness: Developing the top line muscles and stretching the spine can prolong your horse’s soundness for a longer riding career.
2) Relaxation: A lowered head and neck position can help the horse relax.
3) Longer strides: Teaching the horse to reach deeper under the belly with the hind leg steps will help develop length of stride.
4) Quality gaits: Teaching the horse to relax its back and stretch the top line muscles can help develop quality gaits. This is true for both the non-gaited and naturally gaited horses. A non-gaited horse’s trot will be smoother to sit, and the naturally gaited horse tending to pace or hard trot, can relax into a natural smooth gait.

As an amateur dressage rider-trainer in the 1990s, I had aspirations of moving up a level each summer like the professionals did, but my work schedule and the long midwest winter season limited our training time. As a five-year-old green horse, I rode Seili on a 20-meter circle for miles and miles in a stretched and forward-moving long and low position for more than a year. Because of my busy schedule, it took several years before we move from Training level to First level and then to Second level—when collection is introduced and balance is required.

My horse’s impeccable top line collided with a new concept: balance. Miles of long and low had conditioned Seili to travel on the forehand.

Too much long and low had developed my gelding’s top line muscles beautifully, but it didn’t prepare him for balance. Unknowingly, I had taught him to slouch. That’s why it took a couple years of retraining Seili in a posture of balance.

Hindsight is 20/20. Now I’ve learned ways of training non-gaited and naturally gaited horses that develop the top line muscles and develop balance.

I wish I knew then what I know now.

Lowering the head and neck

In 2007, I purchased my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse, Makana, and later, my naturally gaited fox-trotting mare, Lady. In my quest for learning, I traveled to a variety of clinics. These gaited experts encouraged us to lower the horse’s head and neck for relaxation and it would help us establish a natural smooth gait. Many believed the lower the horse’s head is to the ground the better.

I knew that relaxation of mind and body are dressage elements, and I have come to realize the importance relaxation has in developing smooth gait. A tense back leads to pace, hard trot or a short, rushed gait. A relaxed back leads to quality smooth gaits.

Lowering the head and neck is one way to help the naturally gaited horse relax. There are other effective ways to aid in relaxation. Did you know that lowering the head and neck alone, doesn’t strengthen the top line muscles of the horse? Plus, prolonged long and low teaches the horse to travel on the forehand. I wish I knew this back then. It would have saved me years of retraining my horses into a posture of relaxed balance.

I learned a more effective way to train my horses in a posture of relaxed balance while also building the top line muscles.

Why lower isn’t better

Did you know that the horse’s head and neck weigh up to a tenth of the horse’s body weight? When the head and neck are projected ahead of the body mass in a long and low position nodding up and down with each step, think about how this affects balance of the naturally gaited horse.

Long and low, especially as low as you can go, conditions the horse to travel on the forehand. This leads to tripping. Plus, the low neck position collapses the chest muscles. In this position the horse is unable to lift the shoulders and wither. Instead, the horse develops a habit of slouching. Watch the video below for a good demonstration of this point.

Watch: Too Low and on the Forehand

Check out this video of my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse, Makana in a position that is too long and low in a free walk: The head and neck are too low for developing the top line muscles. She collapses her chest, hollows her back, and isn’t stepping deep under her belly with her hind leg steps. She is clearly on the forehand, the wither drops as she collapses her chest.

For years I fixated on how low my naturally gaited horse could drop her head and neck while encouraging her to step deep under her body with each hind leg step. In error, I believed as long as my horse was over tracking with the hind leg steps that she was balanced. I had no awareness that my horse was on the forehand and had collapsed her chest posture.

I realized this error when I began to study French dressage and scientific equine biomechanic research by Dr. Hilary Clayton about the horse in balance. Read this article: Research proves the importance of the chest muscles for balance

There is a better way

How about teaching your naturally gaited horse relaxation that builds the top line muscles, helps develop smooth gaits while being mindful of balance? That means less tripping, less pacing and more quality smooth gaits.

Let’s take a look.

Building the top line muscles of your naturally gaited horse is a full body activity

Lowering the head and neck helps the naturally gaited horse relax, yet did you know your gaited horse can still hollow its back, collapse its chest and shoulder muscles, drop its wither, and disengage its hind legs (travel more behind the tail than under the belly)? It’s true. Building the top line muscles is a full body activity.

Lowering the head and neck alone

The photo below shows my naturally gaited fox-trotting horse, Lady, in an unbalanced long and low position. While she is relaxed, her hind legs are disengaged and are not stepping deep under her belly. She has a hollow back and collapsed chest muscles. She is behind the bit and her poll (between her ears) is not aligned with her wither.

Long and low on the forehand
Long and low out of balance.

Can you see how this long and low position naturally places her on the forehand? She is not able to effectively develop her top line muscles in this position.

Developing the top line is a full body activity

The photo below shows my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse in a balanced neutral position. Notice she is stepping deeper under her belly more than extending behind her tail. Her back is lifted to a neutral position. Her neck extends out, but not too low. Her poll (between the ears) is even with the wither. Her nose is slightly ahead of the vertical and her chest muscles are engaged to lift the wither up.

Balanced neutral position.

Can you see how this position helps the naturally gaited horse develop the top line muscles in relaxation, rhythm, and better balance? Can you see how this positions the full body to produce quality smooth gaits?

Three keys to developing the top line muscles for quality smooth gaits:

1) Step deeper under the belly with each hind leg step. The hindquarters of the naturally gaited horse should under its belly and under the weight of the rider. The hind leg step should be MORE under the belly than trailing behind its tail. Encourage your horse to take relaxed, forward steps without rushing. Ideally, the hind leg footprint should over track the fore footprint.

natural Tennessee walking horse flatwalk
Here’s my naturally gaited and barefoot Tennessee walking horse performing a smooth evenly timed, four beat flat walk with a head nod. The hind leg steps beneath me.


2) Teach your horse to extend its head and neck out while maintaining chest posture. While building the top line muscles, allow your horse to stretch forward, out and down, but no lower than the poll at wither height. If your horse’s head and neck position get too low, the pectoral muscles collapse, the horse drops the wither, and the horse travels on the forehand out of balance and will trip more often. This is why, lower in motion isn’t better.

Neck extension at a flat walk
This is a great example of a neck extension at a flat walk. My horse is engaged, lifting her back, stretching out, forward, and down at chest level with an even snaffle bit contact.

3) Warm up and cool down with a quality stretch. Beginning and ending a riding session with a big, stretchy, relaxed walk that encourages the horse to engage the hindquarter and step deeper under its belly; activate its abdominal muscles to lift its back to a neutral position, and extend its head and neck out and down, but no lower than the poll at the height of the wither, with many moments of stretch throughout a riding session, are a great practice. This is especially helpful for older horses and horses that are stiff or out of shape.

4) Ride your horse through lots of transitions between a balanced position into moments of a stretched position. In dressage, riding lots of transitions within a state of relaxation is most beneficial, because transitions help the horse develop balance. This includes transitions between gait, transitions between exercises, transitions of direction, and transitions of frame within a gait, such as from a neutral posture to a top line stretch for a moment and back. Think of riding your naturally gaited horse like playing an accordion.

IMPORTANT: Don’t stay in a stretched position for long periods of time or you’ll condition your horse’s muscle memory to travel on the forehand. Instead give your horse lots of stretch breaks throughout your ride. Instead of 30-40 minutes of stretching at a time, take 30-40 short stretch breaks during your riding session. A stretch is a great way to reward your horse and help your horse relax while developing the top line muscles. If you would like to let your horse stretch to the ground, do this at a halt instead of in motion. In fact, there are many in-hand exercises you can do with your horse at a halt to help your horse develop its top line.

Most importantly, ride your horse in a posture of balance predominantly through your session with lots of transitions to a relaxed stretch. This builds the top line muscles while rewarding and relaxing the horse. The duration of this stretching can be as long as riding the long side of the arena.

Riding lots and lots of transitions between a balanced posture and a stretch posture, without getting too low, and only for short durations, builds your horse’s full range of motion.

neck extension

Neck extension to develop top line muscles

As you can see, developing the top line muscles of the naturally gaited horse is more than just lowering the head and neck. Developing the top line muscles is a full body activity. It includes stepping under the rider with the hind leg steps, activating the abdominal muscles to lift the back, and maintaining chest posture through the stretch by not letting the horse’s head and neck get too low.

Watch: Cues to Neck Extension

Teach your horse a neck extension using these easy steps.

Chest posture is key

Now that I am aware of balance, and the importance of chest posture through the stretch in motion, I position the horse’s head and neck where the poll (place between its ears) is no lower than the wither height. This helps the horse extend and stretch the top line muscles (and spine), while helping to maintain posture in the chest, shoulder, and wither without collapsing. 

Why a balanced position?

If dressage training is meant to help the horse become more balanced, why would you develop your horse’s muscle memory on the forehand by riding in a long and low frame for prolonged periods of time?

balanced Tennessee walking horse flat walk
Naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse flat walk in a balanced position.

It’s like changing posture after you’ve developed the habit of slouching. It is not easy to retrain a horse to be in balance if it has learned to traveling on the forehand.

When the horse learns to carry its head and neck more over its body mass, the lighter it is for the horse to carry, and the easier it is for the horse to be in balance. That is why it is so important to teach the horse balance using in hand exercises. The horse learns to carry its own head and neck (not lean on the rider’s hands).

There is a HUGE difference between the horse learning to carry its head and neck in balance position and accept a light contact with a snaffle bit versus a rider PULLING the horse’s head and neck back into a headset with fixed hands, especially when riding with a shank bit and sitting in a chair seat.

The former teaches balance and self-carriage, and latter forces the horse into a ewe neck and hollow back, and the horse learns bit resistance instead of bit acceptance.

Helping the rider teach top line muscle development to the gaited horse

IMPORTANT: The steps below are meant to help the rider develop the aids and application of a top line stretch, not to convey that the full duration and every riding session is exclusive ridden in a stretched posture that builds the top line muscles.

Instead, train your horse predominantly in a posture of balance with lots of transitions between balance and moments of top line stretches after balance is achieved. Instead of riding 30-40 minutes in a stretched position, ride 30-40 minutes with 30-40 transitions from a balanced position to a stretched position and back. If you ride predominantly in a top line stretching position, you’ll condition your horse’s muscle memory to travel on the forehand.

1) Position. Start at a walk and encourage your horse to move forward and extend its head and neck out so that the poll (place between the horse’s ears) is no lower than the wither (the bump in front of the saddle) height. I prefer to do this on a 20-meter circle for the purpose of stretching the outside muscles and strengthening the inside hind leg as it steps under the body.

2) Develop feeling and awareness. Begin to notice and feel the belly sway with each hind leg step; this will help you become aware of the timing of your aids. Begin to follow (not drive) this belly sway with each hip joint and gently follow with a relaxed lower back and relaxed arms and hands as the horse’s head and neck nod.

3) Engaged and forward without rushing. Encourage the horse to step under its belly with each hind leg in a forward without rushing tempo. Try to feel where that hind leg is placed under its body. Can you feel the hind leg step under your seat? or does it feel like the horse is pulling itself along by the shoulders more that stepping under with the hind leg steps?

If the horse needs to step deeper with the hind leg steps, you can cluck the moment you feel the belly sway down on the inside of the circle. This encourages that hind leg to step deeper at the opportune time. If the horse doesn’t respond with a deeper step under the body, then you can cluck and press and release your calf into the side of the girth the next moment the belly sway goes down. Timing is key.

If the horse is still not responding with a deeper step (and you know that it is able to do more) then apply a tap of a dressage whip to that side as you apply your calf press and release and cluck the next moment the belly sway goes down. Again, timing is key.

4) Most important, stop cueing as soon as your horse responds. If you cue repeatedly the horse will begin to ignore your aids instead of listening to them. The goal is to help your horse learn to respond to the first and lightest cue.

5) Reverse directions and do the same. If the horse seems to struggle in one direction more than the other, it is likely that the outside muscles are stiffer. Make sure you travel in the more difficult direction twice as much as the easy direction in order to produce an equally flexible horse. This is why circles are used so much in dressage versus straight lines. Circles create straightness (symmetry) in the horse, because it helps the horse become more ambidextrous.

6) Start slow and increase tempo gradually. After your horse has developed relaxation, balance, rhythm, and engagement in a free walk, then you can help your horse build its top line muscles in a smooth gait or a trot on cue.

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


7) Trot on cue has benefits for the hard pacing horse. If the horse tends to pace or lacks engagement from behind, it is helpful to encourage trotting on cue in a stretched frame to build the top line. Naturally gaited horses can learn trot on cue, and it can improve the quality of the natural smooth gait.

Why? The trot is a diagonal foot fall sequence, and the pace is a lateral foot fall sequence. The trot can help the horse break up the pace. A quality trot on cue can also help the horse engage more from behind and that engagement can improve the quality of smooth gait on cue.

Here is my naturally gaited fox-trotting mare, Lady in a quality trot on cue to help her engage her hindquarter and abdominal muscles to step deeper under her body.


8) Free lunging. You can also help your horse build its top line by free lunging in a round pen or lunging on a long line. It is common for a naturally gaited horse to trot without the weight of a rider. Many do in the pasture, also. Do not worry, trot will not ruin their natural smooth gaits. Horses are smart enough to learn multiple gaits on cue. It is important that you are the one directing the gait and not the horse. That is the key.

Here is my naturally gaited fox-trotting mare, Lady in a quality trot on cue while free lunging in a round pen.

Free walk on a long rein

If dressage is in your wheelhouse, then developing the top line will improve your free walk on a long rein. This is a required movement in gaited dressage tests. The rider must maintain a light, even and steady contact with the snaffle bit and follow the natural motion of the head and neck.

Free walk on a long rein with following hands and a light contact with a snaffle bit.

Natural Smooth Gait on a Loose Rein

For those of you trail riders who prefer to ride on a floppy rein, these exercises also help to improve self-carriage in gait. It is important that your horse is relaxed and balanced before releasing the horse to a long rein. If the horse loses balance, collect the reins, re-establish balance and release again.

Here’s my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse, Makana on a loose rein in running walk. Before I release the contact, I make sure she is in balance. The release is the reward to self-carriage. If she falls out of balance, I re-collect the contact to establish balance and release to a loose rein again.

Remember that building the top line muscles of the naturally gaited horse is a full body activity. It is more than just lowering the head and neck. While many of us may be focused on smooth, think about quality smooth, less tripping, and the longevity of your riding partner by riding your horse in balance by training your naturally gaited horse in balance with lots and lots of transitions to a top line stretch.

Enjoy the journey!

Learn more about Dressage for the Gaited Horse

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Dressage for the Gaited Horse

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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Relaxation for Gaited Horses

Relaxation of Mind and Body Lead to Smooth Gaits

Relaxation of mind and body leads to smooth natural gaits

Did you buy a gaited horse and wonder why it isn’t always smooth? Helping your gaited horse relax in mind & body is a great place to start.

Here’s my story…

Relaxation of Mind & Body Lead to Smooth Gaits

By Jennifer Klitzke

If you bought your naturally gaited horse, such as a Tennessee walking horse, Missouri Fox Trotter, or Rocky Mountain for its smooth ride and wondered why it isn’t always smooth, I’m with you. The smooth natural gaits are genetic, yet they need to be developed. Some naturally gaited horses are easier than others to train.

I bought my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse as a three-year-old with 20 rides on her. In one lap of our arena, she demonstrated lots of smooth natural gaits and a few bumpy ones. I quickly discovered that it was up to me as the rider to identify and put cues to each gait so that I train my horse instead of my horse train me.

Dressage is the form of riding I apply with my naturally gaited horses. Why? Because dressage teaches the horse relaxation of mind and body, balance, forwardness without rushing, rhythm, connection, symmetry, and collection. Over time the horse develops its full range of motion and quality smooth gaits on cue for long-term soundness.

Why I begin with relaxation of mind and body

Each time I ride, relaxation of mind and body are essential ingredients to achieving smooth natural gaits. In fact, I cannot achieve quality smooth gaits without relaxation. Relaxation of mind is free from worry and anxiety. The horse is able to be in a dialogue of communication with me. Our conversation is more the focus than what is going on around us. Relaxation of body is free from tension and bracing so the horse is able to move comfortably forward without rushing.

I ride and train two uniquely different naturally gaited horses: my Tennessee walking horse, Makana and my foxtrotting mare, Lady. Makana can get anxious on a windy day when trees come alive. She is not in a trainable mind until she is relaxed. If I were to continue riding Makana while she is anxious, it only reinforces the anxiety and teaches her to rush into a poor-quality gait.

Relaxation of mind

On days where Makana is anxious, we work in hand and do lateral flexions in hand or in the saddle at a halt to help her relax her mouth, lower jaw and poll and stretch her muscles. This helps her partner up with me. Then we proceed with training in a state of relaxation to produce quality smooth gaits.

Watch: Flat Walk and Running Walk by a Naturally Gaited Tennessee Walking Horse

My naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse, Makana and I. When she is relaxed in her mind, it transfers through her entire body and brings about quality smooth gaits.

Lady is pretty unflappable on windy days. She rarely spooks or gets anxious, like Makana, but Lady came with bit resistance. She would tense her lower jaw and poll which transferred tension throughout her body and back. If Lady were to remain in a state of body tension, she would travel faster and faster until she blasted off into a hard trot.

Relaxation of body

For Lady, before we begin riding, I lead her into relaxation of her mouth, lower jaw, and poll. After she is soft and flexible, then Lady settles into her natural smooth gait.

2021 Lady's smooth gait with contact
Lady’s smooth gait today has more relaxation, balance and lightness.

Anytime either horse becomes tense or anxious, I slow down or halt, re-establish relaxation and resume the riding session. Without relaxation of mind and body, there is no quality smooth gaits.

With relaxation of mind and body, quality smooth gaits follow. That means relaxation transforms my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse’s step pace into quality smooth gaits, such as a four-beat flat walk and a lateral canter into a three-beat canter. For Lady, relaxation transforms her hard trot into a natural smooth gait.

Watch: How to Introduce the Gaited Horse to Accept and Follow Snaffle Bit Contact

Relaxation of mind and body are key to smooth gaits.

What are your thoughts? Please reach out and send me a message or stay connected by subscribing to the Naturally Gaited youtube channel and “like” us on facebook.com/naturallygaited.

Naturally Gaited Horse

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Walkin in Wonderland

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas (and a little time for some Walkin’ in Wonderland)!

Video: Walkin’ in Wonderland on a Naturally Gaited Horse

This video captures footage from the winter of 2013 showing multiple smooth natural gaits on cue, and one bumpy one. My naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse and I had a perfect snow season and we took advantage of it. So far this year, we are off to a good start!

Stay safe out there while you enjoy some walkin’ in wonderland!

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Communication with Gaited Horses

Resolving Resistance with French Dressage

naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse in a piaffe

If I encounter resistance in French dressage, does it mean I am doing it wrong? Or does it mean French dressage is not for naturally gaited horses? Is resistance to be expected? Then how can it be overcome?

Here’s my story…

Resolving Resistance with French Dressage

By Jennifer Klitzke

I have been inspired and have learned so much through my French dressage DVD and book study over the years. I love the harmony the riders have with their horses and how happy the horses express themselves. Thankfully, my horses are happy most of the time. However, resistance pops up when I ask for something new or challenging. How do I know? Their body language says, “NO!” When I ask, they immediately tense, swish their tail, or rush. This doesn’t look like the harmony I see on the DVDs.

Clearly, I am nowhere near the expertise of the French dressage masters shown on the DVDs. This makes me wonder: Am I doing French dressage wrong when I experience resistance? Am I the one creating the resistance? How do I negotiate moving forward in training with my naturally gaited horses without resistance? Is a resistant-free relationship with horses possible? Have my naturally gaited horses reached their fullest potential?

Or could it be resistance is part of any relationship―horses and humans? The differences are whether I acknowledge or avoid resistance and how I work through it. 

Think about it. How successful is avoiding conflict with the people in our lives? Every time we avoid conflict or pretend it isn’t there, the conflict doesn’t go away. It seems to grow bigger when unaddressed. A small conflict becomes all consuming. Now we wish we had addressed it when it was a small matter, right? I wonder if this could be the same for conflict with our horses?

Perhaps resistance means a need for clarification. Perhaps resistance means, let’s slow down, take it step by step and better understand each other. Let’s negotiate through this to a positive outcome where our relationship can be even better on the other side. Perhaps resistance is an opportunity to help my horses experience the potential they haven’t yet realized. Perhaps resistance is an opportunity to seek others for more education to better communicate with my horse.

My naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse, Makana, is light to the hand at the halt and walk, yet heavier at a flat walk and canter. I feel like I am in a perpetual demi arret (lifting of the hands). I wonder, “Am I doing French dressage wrong? Is French dressage not for naturally gaited horses?”

For my naturally gaited horse Lady, we have made tremendous improvement this summer by applying French dressage: acceptance of the bit, relaxation of the jaw, tasting the bit, flexions and counter bend turns to move the shoulders. We have established a light following contact with the reins at a halt and walk. Yet, when we move from walk to fox trot, she gets heavy in my hands unless I ride her in a floppy rein. I feel like I am doing a perpetual demi arret to keep her from leaning on my hands. Again, I wonder, “Am I doing French dressage wrong? Is French dressage not for naturally gaited horses?”

Or could it be a mix of application and communication through conflict?

Meeting resistance with dialogue

In October 2020, I was thrilled to bring my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse, Makana, to another French dressage clinic with Linda Kaye Hollingsworth Jones. In addition to my lessons and auditing the other rider’s sessions, I brought my questions.

Linda has forty years of horse training experience and rode each horse to help instruct the rider. She quickly discovered the horse’s asymmetry to help the rider develop a program that can improve the horse’s balance, strength and flexibility. 

What do you think occurred each time asymmetry was addressed with a horse? Resistance. For me, watching her calmly address and resolve resistance with French dressage answered many of my questions.

I witnessed astonishing transformations as Linda worked with each horse through resistance. For some horses, it meant stepping under the body with the inside hind leg an inch or two more for greater collection and expression. For others, it meant lightness to the leg bringing responsiveness to the lightest cue. For others it meant clarifying aids.

Yes, resistance is a realistic part training horses and French dressage is a humane and kind way to work through it for the best outcome. 

Afterwards, one of the auditors asked, “How do you know if the resistance means the horse is unclear or unable to do what is requested?” 

“Great question,” Linda replied, “Forty years of horse training.” 

Linda’s answer is why I keep pursuing more knowledge through reading books, watching DVDs and taking lessons.

Effective Timing of the Aids

In terms of the demi arret (upward actions with the rein(s) to say to the horse “stop leaning on the bit”), the trotting horse riders struggled with heaviness in trot and canter just as I have in gait and canter. Linda helped us understand the importance of effective timing in the demi arret and décent des mains (stop acting with the hands). The demi arret needs to be applied BEFORE the horse thinks about leaning on the bit and BEFORE the horse is heavy.

Seeing that both resistance and heaviness exist with the non-gaited horses encouraged me to know this is not a gaited horse issue.

downward canter transition
Downward canter transition without collapsing onto the forehand.

Linda coached me and my naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse through resistance to a better outcome. Traver-walk transitions began to transform Makana’s lateral left lead canter into a more quality three-beat canter. The pro-active pre-timing and application of our demi arret and décent des mains kept our canter light. Our canter transitions and piaffe quality had improved over the previous clinic.

For me, this clinic answered my questions. French dressage is a way to resolve resistance in the most humane way to a better outcome instead of avoiding conflict and staying stuck. Persevering with an instructor who is in the know helps me discern what is possible and dialogue through conflict to a better ending.

Resistance doesn’t look like harmony. Neither does avoidance. When resistance is met with understanding, kindness, and an educated rider, resistance leads to harmony.

Yes, French dressage is for naturally gaited horses, too! Thanks to French dressage, we are working on upper-level movements, such as shoulder-in, haunches-in, renver, half pass, walk pirouettes, counted walk, half steps, and piaffe which are improving her balance and the quality of her canter.

Piaffe is a great exercise for the naturally gaited horse to improve canter quality and diagonalize lateral gaits.

naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse in a piaffe

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