All posts by Jennifer Klitzke

"Dressage is more than trot...and the saddle you ride in." -Jennifer KlitzkeSome traditional dressage riders believe that dressage is ONLY for horses that trot. While many gaited horse owners believe that dressage will MAKE their gaited horse trot. Others believe that teaching their gaited horse to trot on cue will ruin their horse's natural gait.I challenge these notions and here's why...Dressage improves the quality of natural movement in a horse whether it trots or has a smooth four-beat gait.Dressage is a French term for training the horse and rider. Whether a horse is ridden in an english or western saddle; whether the horse trots or gaits, it doesn't matter. Dressage brings about the best natural movement whether the horse walks, trots, flat walks, fox trots, or canters.Why? When a rider grows in knowledge, awareness, and application of a balanced riding position with the horse's center of gravity and applies effective use and timing of leg, rein, seat, and weight aids to communicate with the horse, dressage improves relaxation, balance, rhythm, connection, harmony, engagement, straightness, and collection. These elements improve the quality of movement and the full range of motion. For the naturally gaited horse, this means, smoother gaits, deeper strides, and a sounder horse for longer.Enjoy the journey!
Dressage for the Gaited Horse, Gaited Dressage Videos, Gaited Horses and Cows, The Versatile Gaited Horse, Western Gaited Dressage

Cow Sorting Gaited Dressage Style!

naturallygaited-soting-cows

By Jennifer Klitzke

It was the last night of my cow sorting league, and I finally got to take the my naturally gaited TWH, Makana. She’s who I had in mind when I had signed up, but she was recovering from a tick-borne illness. Of the three horses I took, Makana got into this the most. I think she enjoys the idea of having something to push around being the lowest on the pecking order!

Dressage training has really helped us maneuver our way around the sneaky cows when they quickly change directions.  At the sorting league we got to ride one time with each person, and I was one of two first-timers among very seasoned riders—and the only one riding a gaited horse.

The goal is for a team of two to move ten cows in the correct sequence from one round pen to the other within 60 seconds. The center between the two pens is called the “hole.” Each cow wears a number from 1 to 0 with two blank cows in the herd. When the timer starts, the announcer picks a number for the team to begin with. As a team, we alternate guarding the hole and moving a cow from one ring to the other. If the wrong number cow sneaks through the hole before it is their turn, the team receives “no score.”

Our best run of the league was with Makana, and we moved six cows in a minute. One team moved all 10 cows in 39 seconds which was fast-paced and exhilarating to watch.

I had my hopes to break six cows when my last ride was with one of the best sorters in the league. I don’t know what was funnier, that me the rookie said to the advanced rider, “Let’s shoot to get all ten,” or that we ended up getting the fastest “no score” of the league! The “5” and “8” cows were running at me from different directions while we were manning the hole.

We’ll get you next time number 5!

 

naturallygaited-5-cow

Video: Gaited Dressage Sorting Cows

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

Gaited Dressage at North Run

Showing gaited dressage

By Jennifer Klitzke

Our 2013 show and clinic season was off to a late start with wintry weather through April and treatment for Ehrlichiosis from a deer tick bite just days after the snow melted. Would we be ready for the May clinic and show schedule?

Yes and no. We missed out on riding at the Jennifer Bauer gaited dressage clinic held at RNR Ranch in St. Croix Falls, WI and a couple weeks of our cow sorting league at High Circle Vee Ranch in Isanti, MN. I wondered if we would be ready for North Run Farms schooling dressage show I had planned on. In April I had contacted the show manager for approval to bring my gaited horse to their May show, and I didn’t want to miss this opportunity. Since we were off to a late start, I dropped our level of difficulty back a few notches and entered the show at Training level, tests two and three.

Not a bad strategy, as I am also competing my nongaited Spanish Mustang in Training level this year, and this would be an opportunity to get familiar with these tests. Plus, I had never ridden Makana through these Training level tests as the tests change every four years.

North Run Farms in Delano, MN put on a well organized schooling show. Rain and a flooded outdoor forced us inside, so after each two rides, the arena was open for ten minutes of schooling and warming up. For Makana, it was an opportunity to familiarize herself with the unusual objects hidden in the corners with lots of transitions to get her attention and lots of bending to unlock the tension in her poll. While riding through the tests I noticed that there were many improvements over last year. Makana is more forward without prodding or rushing, she’s more engaged from behind into a rein contact, more up in the shoulders, and more even in rhythm with deeper steps.

In Training level test two we received 68.214%. Dressage Judge Ginger Kawell remarked, “Nice forward ride. Try to get horse rounder on bit to get even better scores.” In Training level test three we received our highest score of 69.6% and the judge remarked, “Nice ride! Horse had movements with rounder frame! Keep it up.” Our two rides received some of the highest percentages of the show out of 14 horses (only one gaited) and 27 rides ranging from Intro to Third Level! To make it even better, the show organizer invited us back for their July and August schooling dressage shows and asked if I knew of any other gaited dressage riders who would like to enter as well. This is terrific news for gaited dressage!

Several people watching the show were intrigued with gaited dressage and approached me with questions. They had never seen anything like this before and were impressed with how comfortable a smooth gaited horse must be to ride.

Thank you to North Run Farms in Delano, MN and dressage judge Ginger Kawell for accommodating gaited dressage at the May 2013 dressage schooling show. North Run Farm is a terrific facility and Ginger is an encouraging judge who provides constructive feedback to help entrants in their pursuit of dressage. She draws from her experience in training both traditional and gaited dressage horses. The next North Run Farm Schooling Dressage Shows are Sunday, July 28 and Saturday, August 17, 2013. If interested, mail in a copy of your NWHA test with the entry form.

Gaited Horse Training, Tips for the Gaited Horse

Thoughts about the Imus Comfort Bit

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Thoughts about the Imus Comfort Bit

Coming from decades of dressage with trotting horses, riding exclusively in snaffle bits, a curb bit was just as foreign to me as a head-shaking, ear flopping, and teeth clicking flat walk.

Thoughts about the Imus Comfort Bit

By Jennifer Klitzke

It had only been weeks after acquiring my first smooth gaited horse when I came to the 2007 MN Horse Expo. In my quest for knowledge, I learned that Brenda Imus would be teaching clinics about natural and humane training methods for smooth gaited horses like my Tennessee walking horse.

Meeting Brenda Imus

I hustled to the training arena where Brenda would be coaching several demonstration riders with their naturally gaited horses. Impressed with her kind and humane training methods, I followed her back to her booth to purchase her DVD “Gaits from God.” You see, I had just purchased my first naturally gaited horse, yet, the smooth gait would be something I would need to develop. It isn’t something that just automatically happens just because she is naturally gaited.

Brenda’s DVD included the helpful information I was searching for to improve smooth gait with an added bonus. It provided insights on various bits, both curbs and snaffles.

Does a bit make a difference in how a horse moves?

The Effect a Bit has on a Horse

In the DVD “Gaits from God,” Brenda describes the action various bits have on the horse. Some bits pinch the lips and tongue which causes pain. Some curb bits have too much leverage. Both pain and too much leverage negatively impact a horse’s natural smooth gait. Pain and tension lead to pace in the naturally gaited horse.

Then Brenda described how the Imus Comfort Bit was designed to alleviate pain and tension. She demonstrated the effect a traditional Walking horse curb bit had on a naturally gaited Walking horse. Then the same horse was show being ridden with the Imus Comfort Bit.

Pain reaction vs bit acceptance

When the TWH was ridden in the traditional Walking horse curb bit, the horse threw its head up with each head nod in pain reaction vs. relaxation and bit acceptance. Its movement was pacey. With the Imus Comfort Bit, the same TWH moved fluid, relaxed and loose through its body, and its head nod was dramatic and pain free.

Impressed with the before and after difference, I had to try the Imus Comfort Bit with my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse. Right away, I was simply amazed with how much better my Walking horse rode in it. Her head nod was deeper, freer and straighter; her ears flopped consistently, and I even heard an occasional click of her teeth. She was relaxed and responsive with a light contact. She even spooks less when I ride in the Imus Comfort Bit, so I felt safer.

flat walk with Imus Comfort Bit

The only downside I can think of is that the Imus Comfort Bit is not a recognized dressage bit. However, it is perfect for trail riding and rail class breed shows.

For more about the Imus Comfort Bit, visit: PhoenixRisingSaddles.

Video: Imus Comfort Bit in action at the Minnesota Horse Expo Tennessee Walking Horse demonstration

I hope this is helpful. Let me know your thoughts by sending a message.

Visit website: NaturallyGaitedHorse.com
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Dressage for the Gaited Horse, The Versatile Gaited Horse

Naturally Walkin’ in Wonderland

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walkin in wonderland

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

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

Dressage for the Gaited Horse, Gaited Dressage Videos, Gaited Horses and Cows, The Versatile Gaited Horse

Video: Gaited Dressage and Cows?

Western Gaited Dressage

What do you get when you blend dressage with a gaited horse and cows? An application of western gaited dressage, naturally!

By Jennifer Klitzke

I took my Tennessee walking horse Gift of Freedom (Makana) to an “Introducing Your Horse to Cows” Clinic held at Hi Circle Vee Ranch in Isanti, MN. We were the only gaited team among 19 quarter horses, paints and appaloosas which turned a few heads and raised usual the question, “What kind of horse is that?”

This clinic was a terrific confidence booster for both horses and riders of all ages. Horses were gradually introduced to cows over the fence and then individually in a round pen with a coach. We let the horse slowly walk up and sniff the cows and then picked a cow to follow. Once each horse discovered that they were empowered to move the cow, their fear was replaced with confidence.

I had a hunch that once Makana realized she could move the cows, her gift of bossiness would take over. And was I ever right! Within a minute she was pushing the cow along with little help from me.

After we moved the cow around, we were coached to ride ahead and cut the cow off to change directions and keep the cow from joining the herd. The sneaky cows figured out a way to make a break back to the herd and that’s where the dressage training really paid off. It became a game between horse and cow and strategy on the part of the rider. Lots of changes of direction, transitions from walk, canter, gait, halt, bending, turning on the forehand, and turning on the haunches. Only the beautiful expression of riding on the bit was thrown out the door when my horse turned cowy and developed the desired pinny ears and death stare.

It was a super fun time to get out of the frozen tundra and try something new. I’m lucky to live near two barns that offer open sorting and team penning practice each week. Stay tuned, there might be more of this in our future!

Video: Introducing my gaited horse to cows

Video: Gaited dressage and cows coaching session

I hope this is helpful. Let me know your thoughts by sending a message.

Visit website: NaturallyGaitedHorse.com
Subscribe: Naturally Gaited youtube channel
Follow: facebook.com/naturallygaitedhorse