By Jennifer Klitzke

Riding at the MN Horse Expo last year inspired a story I titled “Facing Fear.” This year’s return to the Expo inspired “The Sequel.” Horses have a way of catching me off guard. I think God uses this to keep me humble and remind me to draw my strength from Him.

Gift of Freedom (Makana) and I arrived early Thursday morning to familiarize ourselves with the Coliseum. Our warm up rides were terrific, and it seemed that she remembered being there the last two years riding at the MN State Fair and last year’s Horse Expo. “Piece of cake,” I thought. So I wasn’t worried about how she’d be the next few days.

Friday morning we warmed up relaxed and forward in the practice arena with about 30 other horses. Then our group was called to the Coliseum. As soon as we approached the Coliseum gate, the announcer’s animated voice escalations and expectant crowd clapping panicked Makana. I felt like I was riding on a stiff plank caught by a swirling cyclone. The relaxation, softness and suppleness we had achieved just seconds before entering the Coliseum, quickly vanished. It was all I could do just to stay on. It seemed that nothing had prepared me for “Facing Fear, the Sequel.”

Returning to the barn, discouragement came over me like an ominous thundercloud. I thought about all of the preparation just to be there and the years of dressage study, lessons, clinics, shows, and experiences Makana and I have had together. How could we have been more prepared for this? It was daunting to think of facing four more demonstration rides. I wondered how I could regain control to show Makana’s true talent? Most importantly, how would I manage my anxiety knowing how explosive she had been? Certainly it would be easier to just to pack up and go home.

Saturday afternoon I watched Larry Whitesell and Jennifer Bauer’s gaited dressage demonstration. Larry explained the importance of relaxation, rhythm and balance beginning with the apex (poll). Larry said that if a horse is tense in the poll, it will brace through the whole body which will make bending impossible. I certainly understood what that felt like. Larry also said that a relaxed horse is a happy and safer horse to ride. If the horse is panicked, it’s the rider’s job to help the horse find relaxation and balance. In Larry’s words, “Teach the horse what TO do instead of punishing him for what NOT to do.” A horse’s fight and flight instincts need to be met with relaxation, balance and rhythm, not punishment. Punishing a horse for panicking only makes a horse distrust the rider’s leadership more.

Sunday morning I spent an hour teaching Makana how to relax at the poll from the ground and then while in the saddle. We faced our fear empowered with Larry’s helpful tools of relaxation, rhythm, and balance (and yes, lots and lots of prayer).

Gift of Freedom ridden by Jennifer Klitzke — At the 2012 Minnesota Horse Expo, Larry Whitesell explained the importance of teaching a nervous horse relaxation and balance which makes it safer to ride and improves a horse’s trust in the handler.

Story: Facing Fear>

Record-Breaking March Heat

April 3, 2012 Jennifer Klitzke

By Jennifer Klitzke

Lawn mowers, mosquitoes, flowering trees, song birds in chorus, and the return of hay fever—in March!

Midwest March heat melted previous high-temperature records. Perhaps the March heat is what inspired my mare’s record-breaking heat that showed up the day before our western gaited dressage demonstration this season.

Up until last year when she turned seven, Makana had been a saint 95% of the time. That’s when I began to notice a change in her behavior. Saint one day and erratic the next. It was nearly impossible to get her moving forward.

At first I thought it was my riding position, then I explored saddle fitting issues, tried some supplements, and changed her diet. The one thing I hadn’t considered was a change in her hormones, mainly because I can never tell when she’s in heat. She shows no physical outward signs.

Makana and I had a terrific time riding through the mild winter temperatures, until March, the day before our gaited dressage demonstration at the Western Dressage Clinic. The day before the clinic I had my record-breaking worst ride ever! Explosive, distracted, spooky, unwilling to turn or bend to the right, I couldn’t believe this was the same horse I had been riding all winter! Getting after her only made her behavior worse, so I asked for my saintly husband’s help.

Dan grabbed his helmet and said, “How about if I get on? I’ve never experienced what you’re describing.” He calmly climbed on and walked her around singing, “Rawhide.” Makana mellowed out within a few verses. Was it the song? Not likely, but my husband’s approach made a profound difference, and he taught me an important lesson. He patiently wooed Makana out of her frenzy by inviting her into relaxation. My approach of reacting to her behavior by getting after her only stirred her up more. Ding-dong!

So, at the Western Dressage Clinic, I didn’t sing “Rawhide,” but I did apply Dan’s approach as I dealt with Makana’s marishness and it worked. No explosions; no erratic behavior. My mare could have been more forward and paid a little more attention to me over that handsome demonstration gelding, but I didn’t react to her marishness by getting after her. I kept redirecting her to relaxation through long and low stretching, leg yields, shoulder-in, hauches-in, rein back, transitions between the working walk, flat walk, running walk, free walk and canter. In fact, we even rode through first level, test one!

The success of Dan’s approach really doesn’t surprise me. After all, he knows how to gently love me out of a rather marish day and turn it into smiles and sunshine.

Video: Western Dressage Demonstration: NWHA First Level, Test One

As a “thank you” gift from the clinic organizers, Makana received her first bag of “Mare Magic.” I’ve heard good reports and will keep you posted.

Dressage for the Gaited Horse, Gaited Dressage Clinics

Gaited Dressage featured at Western Dressage Clinic

March 28, 2012 Jennifer Klitzke 1 Comment

By Jennifer Klitzke

Driving to the Western Dressage Clinic on Saturday, May 24, reminded me of our Annual B.L.E.S.S. Your Horse Clinics in Proctor, MN because the dense fog gave me a viewing distance of two car lengths. Thankfully I had a passenger who knew where we were headed, otherwise I think my GPS would have made me more lost than ever!

Over fifty fun and friendly horse people came together for a wonderful clinic hosted by Enchanted Hollow Farm in Buffalo, MN and organized by Judy Conger and Gene Hacket which focused on the up-and-coming equine sport of Western Dressage.

Speakers included AnnMarie Brockhouse with the Western Dressage Association of Minnesota and Western Dressage Association of America, Judy Conger, Jan Halter and me.

After a morning of lively conversations, education, an informational overview about the WDAA, door prizes and lunch, we headed to the barn for an afternoon of riding demonstrations. Jan Halter showed her Second Level dressage gelding and how dressage has improved their partnership. I rode my TWH mare, Gift of Freedom through the NWHA First Level, Test One gaited dressage test after demonstrating first level gaits, lateral exercises, the power of “long and low,” and relaxation in bringing a gaited horse into a frame to begin four-beat gaited movements.

Afterwards, Jan rode her quarter horse through a western dressage test, and then dressage instructor Judy Conger coached two brave volunteers through the basics of western dressage on their horses. The “before’s” and “after’s” were inspiring. Both horses were jogging in a relaxed and round frame.

Photo Gallery>

NWHA First Level, Test One gaits
httpv://youtu.be/k5EPaqEsgRo

NWHA First Level, Test One
httpv://youtu.be/gE7i4QSFTOk

Dressage for the Gaited Horse

Snow Day

March 4, 2012 Jennifer Klitzke

Snow Day

Gotta count my blessings. We received our first snow storm of the season—and it’s nearly spring! More often than not, the snow season begins in November and lasts until March.

In any case, I had a blast riding my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse Makana in the snow. We were practicing our four-beat flat walk, running walk and canter for the March 24, 2012 western gaited dressage demo held at Enchanted Hollow Stables in Buffalo, MN.

Thankfully it will be held indoors!

Gaited Horse Training, Starting a Gaited Horse Over Jumps, The Versatile Gaited Horse

Forwardness is not an Option

February 2, 2012 Jennifer Klitzke

Forwardness is Not an Option

By Jennifer Klitzke

North Run Farm’s heated indoor arena made for a comfortable respite on a brisk Minnesota winter morning. Makana, my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse enjoyed digging into the unfrozen footing. The quality of her flat walk, running walk, and canter have noticeably improved through the jumping exercises we’ve been practicing.

However, it was a typical Minnesota winter day and Makana’s first encounter with the heater’s song and dance. Her forward flat walk came to a screeching halt each time she neared the humming heater. It wasn’t the jumping lesson I had in mind, but it was the lesson we needed. Len coached me through a course of distractions and Makana’s willful choices not to go forward. No doubt schooling through episodes like these will prepare us for future shows when we ride by clapping crowds, flapping banners, exuberant children, and the announcer’s booth.

Below are three take-a-ways from my January lesson at North Run Farm.

Lesson Tip #1: Working through distractions. Each time Makana would stop, stare, and blow back at the heater, Len suggested that I keep Makana’s shoulders, head and neck straight with a slight inside bend, and inside leg on. Then direct her into a small circle, gradually enlarging the circle until she willingly moved past the spooky object.

My previous approach to riding through Makana’s spooks has been to make her face the object, but this allows her to stop, and that rewards her for spooking. When it comes to jumping, stopping and fences do not mix.

“Forwardness,” Len said, “is not an option.”

After a few circles, Makana settled enough to proceed with jumping. Len set up a ground rail spaced nine feet before an “x.” The ground rail was meant to minimize her choices as she learns how to jump—choices like becoming airborne six feet ahead of the jump, rushing, and jumping flat.

As I approached the line, Makana was still reluctant to move forward over the ground rail and “x” toward the heater. Len observed that my grandma-leg cues were not getting the desired response, so he popped a lunge whip behind Makana as she approached the line. Thankfully, Makana began to change her mind about jumping toward the heater.

Lesson Tip #2: Rider’s position on a green horse. Len noticed that Makana became distracted each time I tweaked my aids through the line. He encouraged me to circle into a forward canter, set my aids as I approached the line, and remain quiet through the line so that Makana could focus on learning. With calves clamped on and hands low with a light contact, I made it through the line without changing my position, my contact, and my legs. I felt the HUGE difference this made!

Lesson Tip #3: Break down confrontations into small bits. Confrontations are part of life and training horses is no exception. When things go wrong, Len encouraged me to simplify instead of trying to fix multiple issues at once.

First focus on forwardness, then add forwardness and straightness, then forwardness, straightness and frame, then forwardness, straightness, frame and the fence.

Most important, don’t proceed to jumping until the horse is forward. Remember, forwardness is not an option.

Let me know your thoughts by sending me a message. Stay connected by subscribing to the Naturally Gaited youtube channel and “like” us on facebook.com/naturallygaited.

Snow Day

Forwardness is Not an Option

Dressage is More than Trot