Category Archives: Dressage for the Gaited Horse

Relaxation is key in developing smooth gaits for the Tennessee Walking Horse and other naturally gaited horse breeds. So, how do you teach a horse relaxation? Is rhythm the best way to produce it?
Here’s my story.

How I learned rhythm: The Pyramid of Training

I began a journey into competitive dressage with non-gaited horses in 1988. Back then we didn’t have the plethora of resources we have today. The internet was a dark distant dream, and resources like social media, blogs, and video channels were nonexistent. We were fortunate to have a traveling dressage instructor teach us the Pyramid of Training.

Back in 1988, the Pyramid of Training began with a foundation of rhythm (with energy and tempo) followed by relaxation (with elasticity and suppleness). Then connection (acceptance of the bit through acceptance of the aids), impulsion (increased energy and thrust), straightness (improved alignment and balance), and collection (increased engagement, lightness of the forehand, self carriage).

We showed our horses by riding dressage tests at the level of our training, beginning with Training level, followed by First, Second, Third, Fourth, Prix St. Georges, Intermediate, and Grand Prix. The latter showed the horse attaining the top of the Pyramid of Training. We moved up to the next level after achieving a few scores in the 60s or above. Most riders and horses never reached beyond Second level. The Pyramid of Training is a challenging, time consuming, and costly way to progress in dressage.

We believed rhythm produced relaxation. So, for my first 20 years of dressage riding with non-gaited horses, I lunged my horse and then rode him on a 20-meter circle in a long and low position to develop rhythm until he was relaxed. This was my process to achieve relaxation.

The Pyramid of Training with a Tennessee Walking Horse

In 2007, I acquired my first naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse, Makana. I applied the dressage Pyramid of Training I learned with non-gaited horses. Makana often worried about her surroundings and tensed her body. Worry quickened and shortened her steps. Was it smooth? Yes, but not the long striding flat walk she was capable of. Tension also affected her gait. When she tensed her body, it produced a step pace and a pace canter―definitely not smooth.

Makana often spooked when tense. This certainly didn’t create relaxation in me. My tense reaction only reinforced her spooking and perpetuated her worry. If I continued to ride her in this state, it was like trying to control a stiff plank caught in a gusty wind. Each spook made it harder to establish rhythm. We definitely had energy and tempo! I hoped to stay on long enough until she found rhythm and eventually reach relaxation.

I wondered, “How long does a nervous rider persevere on an anxious horse through spooks and tension before rhythm is established and relaxation sets in to develop smooth gaits?”

If I could sweat it out, riding a tense horse in a jarring gait for an hour, was this really the best approach? What was my horse learning by riding through miles of tension? Wasn’t I reinforcing her fear with my fear? I was certainly reinforcing mine!

Perhaps a relaxed rider could have ridden Makana through her tension and spooking to rhythm until she relaxed. For me, I needed a different approach.

The Pyramid of Training with a fox trotting horse

When my naturally gaited fox trotting horse, Lady, was tense in her lower jaw, mouth, and poll, it affected her whole body, and she would blast off into a hard, hollow trot. Any attempt to slow her down with bit contact only made her trot faster. Lady wasn’t having fun, and neither was I.

Perhaps after a few miles of a hard trot, Lady would have been tired enough to relax into rhythm, relaxation, and a smooth gait. However, what muscle memory was I teaching her? Wasn’t she just learning to run away in tension? For me, I needed a different approach.

Is there another way to do dressage?

In 2013, I began exploring a different application of dressage with my naturally gaited horses. Through DVDs and books by French dressage masters Philippe Karl and the late Jean Claude Racinet, I discovered techniques to help my horses mentally and physically relax before BEFORE I rode.

While Karl and Racinet rode dressage with non-gaited horses, their methods offer many benefits for my naturally gaited horses and for me as the rider.

The core of the French dressage philosophy is “respect to the horse” and the foundation of training is relaxation, balance, and impulsion. The ideal is to train the horse to be responsive to the lightest hand, leg and seat aids from a state of relaxed balance.

Legerete training model — *The Legerete (lightness) training model.*

Legerete begins with relaxation and balance BEFORE rhythm.

Surrounding the foundation of lightness is developing flexibility through suppleness. Then mobility with straightness and rhythm, followed by collection developing cadence. Legerete begins with relaxation and balance BEFORE rhythm.

In hand exercises

Instead of lunging or riding a worried or tense horse for miles in hopes of developing rhythm leading to relaxation, I have learned in-hand exercises that teach the horse relaxed balance at a halt and then at a slow walk. These exercises both improve my rein communication with my horse to help them accept and follow a gentle contact with a mild snaffle bit.

inhand flexion — After a flexion to the right to stretch the left-side neck muscles. I signal “Action.”

extension in flexion — The “Reaction” encourages the horse to stretch out in a lower position

I’ve noticed the in-hand relaxing and balancing exercises make riding easier, too. These same in-hand flexibility exercises are applied from the saddle at a halt. As long as my horse maintains a relaxed and balanced state of mind and body, I’ll proceed to a slow walk and then increase the tempo to a smooth gait. After developing relaxed balance then we work on developing rhythm.

Anytime my horse gets tense, anxious, or loses balance, I slow down the tempo or halt and reapply these flexibility and suppling exercises until relaxed balance is restored. This has been a better option for me and my naturally gaited horses compared with riding through miles of tension. Plus, the riding we do in a relaxed and balanced state develops the quality smooth gaits and muscle memory I desire. This dressage approach has led to a harmonious partnership with my naturally gaited horses.

work in hand to teach the horse how to accept and follow a light contact — Relaxing the mouth

My six-year-old naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse / Spotted Saddle Horse, Marvel, has been trained exclusively with the Legerete method and is coming along nicely. Plus, I cherish the fun and interactive partnership we have developed.

Anytime my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horses get worried, or my Foxtrotting mare gets tense in her body, I just ease down to a slow walk, halt or even dismount to work in-hand and restore relaxation. I don’t proceed until I’ve established mental and physical relaxation.

How relaxation creates smooth gaits

For me and my naturally gaited horses, we don’t proceed into movement until they are mentally and physically relaxed.

Without relaxation, there is no quality rhythm, no quality steps, no trainable or teachable horse to produce quality smooth gaits.

Thankfully French dressage has been the training philosophy I needed for my naturally gaited horses. Directing my horse to relaxation of mind makes a teachable horse−less tense and distracted and able to stay more focused on our time together. Teaching the gaited horse to relax its body leads to smoother gaits.

Ways to lead the horse into relaxation are:

Teaching the horse how to accept and follow a light snaffle bit contact
Teaching the horse how to relax the mouth, lower jaw, and poll which helps the horse relax through the back
Riding with a snaffle bit contact and following the natural head and neck motion with relaxed hands, arms, and shoulders
Making sure I am relaxed as a rider helps me lead my horse into relaxation
Shoulder in exercises in hand or from the saddle at a slow walk
Developing a partnership of trust and harmony with the horse

Relaxation of the horse’s jaw and back are especially important for the naturally gaited horse. The gaited horse is more prone to pacing when there is tension in the mouth, lower jaw, poll, and back.

My Tennessee Walking Horse has learned to relax her mouth, lower jaw, poll, and back. The step pace and lateral canter are gone. Now she has quality smooth gaits such as flat walk, running walk and saddle rack, and her canter is a quality three-beat canter.

Naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse balanced flat walk — Naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse at a relaxed and balanced flat walk.

For my fox trotting mare, by relaxing her mouth and lower jaw helps her relax her back. The hollow, hard trot is gone. Now she consistently offers a smooth gait.

Lady fox trot — My naturally gaited fox trotting mare, Lady in a relaxed and balanced fox trot with contact.

My naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse, Marvel in a relaxed and balanced flat walk.

Does a relaxed rider make a difference?

Applying French dressage with my gaited horses in hand and in saddle has built my confidence as the trusted leader in our partnership. It has also helped me be a more relaxed rider when we increase the tempo to a smooth gait or canter.

Neck extension at a flat walk — Riding my smooth gaited Tennessee walking horse Makana in a flat walk with neck extension. The neck extension allows the horse to both stretch its spine and build its top line while allowing maximum stride length.

Over the last several years, I have learned tools that have helped me become a more relaxed and confident rider. My relaxation and confidence lead my naturally gaited horses into relaxation of mind and body. From this mutual relaxation, my horses are able to produce quality, smooth gaits (with a lot less spooks)!

Now we are having fun!

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

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Dressage for the Gaited Horse

Improving Full Range of Motion

December 8, 2024 Jennifer Klitzke

Dressage for the naturally gaited horse offers many benefits include improving the full range of motion.

Dressage for the naturally gaited horse introduces many unique exercises that offer many benefits include improving the full range of motion, helping the horse find balance over the body mass, developing engagement of the hindquarters, abdominal muscles and chest muscles, and improving symmetry.

One of the best benefits dressage exercises offer the gaited horse are that they diagonalize the footfalls to break up pace for a four-beat smooth gait and break up a lateral canter for a truer three-beat canter.

Each time I ride my naturally gaited horse; I think about an accordion player. To produce the full scale of notes, the accordion stretches out and then gathers together. Riding a naturally gaited horse using dressage is similar to develop the full range of motion. There are neck extensions that stretch the top line muscles and spine and improve stride length and over track. There are also exercises that stretch the horse’s muscles longitudinally and exercises that help the horse engage.

This post and the video below capture elements from one riding session. Me and my then 16-year-old naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse, Makana work through dressage exercises and the full range of motion to improve quality smooth gaits.

Watch: Improving Full Range of Motion for the Gaited Horse

Developing full range of motion with dressage exercises

**Flechi droit** is not taught in mainstream dressage. It was an exercise I learned when studying classical equitation. There are many benefits to learning this exercise. Beginning at a slow walk, the horse keeps its body straight and turns its neck and head 45 to 90-degrees. This helps the horse learn shoulder balance and also stretches the outside neck muscles.

**Haunches in:** After the shoulder in, I transition to the haunches in which can be done on three or four tracks on a straight line or on a small circle shown here. It is a wonderful exercise for suppling, balancing and engaging the horse. In this exercise the outside hind leg steps under the body mass.

shoulder fore on a circle at a flat walk — **Shoulder fore:** Any time my naturally gaited horse gets stiff in the flat walk, I like to place her on a 15–20-meter circle in a shoulder-fore position. This helps her find suppleness, balance and engagement in the smooth gait.

counter bend turns — **Counter bend neck rein turns:** Another great exercise for the naturally gaited horse is counter bend neck rein turns. This exercise can be done at a slow walk or in a smooth gait as shown here and in the video. The rider positions the horse’s bend to see the outside eye. Then as the inside shoulder is about to move forward, the rider motions both reins from the outside to the inside. The outside rein touches against the outside neck. This indicates to the horse to transfer weight from the outside shoulder to the inside shoulder. This exercise has wonderful benefits for the naturally gaited horse in lightening the forehand.

These exercises help the naturally gaited horse find balance over the body mass, lighten the forehand and shoulders, engage the hindquarters, abdominal muscles, and thoracic sling, and help the horse relax the mouth, lower jaw and poll, and stretch the top line and spine for full range of motion. Plus, these exercises break up pacey lateral movement for smooth natural gaits.

A slow and folding rein back to half steps and piaffe are also great exercises to improve engagement and lighten the forehand.

lateral pace canter — Lateral pace canter

Dressage exercises such as the shoulder in and haunches in diagonalize the footfall sequence to break up a lateral canter for a truer three-beat canter.

This post and video applying dressage exercises to develop the full range of motion in a variety of smooth gaits: walk, canter, fox trot, saddle rack, flat walk, and running walk.

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

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Dressage for the Gaited Horse

Lightness to the Hand

November 24, 2024 Jennifer Klitzke

Why do horses lean on the bit? Is all heaviness on the hand treated the same? How does a rider learn to communicate with the horse to teach lightness to the hand? Let’s take a look.

I’m a visual learner by preference. However, to glean in depth knowledge of centuries old classical equitation, book learning is my only option since videos didn’t exist then.

One of the books I am studying is, Faverot de Kerbrech: Methodical Dressage of the Riding Horse. Kerbrech, a student of French riding master Francois Baucher, offers many takeaways for those interested in learning classical equitation according to his second manner—even for riders with naturally gaited horses.

Among the takeaways is why horses get heavy on the rider’s hands and how to re-establish lightness. It has been eye opening to realize there are more than one reason why horses lean on the rider’s hand, and it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach to restoring lightness.

Why do horses lean on our hands?

In this book, Kerbrech describes two reasons why horses lean on our hands. Each reason has a different corrective measure.

Lose Balance: When horses lose their balance, their weight shifts more to the shoulders and fore legs. They lose their engaged posture. Then they lean on the rider’s hands like a fifth leg.
Tension or Resistance: When horses become resistant or tense in the mouth, jaw and poll, they can become heavy on the rider’s hands.

How do you help the horse restore lightness to the hand?

Baucher two methods for restoring lightness. One for when the horse loses balance and another for when the horse becomes tense or resistant.

Teach each method from the ground while dismounted
Then apply each method in the saddle at a halt before proceeding to motion

I have been working my naturally gaited horses using these methods for a while now. We have progressed to in saddle work and smooth gait with a light contact using a snaffle bit.

From time to time each of my horses get heavy in my hands.

First, I identify the cause of the heaviness
Then I bring my horse to a halt since it is the simplest and quickest way to restore lightness and re-establish relaxation and balance

A high and light, balanced Tennessee Walking Horse Spanish Walk

Method 1: How to restore lightness to the hand after the horse loses balance

Bring the horse to a halt
Shorten the reins with the snaffle bit
With elbows at your sides, close your fingers on each rein, turn your palms upward with your thumbs pointing outward
Raise your hands upward (keeping elbows at your sides) meeting the heaviness with contact
The horse should lift its head and neck, shift its weight back to the hindquarters, and relax to the contact
Once the horse relaxes to the contact, immediately relax your middle, ring, and pinky fingers (maintain contact with thumb and index fingers)
Lower your hands to a neutral position with a light contact
Proceed to walk with a following contact

Balanced square halt — At a halt, elbows at side, hands meet heaviness with contact, lift hands upward never pull backward. This upward position positions the bit to contact the lip corners instead of pressing down on the tongue and bars.

volt — Marvel is showing lightness and relaxation on the bit with the poll (between the ears) as the highest point.

Method 2: How to restore lightness to the hand after the horse is tense or resistant in the mouth or jaw?

When the horse resists the contact and roots, relaxation is the answer with gentle vibrations.

Bring the horse to a halt
Shorten the reins with the snaffle bit
With elbows at your sides, close your fingers on each rein, turn your palms upward with your thumbs pointing outward
Raise your hands upward (keeping elbows at your sides) meeting the resistance with gentle squeeze and releases (or vibrations) on the reins
The horse should lift its head and neck, shift its weight back to the hindquarters, and relax to the contact
Once the horse relaxes to the contact, immediately relax your middle, ring, and pinky fingers (maintain contact with thumb and index fingers)
Lower your hands to a neutral position with a light contact
Proceed to walk with a following contact

What are additional tips to help the horse maintain lightness to the hand?

Riding in a balanced ear-shoulder-hip-heel alignment over the horse’s center of gravity is a great start.

Don’t let the reins get too long
Instead, shorten the reins while keeping your elbows at your sides

Clear and gentle communication

Cue with an upward motion or upward vibrations, palms slightly facing upward and with my hands slightly raised. This is for the horse’s comfort and to encourage bit acceptance. The purpose is to encourage the horse to have a positive experience with the bit for communication.

Other ways to encourage comfort are to ride with a gentle well-fitting snaffle bit, a loose nose band or no nose band. This encourages a relaxed mouth and a horse that can salivate and swallow.

Learning how to help the horse maintain lightness to the hand with relaxation and balance takes patience, consistent training, and time. It is worth the investment!

Avoid pulling back on the reins

Pulling backward on the reins especially with a low hand position, presses the snaffle into the horse’s sensitive tongue and bars. This pain leads to bit avoidance. Examples include evading the bit, going behind the bit, above the bit, rooting, and even running away from contact.

Balance and the Naturally Gaited Horse

All heaviness is not corrected the same way

It is eye opening in the way Baucher clarifies distinct applications to addressing various reasons for heaviness. Not all heaviness is treated equally. Heaviness due to a loss of balance is treated differently that heaviness due to a loss of relaxation or resistance.

These are important distinctions. Since tension and resistance require multiple vibrations or squeeze and releases with the hands, a loss of balance, requires a constant gentle upward lifting action with the hands.

While I had awareness between a loss of balance versus resistance creating heaviness in my hands, I had been applying the same cue to address resistance until reading this book. This has clarified my communication and my horse’s response notably.

As tempo increases, it is common for horses to lose balance and relaxation and become heavy on the hand

As tempo increases, it is common for horses to lose balance and relaxation. Often horses will rush onto the forehand, begin to brace, pace or run away. It is difficult to restore relaxation and balance while the horse is at tempo.

Horses need to learn relaxation and balance. It is easiest to teach this in hand, on the lunge, and then in saddle at a halt followed by a slow walk. This progression has educated me to the aids as I notice my horse’s responses to my cues. This process has improved communication between me and my horses.

It is easier to restore balance and relaxation at a halt or a slower tempo than at speed

When I began canter with one of my horses, we lost balance and relaxation after a few good strides.

I quickly learned two important strategies:

It is best to transition to a halt or slow walk and restore relaxation and balance than to attempt to restore balance and relaxation at speed. I haven’t been successful at restoring balance and relaxation at speed once it has been lost.
It is best to halt the horse after a few good strides and reward the horse. This clarifies what I desire and over time a few good strides increase to a circle and then the entire arena.

After restoring relaxation and balance, I transition from a halt or slow walk to more tempo gradually as long as relaxation and balance are maintained. Transitions within a gait, between gaits, between changes of direction and exercises are helpful ways to develop balance. Over time and consistent training, the horse can maintain relaxation and balance in tempo for longer durations of time while the rider proactively rides the horse.

Gaited horses can be a trip hazard when traveling out of balance at speed

Many gaited horses stumble. Sometimes it is due to being out of balance. Other times it is because of how they move. Most gaited horses are ridden in a four beat gait. These gaits do not have suspension. There is always a foot on the ground. This is one reason for their naturally smooth gait. Since they are more earth bound, there is a greater chance for tripping, especially when out of balance.

For safety’s sake, it is best to restore relaxation and balance at a halt or slow walk before adding more tempo. As the horse becomes more developed through consistent training, balance can be achieved in motion with fewer stumbles.

Clarifying my aids has improved communication with my young naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse, Marvel, and has made a big difference in his training. We are maintaining lightness to the hands in a variety of relaxed and balanced smooth gaits for longer durations.

Now, back to the book study for more gleanings as we work our way to a relaxed and balanced canter!

Additional articles and videos about teaching lightness, relaxation and balance with the naturally gaited horse

Introducing a Gaited Horse to a Snaffle Bit

Why Work In Hand Makes Training Easier

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

Dressage for the Gaited Horse

Differences in Dressage

July 4, 2024 Jennifer Klitzke

Are all dressage methods the same? Do all dressage applications produce the same result? Let’s take a look.

In 1988, I embarked on a journey to learn dressage. Back then the competition dressage pyramid of training was the only form taught within my dressage community. Mind you, the world wide web and social media did not exist then with moments access to differing applications. So, in my corner of the world, I believed there was only one way to do dressage. This meant regular lessons to prepare for competition and confirm whether my horse and I were ready to move up a level.

However, a pivotal moment in 1995 introduced me to an altogether different dressage paradigm when French dressage master Dominic Barbier made a stop at my corner of the world. The lightness, harmony, and joy he personified with each horse was more like an artistic dance. This creative right-brain approach challenged my left-brain methods and awakened my heart and soul to participate in a two-way dialogue with my horse.

Yet, after the clinic ended, I returned to the competition dressage community to further my education. My Trakehner/Thoroughbred gelding, Seili and I pressed on to compete through Second level.

Seili first recognized show — Seili and I at our first recognized show.

A move northward to rural western games territory forced me to rely on my hard-wired habits from the dressage training pyramid. Seili grew into retirement and my grandma body took shape. Smooth called me by name, and I acquired a three-year-old naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse, Makana.

With the exception of a few traveling gaited horse and dressage clinicians who came to my region, I continued to apply the dressage pyramid of training as Makana and I moved through Intro, Training, and First levels. From 2010 to 2015 we traveled to a variety of dressage schooling shows willing to embrace the only non-trotting entry. In all we rode over 60 tests.

showing dressage with a gaited horse — Showing my naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse in flat walk at a traditional dressage show.

Not long after the digital age introduced me to the work of classical French dressage master, Philippe Karl’s School of Légèreté (School of Lightness) and the late Jean Claude Racinet. I purchased a library of books and DVDs to begin experimenting with this different approach to dressage.

A favorite in my collection is DVD Classical Versus Classique where French dressage master Philippe Karl and Christoph Hess, head of the training department of the German National Equestrian Federation, demonstrate and discuss their differing dressage methodologies. It has been rewatched enough I need a fresh copy!

While Hess confirmed my competition dressage understanding, Karl challenged my hard-wired habits. Karl’s application of French dressage awakened me to a for-the-horse approach to training that seeks my horse’s response in a partnership of harmony.

Navigating differing dressage dialogues

Trying out this new dressage paradigm, I observed significant impacts on the horses I rode, particularly their responses to my hand, leg, seat, and weight aids.

Application of the hand, leg, seat and weight aids

The competition dressage system taught a back-to-front approach, where I used my seat and legs to drive my horse forward into a low hand position for contact. However, this method led to a lack of true connection.

How? The low hand position made contact with my horse’s tongue causing discomfort. My horse evaded the tongue pressure and tucked behind the vertical creating an illusion of lightness. Plus, his poll dropped below the highest point.

Adding to this, riding was an aerobic workout! I wrongly perceived my horses as lazy and felt compelled to keep them moving forward with each step. In actuality, my melded leg, seat and hand aids created this perceived laziness―much like driving my car with a foot on the gas pedal and brake pedal simultaneously! What a revelation to realize this mixed message prevented my horse’s forwardness.

French dressage introduces a distinct separation between the leg and seat aids for “go” and the hand aids for “stop.” This clarity has brought newfound clarity to our communication leading to lightness and responsiveness and removing the excessive exertion on my part to keep my horse moving forward.

Transforming my riding to the French dressage approach proved challenging. It took time to unlearn habits of combining my aids and adopt a new way of communicating with my horse. Yet, it has paid off. My horses have gained lightness, and now we ride with the poll as the highest point.

Naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse flat walk — How dressage improves quality smooth gait over time. Makana at the age of 19.

Achieving relaxation and balance

In competition dressage, relaxation grew from riding miles upon miles on a 20-meter circle in a long and low position. While this developed the top line muscles, this approach actually conditioned my horse on the forehand. Moving Seili into Second level was a rude awakening. This meant retraining him to attain the required balance produced through the shoulder-in, haunches-in, and rein back.

In competition dressage, we believed the horse was in balance when ridden briskly forward enough to track up the hind leg steps.

True balance occurs when the head and neck are carried more over the horse’s body mass. The hindquarters engage where the hind legs lift beneath the belly more than push beyond the tail in disengagement. Engaging the abdominal muscles lift the back, and the chest muscles lift the shoulders and wither. This doesn’t happen in a long and low position.

In competition dressage, true balance is introduced at Second level where shoulder-in, haunches-in, and rein back are required. No wonder why it took Seili and I a couple years before we reached a showable Second level dressage test. We had to undo the habit of riding on the forehand to developing a posture of balance.

Few riders I know ever reach Second level and beyond in the competition dressage system. How do horse’s learn balance?

French dressage prioritizes balance and relaxation from the beginning of training. The rider gently teaches the horse how to accept and follow a mild snaffle bit from the ground. At a relaxed and balanced position, the horse learns to carry its own head and neck and not lean on the rider’s hands. The horse learns lateral exercises and rein back, as well as flexions and an extended position in-hand before saddle training.

Karl points out that the head and neck weigh up to 1/10th of the horse’s total weight. Imbalance occurs when the head and neck are propelled ahead of the body mass in a prolonged long and low position.

In French dressage any one position is not held at length. Rather the rider transitions the horse from moments of a balanced position to moments, not miles, of an extended position to stretch the top line muscles and spine and develop the full range of motion. Plus, this extended frame keeps the poll at wither height to maintain a lifted back and shoulders.

This early-on emphasis on relaxation and balance revolutionized my training approach. By prioritizing relaxation and balance, my horses developed softness, flexibility, and poised pride, setting the foundation for quality smooth gaits and greater trust.

Lightness of the hand and leg

Achieving lightness to the hand and leg is a crucial aspect of dressage. Competition dressage taught me how to drive my horse forward with my seat and legs into a low hand position. A higher hand position was frowned upon. To discourage my horse not to lean on the bit, I used draw reins, snug-fitting nosebands, and switched to a thinner bit.

French dressage has taught me a greater respect for the horse’s wellbeing in ways I had been completely unaware. For instance, I never knew that cueing with a low hand position actually presses the bit into the horse’s tongue and causes pain. Pain leads to bit avoidance. Pain also creates tension and for the naturally gaited horse, this leads to pacing. The angle of a low hand position is how a single-jointed snaffle becomes a nutcracker. A raised hand position does not.

French dressage offers a different approach by teaching the horse to be responsive and light to the hand aids apart from the leg aids producing self-carriage. The rider separates the hand and leg aids providing clearer communication between the stop and go aids. The horse learns to maintain the requested tempo through a light leg aid. This eliminates the rider’s need to constantly drive the horse forward, leading to a more responsive and engaged partnership.

As soon as I began separating my go and stop aids, my perceived “lazy” horse became lighter.

Instead of a fixed low hand position, cues are applied with a raised hand to avoid pressing the bit into the horse’s tongue. I also learned how to help my horse relax the jaw, poll, and mouth to teach bit acceptance and guide my horse into various head and neck positions while maintaining lightness. My horse’s comfort leads to bit acceptance and has brought about a more mental and physical relaxation, resulting in smoother gaits.

Bit acceptance

Competition dressage viewed it unsightly for the horse to open its mouth. We rode our horses in snug-fitting crank nosebands, flash nosebands, or drop nosebands to keep our horses’ mouths closed. This conveyed the appearance of bit acceptance.

However, this approach unknowingly caused discomfort for the horse. The combination of a low hand position and a snug-fitting noseband led to tension in the horse’s jaw and tongue. As a result, the horse would grind its teeth and try to evade the discomfort by tucking its chin behind the vertical. Despite my belief that my horse was light and on-the-bit, it was actually avoiding true contact.

The emphasis on salivation as a sign of proper flexion at the poll is also misleading. Dripping foam is not a sign of a relaxed horse, but rather a consequence of an uncomfortable noseband preventing the horse from swallowing.

Discovering the French dressage approach opened my eyes to true bit acceptance. By allowing my horse to relax its mouth and jaw, taste the bit, and swallow freely, my horse became happier, more comfortable, and able to move in a relaxed way.

A noseband and flash attachment came with every dressage bridle I ever purchased. At first it was foreign to ride without one. Yet riding without a snug-fitting noseband permits my horse to relax the mouth and lower jaw, taste the bit, and swallow. My horse is happier, more relaxed, more comfortable, and able to move more freely without the braces that lead to pace, step pace, and a hard hollow trot.

Ultimately, the education of the mouth and its effect on the entire body aids relaxation leading to achieving fluid and smooth gaits.

One-way to two-way communication

In this French dressage exploration, I discovered the power of two-way dialogue with my horses and moved away from one-way requests. Our time together has become a harmonious exchange of communication through my voice and hand, leg, seat and weight aids while listening for my horse’s response.

Transitioning from one-way to two-way communication has been a transformative journey between me and my horse. Initially, competition dressage instilled in me a unilateral approach, where my aids conveyed commands to my horse. Resistance was met with an escalation of cues until my horse complied as expected.

Delving into the realm of French dressage opened my eyes to rich dialogue with my equine partner. I learned to not only ask with my hand, leg, seat, and weight aids but also to listen attentively to my horse’s response. Rather than interpreting resistance as disobedience, I now view this as misunderstanding or unable to perform a given request and strive to refine my communication and level of difficulty to ensure understanding. This approach brings about harmony, lightness, relaxation, and respect for my horse.

While competition dressage confined me to the arena in preparation for shows, French dressage has broadened our horizons. Our two-way communication extends beyond the confines of the arena, enriching our experiences on the trail, amidst sorting cows, navigating obstacles, and addressing fences. My horse and I now share a deeper connection that transcends the boundaries of the four corners of the arena, allowing us to thrive in various settings together.

Finally, French dressage challenges the notion that only talented horses can perform advanced movements like piaffe and passage. It welcomes all horses to develop their skills and reach their full potential.

Piaffe by a 20-year-old naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse — My naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse at 20 years old at a piaffe.

French dressage for the naturally gaited horse

The teachings of Karl, Racinet, and other French dressage masters offer:

A deep respect for the horse
Riding for the horse’s comfort
Clarity of rider aids by separating the stop from the go
Teaching the horse to be light to the hand and light to the leg
Developing mental and physical relaxation and balanced forward movement without rushing
Developing connection, straightness, symmetry, and collection to bring about the range of motion and quality gaits

shoulder in on a circle with a naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse. — Shoulder in on a circle with Makana,
my 20-year-old naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse.

French dressage has reshaped my approach producing quality smooth gaits in one of the most humane ways. Not all dressage is the same, but I believe what Philippe Karl says, “If the dressage is good, it will work on any horse.” Naturally gaited horses, like any other, thrive under these principles with grace and harmony.

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

How to Improve Canter with a Gaited Horse

June 23, 2024 Jennifer Klitzke

Does your gaited horse struggle with a flat four-beat canter or bumpy lateral canter? You’re not alone. I’ve learned a few ways to improve canter quality with my gaited horse.
Here’s my story…

How to improve canter with a gaited horse

By Jennifer Klitzke

Experiencing dressage with my naturally gaited horses proves that relaxation of the mind and body produce smoother gaits, including canter. This means less lateral canter and four beat canter.

“Don’t practice a poor-quality canter.”

I learned an important lesson from my gaited dressage mentor, Jennie Jackson. She says, “Don’t practice a poor-quality canter.” This means as soon as my horse begins to feel flat, hollow, bumpy, braced, or out of balance in the canter, I need to stop cantering and start over from relaxation. That’s when I transition from canter to a walk or halt, re-establish balance and relaxation and ask for a quality canter depart to quality canter steps.

This also means I need to recognize the feeling of a quality canter and a poor-quality canter so that I can ask for more of the former and reduce steps of the latter. If I continue riding a poor-quality canter, that’s what I teach my horse.

If I want a quality canter, I must know firsthand what a quality canter feels like and practice more of it. That’s why taking lessons from a qualified instructor is so important to me. Instruction provides me timely feedback so that I can learn the feeling of quality and the feeling of poor quality. This helps me train my horses with greater progress and success when I am riding on my own.

Helpful exercises to help break up a four-beat canter into a truer three-beat canter

Walk-canter-walk transitions

Rein back to canter

Gaited horse rein back — Practicing rein back with smaller steps that bend and fold the hind quarters of the gaited horse and helps improve canter quality.

One of my favorite exercises is establishing a soft and round rein back before a canter depart. When the rein back is soft, not forced, and not rushed, it encourages my horses to bend their hindquarter joints and engage their abdominal muscles which lifts their back. This puts them in a wonderful posture most conducive for a quality canter depart and canter steps.

Counter canter

Gymnastic jumping and ground rails

Course of Rails at Rocking R — Showing stadium jumping over rails

While I will never become serious about show jumping my naturally gaited horses, I enjoy schooling them over ground rails and small fences for gymnastic purposes. It gives them variety in their training. I’ve noticed that when we ride over ground poles and small fences, it creates more lift to their canter and brings out a truer three-beat canter.

Video: Cantering a Gaited Horse over Obstacles

Video: Starting a Gaited Horse over Fences

Below is a cantering exercise over two ground rails in an L-shape. I begin by letting my horse walk over the rails before we cantered over them.

Video: Exercises to Break a Lateral or Four-Beat Canter

This is a super fun exercise for the rider and horse.

In addition to improving the quality of canter, you’ll also learn:

Balance of the horse
Rider balance on the horse
The horse’s rhythm
Keeping the horse forward yet relaxed
Looking ahead to plan the arc of a turn and line to a rail
Getting a feel for how many canter strides to a rail

The L-shape can also be used to school flying changes over the rail by alternating the direction over each pole.

Additional tips to introducing and improving canter quality

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

How I learned rhythm: The Pyramid of Training

The Pyramid of Training with a Tennessee Walking Horse

The Pyramid of Training with a fox trotting horse

Is there another way to do dressage?

In hand exercises

How relaxation creates smooth gaits

Ways to lead the horse into relaxation are:

Does a relaxed rider make a difference?

Watch: Improving Full Range of Motion for the Gaited Horse

Developing full range of motion with dressage exercises

Why do horses lean on our hands?

How do you help the horse restore lightness to the hand?

Method 1: How to restore lightness to the hand after the horse loses balance

Method 2: How to restore lightness to the hand after the horse is tense or resistant in the mouth or jaw?

What are additional tips to help the horse maintain lightness to the hand?

Clear and gentle communication

Avoid pulling back on the reins

Balance and the Naturally Gaited Horse

All heaviness is not corrected the same way

As tempo increases, it is common for horses to lose balance and relaxation and become heavy on the hand

It is easier to restore balance and relaxation at a halt or a slower tempo than at speed

Gaited horses can be a trip hazard when traveling out of balance at speed

Additional articles and videos about teaching lightness, relaxation and balance with the naturally gaited horse

Navigating differing dressage dialogues

Application of the hand, leg, seat and weight aids

Achieving relaxation and balance

Lightness of the hand and leg

Bit acceptance

One-way to two-way communication

French dressage for the naturally gaited horse

How to improve canter with a gaited horse

“Don’t practice a poor-quality canter.”

Helpful exercises to help break up a four-beat canter into a truer three-beat canter

Walk-canter-walk transitions

Rein back to canter

Counter canter

Gymnastic jumping and ground rails

Video: Cantering a Gaited Horse over Obstacles

Video: Starting a Gaited Horse over Fences

Video: Exercises to Break a Lateral or Four-Beat Canter

Additional tips to introducing and improving canter quality

Dressage is More than Trot