How to Ride a Gaited Horse

I bought a naturally gaited horse because they’re SMOOTH. Only I discovered that I had to develop my horse’s smooth gaits. Where do you start with training and how to ride a gaited horse?
Here’s my story…

By Jennifer Klitzke

I had been an avid dressage student of the trotting horse variety for over 20 years and showed my hard-to-sit, bumpy Trakehner/thoroughbred gelding successfully through Second level.

Seili in 2013 at 29 years old — My late Trakehner/thoroughbred, Seili in 2013 still sound at 29 years old who lived to be 34 years old.

2 year old Tennessee walking horse — My Tennessee walking horse, Makana as a two-year-old filly.

Then in 2007, the jarring sitting trot had taken its toll. It was time to search for a naturally smooth gaited horse that would be easier on my aging body.

I was open to any breed. The one that sole my heart was a three-year-old Tennessee walking horse filly. She had a few rides on her. Black with a white star. Her name was Makana, Hawaiian for “Gift.” Perfect!

Twenty years dressage training is all I knew, so that’s where I began how to ride a gaited horse.

How to ride a gaited horse with multiple gaits

Non-gaited horses have three distinct gaits: walk, trot, and canter. Each gait has a distinct feel. I discovered that my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse had these gaits, too—plus a myriad of new gaits I had never felt before—some smooth and some not so smooth.

I thought riding a gaited horse would be easy!

In a sense, sitting a smooth gait is easier than sitting a jarring trot! However, my three-year-old wasn’t set in training of smooth gaits and I wasn’t clear on the feel for each of these smooth gaits. This was an important start for me to put cues to. These smooth gaits included a few steps of flat walk, running walk, fox trot, and saddle rack.

My Tennessee walking horse also came with a few unfamiliar gaits that were not so smooth such as pace, stepping pace, lateral canter, and cross canter. These were gaits I certainly didn’t want to develop.

Dang, I thought a Tennessee walking horse was born to automatically perform these natural smooth gaits! Well, these smooth gaits are natural and inherent, BUT it was up to me to identify which smooth gait, put cues to it, help my horse maintain more consecutive steps of it, and help her refine the quality of each natural smooth gait over time.

How to ride a gaited horse is not so easy after all!

Head nodding, ear flopping and teeth clicking, too

Did you know that Tennessee walking horses have a head and neck nod? Did you know that this is a prized signature quality? Did you know that if the horse flops its ears and clicks its teeth while head nodding, it is even better? Dang, what have I gotten myself into? I just wanted a smooth gaited horse to ride.

Adding to the complexity of a naturally multi-gaited horse, dressage requires riding in a mild snaffle bit with contact. Then I began to wonder how to ride a gaited horse with a head nod? I knew that I needed to earn my horse’s trust with my hands for her to accept and follow a snaffle bit contact.

How to ride a gaited horse is not easy!

How to ride a gaited horse with a head nod

Naturally gaited TWH Gift of Freedom ridden by Jennifer Klitzke was named 2015 NWHA First Level Champion.

Riding with even contact is a lot easier at a trot because the horse’s head and neck remain stationary. It is not as easy at the flat walk, running walk, and fox trot. The horse’s head and neck nod with each step just like all horses do at the walk.

Now I would need to learn how to maintain contact while following my horse’s natural head and neck motion. If I were to maintain a fixed contact, this would lead to tension in the mouth, tension in the lower jaw, tension in the poll, and tension in the back. This would lead to tense gaits like pace and hard trot. Fixed contact would also lead to bit avoidance.

The best way to earn my horse’s trust for relaxation would be by following her natural head and neck motion with relaxed shoulders, arms and hands. This was new territory as we began our gaited dressage journey. I could just ride with long floppy reins, but that wouldn’t be dressage. Plus, riding in a gentle snaffle bit with a light contact is a major way to communicate with the horse when the horse learns to accept and follow contact.

How to ride a gaited horse is not easy, but it is rewarding and FUN!

Benefits of dressage for the gaited horse

One thing I knew for sure was that a good dressage program would teach my naturally gaited horse relaxation in mind and body, balance, forward movement without rushing, rhythm, connection, symmetry, and collection. These training qualities develop the horse’s full range of motion for quality gaits and long-term soundness.

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.

How to ride a gaited horse is beneficial to the rider and horse:

Dressage teaches a rider how to ride a gaited horse in a balanced position with effective use and timing of rein, leg, seat and weight aids
Dressage teaches a rider how to ride a gaited horse into relaxation of mind and body, balance, forward movement without rushing, rhythm, connection, symmetry, and collection over time to develop full range of motion for quality smooth gaits on cue and long-term soundness
Dressage teaches a rider how to ride a gaited horse into relaxation of mind and body. By relaxing the horse’s mind, the horse is in a more trainable state of mind. Relaxation of mind and body lead to less tense gaits such as pace and more smooth gaits like flat walk
Dressage teaches a rider how to ride a gaited horse using lateral exercises to develop symmetry and suppleness to be more ambidextrous and equally flexible
Most of all, dressage teaches a rider how to ride a gaited horse to build partnership, trust, and respect without 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!

How to ride a gaited horse is versatile

My naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse and I have met many people over the years who have introduced us to new experiences, such as moving cows at team penning events and cow sorting leagues; enjoying the beauty of our State Parks by horseback; which has led us to endurance rides; orientation events; and trail challenges; to riding in the snow; to giving stadium jumping a try.

naturallygaited-working-with-cows — My naturally gaited horse enjoys moving cows more than anything! (Being the lowest on the pecking order, I think she was thrilled to discover she had the power to push someone around!)

Endurance riding with gaited horses — A friend and I were trail riding one day and along came some endurance riders who talked us into giving the next novice endurance ride a try. It is super fun, great exercise for both rider and horse and the people in the endurance world are a hoot!

I began gymnastic jumping with my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse to improve her canter. It was just the ticket and lots of fun, too!

No indoor arena forces one to reckon with the elements and discover how much fun winter riding actually is!

Whether we ride in an arena, on the trail, negotiate cows in the pen, jump a pattern of small fences, canter through a field of show, or tackle trail obstacles, dressage is the common language through the versatility of experiences we are enjoying together!

Watch: How to ride a gaited horse using dressage

Enjoy the journey! If you are on this gaited dressage journey, I’d love to hear from you. Contact us»

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Dressage is More than Trot