Riding a gaited horse in the snow is the best way to dash!
Smoothest All-Terrain Vehicle: Riding a Gaited Horse in the Snow
By Jennifer Klitzke
Do you experience months and months and months of snow-covered winter? I do. For decades I enjoyed riding my horse year-round at a facility with an indoor arena.
Then my husband and I moved to the country. No more indoor arena for year-round riding (so I thought). The months and months of winter wore on until my longing to ride broke free one snowy day. I piled on many layers of miss-matched clothing and ventured to the barn on a quest to ride my smooth gaited horse.
That year I discovered how much fun it is to ride on a one horse (moving smooth) in the snow. My gaited horses, Makana and Lady, became my go-to smooth, all-terrain vehicles.
Here are three tips on winter riding…
Safety while Riding a Gaited Horse in the Snow
Some years ice prevents our winter riding. Too slippery. I don’t want to chance a fall for me or an injury to my horse. Other years, bitter, below-zero temperatures broke through the mixed-matched layers. Frost bit is too great a risk.
Then there are winters that are perfect for snow riding! Cool temperatures for snow without melting and re-freezing to create the icy conditions.
Saddle rack riding a gaited horse in the snow.
Staying in Shape Riding a Gaited Horse in the Snow
Winter riding is a great way to keep my naturally gaited horses Makana and Lady in shape. Riding year round allows our gaited dressage progression to move forward without a couple months of reconditioning due to five months of a winter break.
Riding a gaited horse isn’t as much exercise as riding a horse that trots, unless you ride bareback. Winter bareback riding is a great way to stay in shape and stay warm. The horse’s body conducts a lot of heat that you don’t experience when riding in a saddle.
Riding my smooth gaited horse Lady bareback in the snow.
Importance of Cool Down After Riding a Gaited Horse in the Snow
Riding in snow is a lot of work for the horse, so I don’t want to overexert my horse. Plus, it is important that I cool my horse off properly with a wool cooler before turning them out. The last thing I want is for my horse to get chilled or sick.
Walking in Wonderland: Riding a Gaited Horse in the Snow
The video below captures footage from the winter of 2013. We had a perfect snow season and Makana and I took advantage of it. We entered spring in great condition for endurance rides and lost no time for gaited dressage. The video shows multiple gaits on cue in the snow.
Riding a Gaited Horse in the Snow
Enjoy your winter and stay safe riding your gaited horse in the snow!
An ear-hip-heel riding position helps us stay balanced with our naturally gaited horse, but did you know that inner body tension can send unintended messages to our horse?
Here’s my story…
Rider Tension and its Effect on the Naturally Gaited Horse
By Jennifer Klitzke
I couldn’t wait to get back to the Schmitt Training Center and take lessons with Rick and Kari after the Ecole de Legerete clinic with Master Instructor Bertrand Ravoux. I wanted to continue practicing what we learned.
This time I didn’t bring my naturally gaited horses with me. Rather I rode two of their amazing school horses, one of which is named Kahlua. Rick and Kari are wonderful teachers, and Kahlua is equally as good–(likely because Rick and Kari trained her).
Kahlua is a 23-year-old half Arabian who was the catalyst that brought Kari and Rick together. Over fifteen years ago Kari was having some training challenges with Kahlua and asked Rick for help, and they have been together ever since.
We began our lesson reviewing work in hand that Bertrand taught. We wanted Kahlua light and following the bit, not leaning on the bit or resisting the bit. Kahlua is a champ. She is light and responsive–much lighter than I have ever experienced. Now I have something to shoot for with my naturally gaited horses at home.
A balanced riding position is important, and Kahlua taught me another important lesson about my inner body tension.
While riding Kahlua at a walk, she began to slow down, so I squeezed and released my calves, clucked, and tapped her with the whip as I would riding my gaited horses. She moved forward for a few steps and began slowing down again.
While my riding position was aligned ear-hip-heel, Kahlua was telling me that my inner body was tense–like a half halt. My shoulders were tense, my back was tense, and my hips were tense. Kahlua slowed down because my tense body told her to slow down.
I mentioned this to Rick and Kari, and they were thrilled that I noticed this.
Interesting. I am not sure if I was tense because I was riding an unfamiliar horse or because I was taking a lesson OR if I am tense all the time and just needed a responsive horse like Kahlua to tell me so.
If the latter is true, I just wonder how much of an impact my inner body tension has had on my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse’s lack of forwardness and my naturally gaited fox trotting horse’s over-zealous desire to speed off? Could one horse be stopping because I am telling her to and the other trying to run away from my body tension? Hmmm…
Now that I am back to riding my naturally gaited horses, I am paying great attention to my inner body relaxation, because I clearly see how much of an impact it has on a horse’s movement.
My naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse in an active forward flat walk.
Makana is moving more forward with less reminders on my part, and Lady is more relaxed, (but I still think she enjoys being fast if you ask me!)
My naturally gaited fox trotting horse performing a shoulder in on a small circle.
Does your naturally gaited horse lean on the bit? Does it feel heavy on the forehand? Mine was. Then I discovered an unconventional exercise that brings balance, lightness and engagement: the counted walk to piaffe.
A few years ago, I audited and rode in a few clinics with Susan Norman who was both a student of classical French dressage Masters Philippe Karl and the late Jean Claude Racinet. Impressed with the lightness and balance we learned, I began purchasing DVDs and books by Karl and Racinet to learn the classical French method of dressage.
In Racinet’s book Another Horsemanship and a DVD: Getting Started In Lightness: The French Classical Dressage of Francois Baucher as taught by Jean Claude Racinet presented by one of his students Lisa Maxwell, I learned about the counted walk. This was something I had never heard about in the 30 years of riding dressage.
Watching the horses on this DVD inspired me. The counted walk transformed ordinary horses, even ones with downhill conformation, who were heavy on the forehand to becoming light and balanced after a few steps.
I had to give the counted walk a try with my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse, Makana and was amazed the first time we tried it. The steps are slow, shortened, and engaged, unlike the flat walk and running walk which are long striding and pushing in tempo. The head and neck of the horse rises up from an engaged chest, lifted shoulders and wither. The front legs rise up at the knee.
Naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse counted walk
Any time I feel like my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse feels heavy on the shoulders and needs more engagement behind, I do a few steps of counted walk.
I have been dabbling with the counted walk for a few years now. This year, I began experimenting with half steps and steps in place—our version of a piaffe. Our piaffe is nowhere near show-quality dressage standards yet using it as an exercise has really helped improve balance in the shoulders, engagement of the chest, lightness in the bridle, and engagement of the hindquarters and joints.
Naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse piaffe
After a few steps of counted walk, transitions and quality of the flat walk are improved in balance and length and depth of stride, as well as our canter transitions and canter quality. Plus, the counted walk and steps in place are really fun to ride!
The video below shows a terrific balancing exercise for the naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse: transitions of collected walk to counted walk to steps in place—piaffe.
I hope this is helpful. Let me know your thoughts by sending a message.
Connecting the dots by seeing Ecole de Légèreté live. I was both humbled and awestruck auditing a PHENOMENAL Ecole de Légèreté (School of Lightness) clinic with Classical French Dressage Master Instructor Bertrand Ravoux.
By Jennifer Klitzke
Classical French Dressage Master Philippe Karl certified Bertrand Ravoux in 2007 as his first Licenced Ecole de Légèreté Master Instructor. Bertrand only teaches Instructor Training Clinics in the USA and Europe. Yet owners Rick and Kari of the Schmitt Training Center in Sommerset, WI were fortunate to have Bertrand come to the Midwest for the first time. Not only that, but the lucky eight riders were not in the Instructor Training program. Even more rare was that one of the eight horses was a naturally gaited Icelandic!
As soon as I heard Bertrand was coming to the Midwest, I signed up immediately, as did dozens of auditors traveling as far as Missouri. I didn’t want to miss out on live in-person instruction about this form of dressage that I have been studying the last seven years through Classical French Dressage Master Philippe Karl’s DVDs and books: Twisted Truths of Modern Dressage and The Art of Riding.
My DVD library of Classical French Dressage Master Philippe Karl.
This Ecole de Légèreté clinic was composed of a diverse mix of horses such as an Icelandic, off-the-track Thoroughbred, Norwegian Fjord, Arabian/Holsteiner, Zweibrücken, Holsteiner, Dutch Warmblood, and an Arabian Saddlebred. Equally diverse were the mix of riders ranging from Intro level to Intermediare.
Bertrand’s kind and encouraging teaching style met each student and horse exactly where they were at in their training. He led both the rider and horse to relaxation and confidence, forwardness, straightness, and balance through the full range of motion: neck extension to collection to lateral bending.
For me, many dots were connected from studying Philippe Karl’s DVDs and books that only witnessing this form of riding in person can do. The only thing that could top auditing the clinic would be riding in it. And I am keeping my fingers crossed for future clinics and perhaps applying to participate in the three-year Instructor Certification program.
Throughout the Ecole de Légèreté clinic, Bertrand instructed each rider to lead their horse through exercises that helped achieve balance, relaxation, rhythm, engagement, connection, straightness, and collection. If a horse became heavy on the forehand, he offered useful instruction for lightness in the bridle and exercises to lighten the forehand. If a horse became sleepy, he encouraged the rider to engage the horse through forwardness along the long side of the arena in a neck extension.
Each rider was instructed how to help their horse become light to the hand and light to the leg and to work their horse in relaxation, balance, straightness, and forwardness through its full range of motion (laterally and longitudinally) to improve its quality of gaits. Watching the riders lead their horses through exercises in hand and from the saddle better helped my understanding of this kind and humane dressage method.
My biggest Ecole de Légèreté clinic takeaways
The importance of rider clarity of the leg, rein, seat, and weight aids to help the horse’s understanding
The importance of the rider training the horse to be light to the leg and light to the hand:
ONE leg aid means “go” and what to do if the horse doesn’t
The difference between a rein aid to lighten a horse that is leaning on the bit (demi-arête) and a rein aid to ask the horse to follow the contact (action/reaction)
The importance of the position and use of the reins:
Always raise the hand(s) to communicate with the corner(s) of the horse’s lips which is less sensitive
Never pull the reins back and press the bit on the tongue which causes pain
The importance of the outside rein contact
The use of the inside rein to encourage the horse to soften the jaw, taste the bit, and flex at the poll
The neutral position of the hands close together and above the pommel with elbows relaxed at side
The importance of straightness of the horse’s shoulders and what to do when one shoulder dominates
The importance of working the horse’s full range of motion laterally and longitudinally, relaxed, balanced and actively forward as well as slow and engaged to improve the quality of gaits
Watching the naturally gaited Icelandic
I was so excited to watch how Bertrand instructed a naturally gaited horse during the four-day clinic and address the following issues:
This 15-year-old gaited horse was lateral in all of its gaits: pacey camel walk, a hard pace, and lateral canter.
The horse leaned on the bit.
The horse was on the lazy side.
The horse was slouching its chest muscles which caused it to be heavy on the forehand. It leaned on its shoulders instead of carried its weight equally on all four legs.
I was glued to how Bertrand addressed pace, laziness, and heaviness on the bit and shoulders (as my naturally gaited fox trotting horse and I struggle with the latter and my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse and I could be more forward and responsive to the leg than we are).
Bertrand’s instructions:
Teach a lateral moving horse diagonal movements on cue:
The shoulder-in on a circle at an active yet slow walk is an excellent exercise to a diagonal movement. It is impossible for a horse to pace while performing the shoulder-in on a small circle.
A quality rein back is a diagonal movement. Teach the horse walk-rein back-walk-rein back transitions.
Lunge the horse over ground rails to establish trot on cue.
Trot is the diagonal gait. Teach the horse trot-walk-trot transitions and trot-canter-trot transitions.
Teach the horse to be light to the hands.
It is the horse’s responsibility to carry its own head and neck. The horse is not to lean on the rider’s hands. The rider needs to teach the horse to be light.
Anytime the horse leans on one or both reins, the rider make a QUICK motion upward (not back) with one or both reins. This tells the horse to stop leaning on the rein or reins.
It is important that the motion with one or both hands is quick and upward to affect the corner(s) of the horse’s lips and not pull back which would hurt the horse by pulling on the tongue.
The idea is to make one quick motion upward, the horse becomes light, and the horse stays at the same head and neck position that the rider desires, no lower. If the horse leans on one or both reins again, then the rider makes another quick action upward with one or both reins.
Teach the horse to be light to the leg.
Go means go. One leg aid means “go.” If not, the rider does not continue to squeeze and prompt the horse forward with the leg. No. The rider uses one leg aid and if the horse doesn’t move forward and stay forward, the rider lightly taps the horse’s hindquarters with the whip in a slow, rhythmic way, gradually increasing the tap until the horse moves forward. Eventually the horse will learn that one leg aid means, “go.”
For the horse that like to be on the lazy side, it means freshening up the horse with a REALLY forward gait, like trot, as fast as a canter forward. The rider posted to the Icelandic’s pace in a neck extension.
The rider encourages to the horse to take the rein contact into a forward neck extension straight along the wall. The horse extends its head and neck outward and down with the nose pointing forward. The poll is no lower than the height of the whither. The horse keeps an open throat latch (an open angle between the underside neck to jaw). The neck extension stretches the top line muscles of the horse, stretches the spine while engaging the horse from behind in forwardness and balance.
Teach the horse how to travel in a straight line with the neck bent 90 degrees to the inside (fléchi droit) before teaching circles.
It wasn’t until this clinic that I understood the purpose for this exercise that I learned a few years ago when I took lessons from a student of Philippe Karl. This exercise teaches the horse to be balanced equally on both shoulders without collapsing to the inside shoulder. It is very important to establish this before teaching circles to a horse, otherwise the horse will learn to fall onto the inside shoulder.
This exercise also stretches the horse’s outside neck muscles.
Once the horse has established the bend in the neck and is traveling balanced on both shoulders, then the horse can be led into a small circle (volte) in a neck extension position.
Teach the horse how to work its shoulders in balance.
For the horse that is heavy on the forehand (collapsing one or both shoulders), a terrific exercise is counter bending the horse and neck reining the opposite direction.
By neck rein, it means that the rider draws both hands to the opposite side of the bend. This teaches the horse to move the shoulders. If the horse isn’t moving the shoulders, then the rider makes side ways nudges until the horse moves. (Don’t use the inside leg unless you are cueing the hind leg to move over).
This counter bend neck rein exercise can be done on a circle, figure 8, or serpentine changing the bend at each short side to the counter bend and walking straight between bends to the next counter bend loop.
Within the first 45-minute lesson, Bertrand had taught the rider how to lead her Icelandic into a natural four-beat walk instead of a pacey, camel walk. The naturally gaited Icelandic remained in a quality walk for the remaining three lessons.
Some progress was made in breaking up the hard pace, but it will take time. After all it is not realistic to expect a 15-year old hard pacing horse to learn a diagonal gait, like trot, in four lessons. I truly believe this horse can do it with the rider’s persistence in Bertand’s suggestions.
Friends, auditing the Ecole de Légèreté clinic with Bertrand, a Certified Master Instructor, was humbling, awe inspiring and educational. I wish I had photos and video to go along with this post, but photos and video were not allowed. Instead, I highly encourage you to purchase Philippe Karl’s DVDs and books. You will not be disappointed and if you live near an Ecole de Légèreté clinic, it is a must see!
I will continue to share approved photos from the Ecole de Légèreté community on the Naturally Gaited Facebook page. Make sure you “like” and “follow” to stay connected.
Stay tuned. I will begin sharing my application of what I learned in the clinic with my naturally gaited horses in future posts. I am especially excited to apply all that I learned with Lady, my naturally gaited fox trotting horse in helping her be light to the hand and help my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse be lighter to the leg.
If you are on this gaited dressage journey, I’d love to hear from you. Contact us»
Classical French Dressage Master Philippe Karl offers unique insights to break up pacey walks in trotting horses. If this is true, this can also remedy pacey naturally gaited horses.
Pace and the Naturally Gaited Horse
By Jennifer Klitzke
Recently I came across a Facebook post from Becky Holden, an accomplished dressage rider/trainer/instructor/clinician, licensed School of Légèreté teacher, and long-time student of Classical French Dressage Master Philippe Karl (PK), founder of the School of Légèreté.
In Becky’s last clinic lessons with PK, she rode a younger trotting horse that had a tendency to pace at the walk.
Yes, even trotting horses can struggle with a pacey walk often called a camel walk.
What I found interesting was PK’s insights as he taught Becky how to help her horse break up the pace to a natural four beat walk. I believe PK’s insights translate directly to naturally gaited horses that struggle with pace.
PK explained that horses with a pacey walk are lazy with their hind legs and/or are too quick with their front leg steps.
To remedy the pace, PK’s suggestions to Becky are that, “We need to stimulate activity from the hind legs with shoulder-in on the circle and slow down and give amplitude to the front legs with neck rein turns or counter shoulder-in on the circle.”
Neck rein turns are a great way to lighten a horse that is heavy on the shoulders. By neck rein, the rider draws both hands to the outside of the bend with equal light contact and a nudge sideways if needed.
Counter bend with neck rein moves balance from the outside shoulder to the inside shoulder.
In addition to a counter bend neck rein on a circle, you can do a counter bend figure eight or counter bend serpentine by changing the counter bend and neck rein for each circle or serpentine loop. For a serpentine, slightly bend the horse to the outside of a serpentine and neck rein (counter bend) the opposite direction of the bend. Then straighten the horse a few steps and bend the other direction and neck rein (counter bend) the opposite direction of the bend and straighten a few steps until the serpentine is complete.
After a couple figure eights or a serpentine, liven the horse in a forward gait along the straight side and repeat the figure eight or serpentine counter bend neck rein exercise. Theses exercises can be first taught to the horse at a walk and then at a trot or gait.
Don’t practice pace—practice quality gait
Instead of practicing a poor quality gait, such as a pacey walk, PK encourages riders to apply plenty of transitions between gaits and exercises using the rein back; figure eight at a walk (one circle shoulder-in and the other circle counter shoulder-in).
Then the rider can proceed in a straight line while maintaining a quality slow, yet forward walk in rhythm; and trot [gait] shoulder-in on the circle, transition to walk shoulder-in on a circle, and transition back to trot [gait] shoulder-in on a circle.
Lady is being ridden in a Dr. Cook bitless bridle showing rein back on a loose rein. The rein back engages the hindquarters and lifts the back and wither.
I find PK’s insights regarding pace interesting. Often our remedy to pace in the naturally gaited horse world focuses on relaxing the back through lots of long and low. Many times the long and low gets too low where the poll falls below the whither and the naturally gaited horse develops a habit of traveling on the forehand. When the horse is on the forehand it trips more often and this can be dangerous for the rider.
Long and low can relax the back and break up pace, but it can also cause the horse to disengage the hind legs and fall on the forehand.
By controlling the timing of the foot falls using transitions and lateral exercises, PK’s approach improves balance on all four legs, relaxation, and quality of natural gaits.
Shoulder in on a circle helps Lady engage from behind to step under her belly, lift her back and whither by activating her abdominal and chest muscles, improving balance, and relaxing her jaw, tasting the bit, getting softer on the bridle, and accepting a light, stead, even contact with both reins.
In fact, PK doesn’t support long and low (when the horse’s poll is below the height of the wither) because it trains the horse to travel on the forehand, slouching its pectoral muscles, and travel out of balance. Instead he teaches neck extension (head, neck and nose out and down yet no lower than poll to wither height) in a forward walk, trot or canter.
The neck extension provides the same great benefits as long and low, yet maintains the horse’s balance, plus relaxation, strengthening the top line muscles, stretching the spine, and improving engagement.
This is a great example of a neck extension at a flat walk. My naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse is engaged, lifting her back, stretching out, forward, and down at chest level with an even snaffle bit contact.My naturally gaited fox trotting horse Lady showing a quality trot on cue.
For more about Philippe Karl and the School of Légèreté, visit philipp-karl.com.
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