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.
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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.
Gaited Trail Horse or Gaited Dressage Horse—Why not Both
By Jennifer Klitzke
Whether you have a talented naturally gaited horse for the trail or dressage ring, versatility training helps them be smoother, safer, and sounder for longer.
I have two naturally gaited horses: Lady and Makana. Lady is a fox trotting grade, gaited horse who is phenomenal on the trail. Makana is a registered Tennessee walking horse who is gifted for gaited dressage. While each is wired for the trail or the gaited dressage show ring, I like to expand their worlds, and here’s why…
The Naturally Gaited Trail Horse
Me and Lady at the scenic St. Croix River vista.
My naturally gaited fox trotting mare, Lady, was born for the trail. She is bold and smooth and loves exploring nature just as much as I do. She loves being ridden on a long, floppy rein without the constant dialogue of rein, leg, seat and weight aids.
Is Lady gifted to be a gaited dressage show horse? I don’t think so. Her conformation provides challenges with a long, hollow back and shorter legs. She doesn’t have a natural over track (where the hind leg steps over the fore foot print). And Lady is built heavy on the forehand.
Can Lady learn dressage? Absolutely. But, if I’m not interested in showing Lady in gaited dressage, why would I teach her dressage?
Here are three great reasons why I teach dressage to my naturally, gaited trail horse:
Improving natural smooth gaits: Dressage helps Lady improve the quality of her natural smooth gaits through teaching her balance, relaxation, rhythm, engagement, connection, straightness, and collection. By improving the quality of Lady’s naturally smooth gaits, we can cover a lot of ground faster on the trail and my body won’t pay for it later.
Improving soundness: Dressage teaches Lady how to re-position her posture from hollow to neutral which can help Lady be sounder on the trail for many more years to come.
Improving balance: Dressage helps Lady re-distribute her weight from traveling on the forehand to developing balance to carry her weight on all four legs. This balanced posture will prolong Lady’s soundness on the trail. Plus, she won’t trip as much when she isn’t on the forehand, and that will keep me safer and more secure as a rider.
Here’s Lady ridden in a Dr. Cook bitless bridle showing an engaged, relaxed, and balanced fox trot in connection with rhythm and contact.
The Naturally Gaited Dressage Horse
Makana and I showing gaited dressage at an open dressage schooling show.
Then there’s my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse, Makana. She is gifted with good conformation and naturally balanced gaits. Makana has a natural over track of three to four hoof prints. She enjoys the gaited dressage show ring and likes the two-way communication between us. Makana likes learning new exercises like leg yield, shoulder in, haunches in, rein back, roll backs, cantering rails and gymnastic jumping. She also enjoys a variety of smooth, easy gaits on cue: freewalk, medium walk, flat walk, running walk, fox trot, saddle rack, canter, counted walk, and piaffe.
Makana takin’ a real close look at that trail sign and wonders, “Are we there yet?”
On the trail, Makana becomes overly reactive. She gets nervous and can spook without notice. Does that mean I should never ride Makana on the trail? I don’t think so.
While on the trail, I converse with her through my rein, leg, seat and weight aids to help her relax and stay balanced. This way she is less spooky and settles into enjoying nature. I wear my helmet, ride with others, and we have a good ol’ time. (Plus, trail riding is one way to get my husband to join me.)
Since acclimating Makana to trails, we enjoy endurance riding as well.
Dressage helps the naturally gaited horse be more versatile
So to me, dressage is more than the show ring. Through dressage, naturally gaited trail horse can develop smoother natural gaits, become more balanced and trip less to keep the rider safer, and improve their posture and muscle development to keep stay sounder longer.
For the naturally gaited dressage horse, dressage helps them on the trail as well. Using dressage, the horse and rider can converse through two-way dialog, where the rider can lead the horse into relaxation and balance. As the reactive horse becomes more relaxed, it will be less spooky.
Naturally gaited trail horse or naturally gaited dressage horse? How about naturally gaited trail AND dressage horse.
If you are on this gaited dressage journey, I’d love to hear from you. Contact us»
What is rooting? Why does a horse root? How can you help a gaited horse overcome rooting and establish bit acceptance, connection and contact? Here’s my story…
Contact & Connection with the Naturally Gaited Horse
By Jennifer Klitzke
Rooting. It is an evasion when a horse grabs the bit and pulls the reins out of the rider’s hands. When it comes to contact and connection, rooting is on the opposite end of the dressage galaxy.
While we have made steady progress in developing smooth gaits, my naturally gaited fox trotting horse, Lady, still prefers traveling on the forehand, disengaged from behind on a long, floppy rein. It’s been six summers and Lady is 15. Maybe I should just give up trying to establish contact. Riding on a long floppy rein is a lot easier.
Here’s a great example of long and low on the forehand. I am riding my naturally gaited fox trotting horse Lady. While this is a nice stretch and helps the horse relax, it puts the horse on the forehand, the horse disengages behind, and the back remains hollow.
Lady has never been a fan of contact—even a light, one-ounce contact. She’s been this way ever since she came to my place six years ago. I don’t know her training history before she came from a sale barn. Lady is unregistered, and our best guess is that she is a Morgan/Tennessee walking horse cross. If anyone looked at Lady as a dressage prospect, they would have passed on by. She’s beautiful, but she is built ventro flexed, on the forehand with short legs and a long back.
Don’t give the horse something to pull against
Lady is a beautiful black trail horse deluxe. She doesn’t root on a long, floppy rein because there is nothing to pull against.
I like trail riding Lady on a long, floppy rein, too. Lady is bold and smooth and covers a lot of ground in a short time with her smooth gait. I can enjoy the beauty of God’s creation and my aging body won’t pay for it later. Only, riding on a long, floppy rein isn’t dressage. It is more like being a passenger than a two-way dialogue between horse and rider.
There is nothing wrong with riding on a long, floppy rein. It just a different way to ride. It’s like comparing apples and oranges. Yes, there are moments in dressage where the horse stretches down and out, but the horse is not predominantly trained in a long and low position without contact.
Dressage and the naturally gaited horse
While riding on a long, floppy rein may not give the horse something to pull against, it isn’t the solution to the real issue—bit acceptance and contact.
Instead, I think the answer lies in applying dressage with my naturally gaited horses. As a rider, it is my job to help my horse establish relaxation of mind and body, balance, rhythm, connection, engagement, straightness, collection, and harmony. Dressage requires a two-way, ongoing dialogue between me and my horse.
Dressage begins with me becoming a better rider through my hands and Lady’s mouth; my balanced riding position in line with the horse’s center of gravity; and the effective timing and use of my rein, leg, seat, and weight aids to help my horse improve her quality smooth gaits and range of motion.
Allowing my horse a good, long and low stretch is great, but I don’t train my naturally gaited horse like this the entire ride, especially if my horse is in a position that disengages from her hind legs, travels on the forehand, and hollows her back. Or if it feels like my horse’s center of gravity is like a boulder in her chest, ahead of my seat.
Contact & Connection with the Naturally Gaited Horse
Dressage requires connection and contact. Connection is an orchestration of the rider’s rein, leg, seat and weight aids to help the horse best utilize its entire body, tempo, direction, gait, and frame. The rider needs to help the horse engage its hindquarters to step under its body, activate its abdominal muscles to lift its back to a neutral position, and raise its wither so that the horse isn’t on the forehand. Rather, that the horse learns posture and balance to carry its weight on all four legs.
Contact isn’t forcing head set by pulling back on the reins, nor is it a tight and constant grip of the reins with the horse’s mouth. Rather, contact is a gentle invitation to relaxation of the lower jaw and mouth which has a way of relaxing the entire body and back. Contact can direct the horse into chest posture and balance. Contact is an ongoing dialogue with the fingers and the horse’s mouth; asking and releasing when the horse responds. The horse accepts an even, steady, light contact with both reins AND that the rider learns to follow the natural head and neck motion of the horse with relaxed shoulders, arms and hands. Contact is a two-way partnership between the rider and horse.
Contact is when I begin encountering rooting behavior with Lady.
What causes rooting & how do you overcome it?
Each time I encounter a training challenge, I return to the learning lab and explore what’s missing in my dressage. How can I be a better rider and communicate better with Lady to work through this rooting reaction to connection and contact?
I have read so many perspectives about why horses root and how to overcome it.
Horses root for many reasons, such as:
A heavy-handed rider that pulls back on the reins and causes pain on the horse’s tongue; the horse roots because it hurts; the horse roots to escape the pain
An inexperienced rider hangs onto the reins to keep their balance; often school horses encounter this and they root because it hurts; the horse roots to escape the pain
A tense or stiff rider that doesn’t follow the horse’s natural head and neck motion; the horse roots because it hurts; the horse roots to escape the pain
A harsh or improperly fitting bit that causes pain; the horse roots because it hurts; the horse roots to escape the pain
Teeth that need a float or dental care; the horse roots because it hurts; the horse roots to escape the pain
A poorly fitting saddle; the horse roots because it hurts; the horse roots to escape the pain
A horse that is not fit enough to do the work that is being asked; the horse roots because it hurts; the horse roots to escape the pain
A horse that has learned that rooting can get out of working; rooting becomes a bad habit
Ways to help the horse overcome rooting are:
Having a vet evaluate if the horse has a physical pain issue in its mouth or body
Riding with a properly fitting saddle and a comfortable bit
Following the natural head and neck motion of the horse with relaxed shoulders, arms and hands
Teaching the horse how to taste the bit and relax the jaw as taught by Classical French Dressage Masters Philippe Karl, Jean Claude Racinet and others, first in-hand and then from the saddle
Teaching the horse lateral exercises such as the shoulder-in, shoulder-out along the fence, haunches in, pivot the fore, first in-hand and then from the saddle
Not giving the horse an opportunity to pull by releasing the reins before the horse roots and then encouraging engagement from the hindquarters
Helping the horse decide that connection and contact are enjoyable by encouraging every positive effort
Taking the time needed for the horse’s progress instead of imposing expectations
Mixing up a riding session to keep it interesting for the horse
Trying different snaffle or mullen mouth bits: thinner bits or hollow mouthed bits; bits with a lozenge or French link bits; different flavored bits like sweet copper, German metal, Happy Mouth, or rubber bits
My theory about why Lady roots
I’ve ruled out physical causes due to dental care, body pain, saddle fit, and heavy hands. What could be causing Lady’s rooting behavior?
Lady loves to travel with her nose to the ground and on the forehand. In this posture, she disengages behind and travels with a hollow back. She roots to put herself in this position. It’s what she knows. It’s how she’s built. It’s easier for her. It’s even smooth and it’s great on the trail, but it’s not dressage. And she stumbles a lot in this position which isn’t safe for the rider.
While a few steps of long and low stretching is good, I don’t like to train my horses to be on the forehand, disengaged from behind (not stepping deep under the body), and getting hollow in the back. Lady is being ridden in a Dr. Cook bitless bridle.
Contact is when I follow her natural head and neck motion in her easy gaits with an even, steady, one-ounce contact with relaxed shoulders, arms and hands on both reins. Lady will take a few relaxed, smooth, balanced steps and then she will draw her nose to her chest and yank at the reins.
Since Lady came to my home with a rooting issue and six years later at the age of 15, still has one, I have to focus on the good moments between each yank instead of thinking that each yank means no progress has been made.
Then there is connection which asks Lady to engage her hindquarters to step under her body, activate her abdominal muscles to lift her back, and find balance to carry her weight on all four legs. This challenges her habit of disengaging her hind legs (traveling more behind her tail than stepping under her body) and pushing her weight onto the forehand.
Here’s Lady ridden in a Dr. Cook bitless bridle showing an engaged, relaxed, and balanced fox trot in connection with rhythm and contact.
I am a chronic chair sloucher. It is hard for me to change my posture. I have to WANT to change my posture and re-position my body to make it happen.
Lady loves to be a trail horse. Does Lady want to change her posture? I think she argues about it by rooting to avoid engaging, using her abdominal muscles to lift her back, carrying her weight on all four legs, and accepting an even, constant, one-ounce contact with the reins.
In my opinion, Lady isn’t objecting only to the contact. She is objecting to re-posturing her body out of her habit and preference. She would rather disengage from behind and carry her weight on her forehand with a hollow back and no contact than be in balance.
So why don’t I just let Lady be a trail horse?
The reason I encourage Lady to adjust her posture is for her long-term soundness. If Lady develops balance, relaxation and flexibility she will be sounder longer than she would if she continues to travel with a hollow back and on the forehand.
Dressage will benefit her body so that she will be a sound horse longer. Connection is so important for Lady to develop engagement so that she steps deeper under her body, activates her abdominal muscles to lift her back to a neutral position, lift her withers so that she carries her body mass more equally on all four legs instead of disengaging behind and traveling on the forehand with a hollow back.
Contact is important between horse and rider for communication, relaxation of the lower jaw, and softness.
My approach with Lady using dressage
Being a good student of dressage, I listen to my horse, do my best to negotiate through an evasion, then seek answers when I am stumped.
So, knowing what I know now about rooting, Lady’s conformation, Lady’s preferences, and dressage. How do I proceed? Do I quit trying to develop a two-way relationship with Lady and just ride her like a trail horse on a long, floppy rein? Do I scrap the idea of helping her improve her balance, rhythm, relaxation, connection, engagement, straightness, and collection to improve the quality of her naturally smooth gaits and prolong her soundness? Or do I tweak my approach?
I choose the latter.
Contact and connection strategies with a rooting horse:
I try different bits and bitless bridles: a thinner, double-jointed, full-cheek snaffle with a lozenge; a Dr. Cook bitless bridle; a hollow mouth sweet copper snaffle with a lozenge
Become aware of my breathing and body relaxation and follow my horse’s natural head and neck motion with relaxed arms, shoulders and hands
Separate the timing of my rein aids from my leg aids; being conscious to not combine the stop and go aids at the same time
Hold my weight in my thighs so that I am not sitting on my horse’s spine and following my horse’s belly sway with relaxed hip joints
Not give my horse an opportunity to root by releasing the reins just before she draws her nose back and pulls, then encourage engagement from her hindquarters, and re-establish a light, following contact
Ensure my horse is tasting the bit and relaxing her jaw; if not, halt and encourage this relaxation before proceeding
Ride my horse in symmetry exercises, such as the shoulder-in, shoulder-out along the fence, haunches in, pivot the fore, and ride in a shoulder-fore position to develop flexibility, strength and suppleness
Help my horse decide that connection and contact are enjoyable by encouraging every positive effort with release, reward, and plenty of halt-stretch breaks
Mix up riding sessions to keep it interesting
After a few relaxed, smooth, balanced steps, transition to a halt before my horse roots. Then ask her to take the bit down to the ground as a reward
Erase all expectations and go at my horse’s timing not mine
The rein back engages Lady’s hindquarters, activates her abdominal muscles to lift her back, and it raises her wither. Lady is being ridden in a Dr. Cook bitless bridle.Lateral exercises, like the shoulder-in on a square, have been working wonders with Lady. She is soft and light. She tastes the bit, engages from behind, lifts her back and withers, and carries her weight on all four feet. If her body becomes straight again, she roots, so I keep her in a shoulder-fore position. Lady is being ridden in a full cheek snaffle with a double-jointed copper lozenge. Shoulder in on a square and pivot the fore help Lady engage from behind, lift her back, get soft on the bridle and accept the contact.Shoulder out along the fence has really helped Lady. It is a great way to introduce lateral exercises. The fence and the rider’s aids guide the horse into the exercise.
To my amazement, all of the above worked wonders for Lady. The most surprising is that she preferred the super gentle hollow mouthed, sweet copper snaffle bit with a lozenge to the thinner bit with a copper lozenge and bitless bridle.
If you are on this gaited dressage journey, I’d love to hear from you. Contact us»
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