May 15, 2019 was a very sad day. Two wonderfully generous people who impacted my life passed away. One a friend. The other a man I never met.
That man is William Villella. Over 17 years ago, he had a vision and built an indoor arena for the community and bring horse people together to enjoy and have fun with their friends. He named it Hi Circle Vee Ranch.
This is how William impacted my life. Yet, he created more than an indoor arena for public riding, William built a community of fun-loving, helpful, and inclusive horse people. I’ve been around many equestrian groups over the years, and I’d have to say that the people I’ve met at Hi Circle Vee have been some of the best.
Hi Circle Vee is where all of my horses were introduced to cows. It is where me and Makana and Lady learned sorting through the many clinics offered. Later we joined sorting leagues where we met so many wonderful people.
And Hi Circle Vee is where Makana and I first rode with Larry Whitesell.
Larry Whitesell explaining the feeling of shoulder-in to me and Makana.
Thank you William for your generosity and thoughtfulness for creating such a warm and inviting place to ride and meet new horse friends. We will miss you! Rest in peace.
Hi Circle Vee will be closing on May 31, 2019 which will bring an end to the community William had built. My heart and prayers go out to his family and friends, and to all of us who will say “goodbye” to William’s legacy.
Does dressage permanently alter smooth gaits? How is gaited dressage different from rail class shows? Could rider aids influence the outcome of a horse’s gait?
Misconceptions about Gaited Dressage
By Jennifer Klitzke
Dressage will make my gaited horse trot. Cantering my gaited horse will ruin my horse’s natural smooth gait. Dressage will destroy my gaited horse’s show gait. These are misconceptions about dressage for the gaited horse.
Where do misconceptions come from?
Do people watch a recognized dressage show with non-gaited horses and believe that competition dressage makes horses trot?
Do people expect to see show gait from beginning to end of a gaited dressage test?
Do people believe that dressage permanently alters the length of stride when a gaited horse shows collected movements with shorter strides?
Do people think that competition dressage is evaluated with the same criteria as rail class?
Here’s good news! Dressage teaches the rider a balanced riding position and effective use and timing of rein, leg, seat, and weight aids. This is a communication system with the horse to improve the quality of natural smooth gaits on cue and develops the horse’s full range of motion. Dressage can even improve the quality of the show gait!
You can learn dressage with your gaited horse and reap these great benefits without ever showing. If you do show competitive dressage with your gaited horse, here’s more good news…
Gaited Dressage and Rail Class are Different
First of all, competition dressage and rail class shows are judged by different criteria. It is like comparing apples and oranges.
How Gaited Dressage is Evaluated
Competition dressage offers many levels and tests from Introductory two-gait tests to upper level three-gait tests. The higher-level tests require more range of development such as extended through collected gaits and engagement from the horse.
In competition dressage the rider and horse perform a test in front of a professional judge. The horse and rider are evaluated on how well the rider helps the horse execute the Pyramid of Training as they move through a series of required gaits, transitions, and movements precisely on the letter.
The 2019 Pyramid of Training:
Rhythm (Regularity and Tempo)
Suppleness (Elasticity and Freedom from Anxiety)
Contact (Connection and Acceptance of the Bit through Acceptance of the Aids)
Impulsion (Engagement and the Desire to Go Forward)
Straightness (Improved Alignment and Equal, Lateral Suppleness on Both Reins)
Collection (Balance and Lightness of the Forehand from Increased Engagement)
Harmony and submission are factors in scoring, as well as the horse’s gait quality; the rider’s balanced position; and the rider’s effective use and timing of leg, seat, weight, and rein aids as the horse is ridden through the test requirements.
Competitive dressage is a great way to confirm where you and your gaited horse are at in your training. You’ll get written feedback by a professional dressage judge which can help you know where you need to improve or confirm that you and your horse are ready to move up a level.
Rail class is a performed in a group of horse/rider teams. A judge will award ribbons for first through sixth place. The judge evaluates the horse’s movement according to the class requirement. For Tennessee walking horse rail classes, big strides and exaggerated head nods are prized.
To achieve a maximum length of stride, the horse needs to be positioned in a frame where the hind leg trails behind the tail and pushes from behind while the other hind leg steps deep under the body to pull the horse along. This frame positions the horse in a neutral to hollow back and flat croup where the push and pull of the hind legs activate the head and neck nod with each step.
The Rail vs Rider Aids
A horse ridden in rail class is predominantly ridden in straight lines along the rail. During a dressage tests, there is no rail for the horse to follow so the horse needs to be directed by the rider’s balanced riding position and effective use and timing of rein, leg, seat, and weight aids.
The purpose of the rider aids is to lead the horse through the test requirements of circles, transitions between gaits and directions, and lateral exercises. The goal is to produce soft, round, relaxed, engaged, and balanced movements.
Why the show gait isn’t seen throughout a gaited dressage test
The show gait is achievable during portions of a dressage test when a flat walk or running walk is called for along the diagonal. However, the show gait becomes bio-mechanically impossible to maintain during collection while the horse performs small circles and lateral movements.
Collection and engagement place the horse in a frame that bends the hips and hindquarter joints. The horse carries more weight from behind and lightens the fore. Instead of pushing and thrusting with its hind leg steps for maximum length of stride, the hind steps remain in front of the tail and under the horse.
Here’s why. As the horse advances to higher levels of engagement and collection, the rider encourages the horse to bend the hindquarter joints to carry more weight from behind, engage the abdominal muscles to bring the back to a neutral to slightly round position, while engaging the chest and shoulder muscles to lift the wither and lighten the forehand. The horse grows taller in the wither, head, and neck. The movement produced by this posture is biomechanically different than that of the show gait. This makes it impossible for the horse to push and pull with the hind legs and produce the same length of stride as in rail class.
Instead the horse’s steps are shorter because there is little to no trailing of the hind leg extending behind the tail. The collected gait shortens and the head nods less.
Notice as pushing power increases the hind leg becomes disengaged (stepping behind the tail) and the overall stride length increases. As carrying power increases, the hind leg disengages less (steps less behind the tail) and the stride becomes shorter.
Does Dressage Permanently Alter Gait?
Does this mean that dressage permanently alters gait? Yes and no. Yes in the way that dressage helps the naturally gaited horse develop its full range of motion and improves the quality of its natural gaits—collected through extended.
No in the way that collected gaits or extended gaits are simply the response of a horse’s training combined with the application of rider aids that position the horse in the expression of gait. One set of aids allow more carrying power from behind for collected gaits. Another set of aids allow more push and pull for maximum stride length.
Dressage helps the naturally gaited horse develop its full range of motion so that even the show gait can improve in quality with deeper strides. Plus, dressage teaches the rider a balanced position and effective use and timing of the rein, leg, seat and weight aids.
Does dressage permanently alter gait? Yes it does, but in the best possible way.
Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas with lots of naturally walkin’ wonderland in the New Year!
The photo above is of my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse Makana and I enjoying a little walkin’ in wonderland. The cardinal represents memories of my late father and the star represents my faith in our CHRISTmas gift.
The Cardinal
Hours before dad passed, a male and female cardinal perched in a tree outside the window of his room. It was a cold, winter day with no bird feeders in sight. This made it more unusual that the cardinals were there, but it was special because dad loved cardinals.
Dad passed that night.
The next day my mom, sister and I were preparing dad’s funeral. We were looking through the programs and were stunned to see one with a cardinal on it. Then we told the chaplain about the cardinals outside dad’s window the day he died.
The chaplain said the cardinal is symbolic of those who have departed and come back to escort a loved one on to eternal life. It was significant that a male and female cardinal were at Dad’s window, because his parents had died a few years ago.
My Grandma had faith in Jesus, and I shared my faith in Jesus with Grandpa and Dad for the hope of eternal life.
There was no doubt in my mind that the male and female cardinal were angels God had sent to give us hope that Grandma, Grandpa, and Dad are with Jesus until one day we join them for eternity.
Even though there will be an empty place at the Christmas table this year, I know Dad is in a better place. A place with no more tears, or pain, or sorrow. And I will see Dad again thanks to that precious CHRISTmas birth.
Since Dad’s passing, a male cardinal sings during our rides.
Is perfection the goal of dressage? Is perfection what dressage masters expected of all dressage riders who follow their teachings?
Is Perfection the Goal of Dressage?
By Jennifer Klitzke
Recently I watched a video of my gaited dressage mentor Jennie Jackson riding the late legendary naturally gaited dressage stallion—Champagne Watchout. Jennie and Watchout were the ONLY rider/Tennessee walking horse team in history to train and show at the highest levels of gaited dressage.
The video shows Jennie riding Watchout at 21 years old, who had been retired for a few years and far from show shape. Yet, I saw two good friends reminiscing some the best moments of their lives as they danced between piaffe and passage in gait. While I was tickled to watch Jennie riding Watchout again, others criticized the missteps and imperfections.
Was every step perfect? Did they need to be?
While a few folks focused on faults, I noticed the engagement, harmony, rhythm, balance, softness, relaxation, collection, connection—and pure JOY! I could only imagine what it must have felt like to ride such a powerful naturally gaited stallion—even in his retirement. I aspire for the day to reach this level of training with one of my naturally gaited horses.
Will we reach perfection? Do we need to?
Will that be my goal? No.
Never again.
Perfection: The buzzkill joyless endeavor
I know that buzzkill joyless endeavor firsthand. Back in 1988, when I first began my dressage journey, I was driven to be an Olympian.
(Yes, feel free to insert laughter, because I’m laughing now, too.)
During that time in my life, dressage became a driven, self-seeking pursuit. Yes, I loved my horse, but I used him to achieve my lofty perfectionistic goals.
Then one day I was humbled. After riding at our first recognized show, the judge surprised me when she called me forward. She raved about my horse. I smiled with pride and gave my horse a big pat.
Then the judge asked if she could buy him. She said I didn’t have the talent to ride a horse like that.
Dotting the arena with a trail of tears, her harsh words met my ambitious goals. Crushed, I returned home reflecting on what had happened. The encounter was a turning point for me. I realized that perfectionism is a buzzkill joyless endeavor.
The best I can be vs the best there is
I returned to riding with a new frame of mind. I stopped expecting perfection from my horse and from myself. I stopped striving to be the best there is. I just wanted to become the best rider and trainer I can be for my horse.
Riding became a partnership instead of a selfish pursuit. My horse found relaxation and harmony, and so did I.
Since that time, dressage has become the language I speak with my horse. Dressage is a daily discovery as a rider and trainer. It is an ongoing dialogue between me and my horse to bring about harmony, balance, rhythm, relaxation, connection, engagement, symmetry, collection—and JOY.
I even returned to showing as long as I remembered to check my motives and have some fun.
I don’t think “perfection” is the goal of dressage. So far, no one in history has ever ridden a perfect dressage test.
Is this a disgrace to the dressage masters? I don’t think so.
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