Tag Archives: barefoot tennessee walking horse
Gaited Dressage: Many Firsts in 2012
Looking back over the year, there were many firsts for me and my eight-year-old Tennessee walking horse Gift of Freedom (Makana). From learning how to jump to Western gaited dressage to trail obstacles to riding at a Larry Whitesell 5-day gaited dressage clinic to introducing over a dozen people to riding a gaited horse, 2012 was a year to remember!
In January, Makana and I began jumping lessons to see if training a gaited horse how to jump would improve the quality of her canter.
Story: The Trick to Jumping is to Never Scare Them
In March Makana and I gave a Western gaited dressage demonstration at a Western dressage clinic.
Story: Gaited Dressage Featured at Western Dressage Clinic
In May Makana and I showed Gaited Dressage: Intro A, B, and C for the first time at the Three Ring Circus schooling dressage show—our largest schooling dressage show yet with over 200 horses entered and only one of them gaited.
Story: Gaited Dressage: From First Level to Intro?
In June me and my gaited dressage horse took a stab at jumping over a cross-country course of ground rails at the Rocking R schooling dressage and jumping show.
Story: Gaited Dressage and Jumping at Rocking R Farm Schooling Show
In July and August, Makana and I showed at two schooling dressage shows that offered Western gaited dressage, and we took home our first scores over 70%!
Story: Western Gaited Dressage at Rocking R
Then in August, Makana and I traveled to Wisconsin for a five-day gaited dressage clinic with Larry Whitesell and Jennifer Bauer.
Story: Gaited Dressage Clinic with Larry Whitesell and Jennifer Bauer
Also in August was our first lesson through trail obstacles at Judy Conger’s farm.
Photo Gallery>
In 2012 many people were introduced to riding a gaited horse for the first time. Some of my favorite quotes were: “I feel like I’m not going any where but the ground is moving.” and “How do you know what gait you’re in when they are all smooth?”
In September Hannah Rivard of Cambria Horsemanship introduced me to a unique training method called “Feel and Release” which has helped Makana be more forward with less prodding on my part.
Story: Gaited Dressage: Feel and Release
In October we showed Gaited Dressage: First Level Test Three for the first time at the Rocking R Farm schooling dressage show.
Story: Gaited Dressage: 88 Entries and Only One of them Gaited
What will 2013 bring? Hopefully many more opportunities to ride my gaited horse at schooling dressage shows and inspire other gaited riders to give it a try.
Gaited Dressage: Eighty-eight entries and only one gaited
By Jennifer Klitzke
Peak autumn color draped the landscape of the Rocking R Farm schooling dressage show held September 29, 2012 in Foley, MN. Eighty-eight horse/rider combinations were shown and only one of them gaited–me and my eight-year-old Tennessee walking horse mare Gift of Freedom. Her black winter coat was well on its way as a gorgeous Indian Summer day heated up to 80-degrees.
I applied a blend of what I learned from Larry Whitesell and Jennifer Bauer at the clinic I recently attended and focused more on relaxation, rhythm, and balance versus overstride and head nod. I think this resulted in a more true four-beat first level dressage frame. The judge seemed to agree and gave us an overall score of 68.96% on our First Level Test One ride with 7’s on gaits, riding position, and effectiveness, and 8’s on harmony.
Show delays and warm temperatures seemed to drain Makana’s gas tank. By the time we rode First Level Test Three, we sputtered on fumes in the deep sand along the rail and corners. This had been our first shot at riding this busy test which includes flat walk, 10-meter flat walk circles, leg yields at a flat walk, stretching flat walk, lengthened gait, medium walk, free walk, canter, medium canter, 15-meter canter circles, and canter serpentines on the same lead to show counter canter, halt and salute. We received a score of 60%.
Next schooling show I think I’ll only ride one long test and bring a second horse to ride instead of pushing Makana beyond her energy reserves.
httpv://youtu.be/bkZDPRV7a84
httpv://youtu.be/YOi_Ex9f7Ww
Gaited Dressage: Form and function
By Jennifer Klitzke
I took an arsenal of questions with me to a recent gaited dressage clinic with Larry Whitesell and Jennifer Bauer. Questions like how do I ride a head-shaking horse on-the-bit, how do I get my horse more forward, and how do I unlock my horse’s stiff back. My first question led to an interesting discussion about head nod. And little did I know that my questions all relate to form and function.
Larry explained that the mechanics of overstride with swinging straight legs and an exaggerated head nod stem from a stiff back. It is why horses shown this way are trained on straight lines versus circles, serpentines, and lateral movements. The mechanics of dressage require lengthened topline muscles, a round and relaxed back, and bending hock and haunch joints. The result is a different expression of movement.
This led to an eye-opening realization: I had been expecting the same movement of my Tennessee walking horse at dressage shows as at Tennessee walking horse rail classes. Gaited dressage and show ring gaited classes are not ridden and measured the same way. Its like riding in an english pleasure class with western attire and in western form. If dressage is the way I intend to ride and train my gaited horse, I need to adjust my form and function to that of gaited dressage mechanics and stop fixating on exaggerated head nod and maximum overtrack.
As the clinic progressed I discovered that a stiff back is also why my horse hasn’t been moving forward with impulsion and engagement, and why her canter has been flat. Larry and Jennifer taught us several exercises to unlock a horse’s braced back such as reinback, turn on the forehand, and shoulder in. These exercises teach a horse to bend and round through the back and step deeper under its belly. We also worked on upward transitions between gaits and within gaits to improve impulsion and downward transitions to soften our horses.
Riding my Walking horse in correct dressage form will likely minimize her head nod and overtrack, but Larry promised that correct dressage training methods will purify her four-beat gait and make it smoother than ever!
Photo gallery with commentary>
For more about Larry Whitesell, his training DVDs and clinic schedule, visit www.WhitesellGaitedHorsemanship.com.
For more about Jennifer Bauer, visit www.gaitedhorsemanship.com
Western Gaited Dressage at Rocking R
By Jennifer Klitzke
Perfect weather, no bugs, and a western saddle that fits! My new (used) saddle arrived less than 24 hours before the Rocking R Schooling Dressage show in Foley, MN. I purchased a Synergist western saddle that fits Makana and feels like I’m riding in a dressage saddle with a horn. It’s lightweight, short enough length as to not bridge across my mare’s back and poke into her loins, and plenty wide to allow her freedom to move her shoulders.
Not only that but I brought along a friend who has never shown before and who had just purchased her first horse five months ago. She pulled me into my first team penning practice, so I encouraged her to give Western dressage a try. The gaited dressage and Western dressage classes were combined for a total of three entrants – two non-gaited horses and a Walking horse.
Warm up was a gas! I couldn’t restrain myself from using the ground rail and cross rail schooling fences to get Makana loosened up. Gymnastic jumping is so FUN!
We rode our Western gaited dressage using the NWHA gaited dressage training level, test one and first level, test one. As of yet, no Western gaited dressage tests are available. The Western Dressage Association of America rules allow entrants to ride in a snaffle or curb. I opted to ride in my Mylar level 2 curb.
Makana received her highest scores yet! 70.83% in training level and 71.38% in first level. We scored “8’s” in our centerline halts and free walks on a long rein and “7.5’s” in overall gaits. Improvement areas for us are to work on a more consistent contact, which is easier said than done on a head-shaking horse; evenness in gait regardless of changing footing conditions between deep and compacted sand; and showing more difference between the working and lengthened gaits in first level.
Western gaited dressage photos>
httpv://youtu.be/40Aa8TRqhPE
httpv://youtu.be/tcQ11Bev_Oo
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