Tag Archives: dressage for gaited horses

By Jennifer Klitzke

Why show gaited dressage? What motivates us to show? Is it all about blue ribbons and bragging rights? Read on and you’ll discover even better reasons for showing your naturally gaited horse in dressage.

Why Show Gaited Dressage?

Granted, showing gaited dressage is not a requirement for becoming a student of dressage with your naturally gaited horse (or for riders of the hard trotting variety for that matter).

I roll my eyes and gasp when I think back to my first years showing dressage with my Trakhner/Thoroughbred gelding SeilTanzer (Seili). Yes, he was one of those hard trotting varieties, and dang, was his trot hard to sit!

I had saved my money to buy the best trot I could afford, because back in the day, that’s what you looked for when considering a dressage prospect.

At first, my primary motivations were to take Seili to the top levels of dressage. Why? Because I wanted to be noticed. I wanted to be recognized. I wanted to be accepted among my peers.

It didn’t take long to realize that these were really bad reasons to show dressage.

If you were at my first recognized show in 1992, you’ll likely remember it to this day. I know I will never forget it.

Seili and I were practiced and prepared: I ate, breathed, and slept with dressage on my brain. I rode Seili six days a week at a deluxe dressage facility, took regular dressage lessons by a winning instructor, read books by the dressage masters, watched videos of how to become a better dressage rider, recorded and analyzed my rides, attended dressage clinics, and journaled my every ride.

So what happened?

Getting to the show grounds that day, my calm and relaxed gelding transformed into a creature I no longer recognized. Snorting and saucer-eyed, Seili darted around the bleachers, crowds, and announcer booth like a meth addict. He didn’t even know I was there for the ride. Nothing seemed to get his attention. Feeling out of control launched a full-blown panic attack.

I did my best to courageously negotiate Seili through the movements of Training Level Test One. After the final halt and salute, I released Seili to a free walk on a long rein. The judge stopped me on our way out of the arena (which is very uncharacteristic at a recognized show).

The judge said, “You have a wonderful horse who can go very far in dressage.”

Flattered, I proudly remarked, “Thank you.”

The judge replied, “But YOU, your riding will NEVER take him there. Can I buy your horse from you?”

My motivations for showing collided head on with the judge’s harsh and inappropriate words, and my disappointment that I couldn’t bring out Seili’s best. Stunned, I left the arena blinded by my tears.

Devastated, I faced a cross roads: Either change my motivation for showing dressage or give it up. If showing isn’t fun or educational, it isn’t worth the effort.

Changing my motivation for showing is what I did. Seili and I continued to show for the next few years. We even received a Central States Dressage and Eventing Association award for Second Level Amateur of the Year in 1995. Then our show career ended in 1996 when Seili developed chronic laminitis.

Fifteen years passed.

Yes, I admit, I rode those bumpy, trotting horses for decades until my body longed for smooth. That’s when I set out to find my first naturally gaited horse.

In 2007, my search for SMOOTH led me to a barefoot and sound, just turning three-year-old naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse filly. Her name was Gift of Freedom, a.k.a. Makana, which is Hawaiian for “gift.”

Makana became my first naturally gaited horse. She had a lot of handling and 20 rides on her when she arrived, yet dressage was the only form of riding and training I knew.

Then I began to wonder, “Can I train a naturally gaited horse with dressage?” The competition dressage world I came from said dressage was only for horses that trot. Gaited horse owners said that dressage would make their horse trot. Others said that dressage would ruin their horse’s smooth natural gaits.

So I put that aside and set out on a mission to discover for myself that dressage is more than trot.

Gaited Dressage: Training Level — Our first gaited dressage show in 2010.

In 2010, I learned of a schooling dressage show only 10 miles away at Walker’s Triple R Ranch, so I entered my Tennessee walking horse, Gift of Freedom (Makana). We were the only gaited horse on the show grounds and rode Training Level Tests One in the same class as the trotting horses.

I never imagined that I would return to dressage competition on a horse that didn’t trot!

Since 2010 Makana and I have shown gaited dressage at dozens of open schooling dressage shows (Intro through First Level). My motivation for showing is about getting feedback from a qualified judge on where we are at as it relates to rhythm, relaxation, connection, engagement, straightness, and collection; my riding position; and the use and timing of my rein, leg, seat and weight aids. The judge’s written feedback on my test sheet gives us something to practice until the next time we show. (And yes, it does feel good to get a blue ribbon, even if I am the only gaited dressage rider in my level! At least I put in the effort.)

Committing to a dressage test forces me and my naturally gaited horse to work on transitions more precisely in both directions, develop the full range of gaits and movements the dressage level requires, and face the test requirements I would otherwise avoid. Things like developing the counter canter, shoulder-in at a flatwalk, and showing a noticeable difference between a medium walk, flat walk, and running walk.

Plus, showing gaited dressage lets others see that naturally gaited horses can be trained using the humane training methods of dressage. After all, dressage is more than trot!

As long as I check my motivations at the gate, and as long as my barefoot naturally gaited walking horse enjoys traveling to gaited dressage competitions, then we will give this gaited dressage show thing a try.

P.S. Seili is lived to be 34 years old. His laminitis had been managed with natural barefoot trimming and a low carb diet. I enjoyed riding him until he was 29 years old. (Yes, he was still very bouncy!)
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Gaited Dressage Riding Recipe

October 25, 2013 Jennifer Klitzke

Gaited dressage: My riding recipe

By Jennifer Klitzke

Have you ever thought about how you ride your naturally gaited horse as a culinary chef experiments with flavors, colors, textures, temperatures, and techniques to enhance a recipe?

I do. I like to keep my mind open to ideas that improve relaxation, balance, rhythm, connection, symmetry, and collection as I ride my naturally gaited horses, Makana and Lady.

Over the years I have learned a lot from a diverse mix of equestrian professionals such as my gaited dressage mentor Jennie Jackson; riding biomechanics clinician and author Mary Wanless; gaited horsemanship clinicians Larry Whitesell and Jennifer Bauer; and classical French dressage clinicians Nichole Walters, Susan Norman, Philippe Karl, and Lisa Maxwell.

Each clinician has taught me life-enhancing ingredients for my riding recipe.

Jennie Jackson has helped me best understand how to ride a head-shaking horse with contact to develop a quality four-beat gait.
Mary Wanless has helped me improve my riding position to become a more confident rider which has helped me overcome riding fear.
Larry Whitesell and Jennifer Bauer have helped me discover how to become a trusted leader for my horse and to understand the bio-mechanics needed to help my horse improve the quality of her gaits by unlocking the braces in her jaw and back, and by engaging her abdominal muscles to lift her back and engage her hindquarters.
Nichole Walters, Susan Norman, and Linda Kaye Hollingworth Jones, all studied under Philippe Karl, have helped me develop the feeling of balance in relaxation (of body and mind) to produce lightness and self carriage.

I have also learned through the books and DVDs of French dressage masters Philippe Karl and the late Jean Claude Racinet. Their method taught me a different application of dressage which aligns with the late François Baucher’s second manner “balance before movement.”

Blending these essential ingredients has enhanced my riding recipe.

Sometimes one instructor’s philosophy or set of aids differs from another’s. This is when I experiment with the ingredients of my riding recipe to see what will work best for the horse, its level of training, and the situation.

While my goal to produce rhythm, relaxation, balance, impulsion, lightness, harmony, and trust does not change, the ingredients I use in my riding recipe are a work in progress.

In the end, I aim to bring about a riding recipe that delivers a harmonious partnership of trust with my horse, where we move together as one in rhythm, relaxation, and balance to produce my horse’s best movement in elegance and lightness of aids.

Bon Appétit!

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Dressage for the Gaited Horse, Gaited Dressage Shows, Gaited Dressage Videos

Gaited Dressage at St. George

August 10, 2013 Jennifer Klitzke 2 Comments

By Jennifer Klitzke

What could be more unusual than seeing a Mustang among Warmbloods at a dressage show? How about a barefoot horse that doesn’t trot!

Last month I took my Spanish Mustang to St. George’s Dressage Academy Schooling Show and was so impressed with the facility, the friendly people, and the show organization, that I asked if I could bring my Tennessee walking horse to the next show and ride the NWHA tests that mimic the USDF tests with gait in lieu of trot. After the show secretary talked with the judge, they both welcomed us into our own division.

St. George’s Dressage Academy not only has a state-of-the-art facility, they really know how to order the weather! A perfect “10” summer day: sunny, slight breeze, 75-degrees, and no bugs, made for a very comfortable outdoor show. Warming up in the St. George’s 80 x 220 indoor arena was such a treat: giant fans kept the air moving, dust-free felt footing was so comfortable to ride on, and mirrors along the far wall helped me see what I was feeling in real time. There was plenty of space for everyone to warm up. The outdoor arena at St George’s is on an even plane and the footing is also well groomed, watered, and consistent through out. If you’ve ever ridden your horse on inconsistent footing or in an arena on a slope, you know how much that affects consistency of gait and balance.

Gift of Freedom (Makana), my naturally gaited barefoot Walking Horse, had the second highest score of 72.4% among 58 rides ranging from Intro to Prix St George. Not bad being the only gaited horse among trotting Warmbloods. Training Level Test Three includes flatwalk, flatwalk on a long rein, medium walk, freewalk on a long rein and canter with movements as serpentines, 20 meter circles, straight lines across the diagonal and center line halts.

Makana and I also earned a respectable score of 68.79% in First Level Test One which includes all of the gaits in Training Level plus medium canter and running walk, and canter circles are reduced to 15 meters. The coaching I had received from Jennie Jackson has really helped us be more forward, connected, and engaged. Plus, the longer leg position Jennie showed me is helping to keep my heels from creeping too far back.

St. George’s Dressage Academy plans on having more schooling shows next year. A schooling show doesn’t get any better than this, so we’ll be back and I hope to see you there too!

A huge “thank you” to St. George’s Dressage Academy for opening up their luxurious facility to schooling shows. It is a treat to ride at such a nice place!

Video: Naturally Gaited Dressage at St. George: NWHA Training Level Test Three

Video: Naturally Gaited Dressage at St. George: NWHA First Level Test One

Dressage for the Gaited Horse, Gaited Dressage Shows, Gaited Dressage Videos

Gaited Dressage at North Run Farm

July 31, 2013 Jennifer Klitzke

By Jennifer Klitzke

Three weeks after the Jennie Jackson Clinic: Dressage as Applied to the Gaited Horse, I took my Tennessee walking horse mare, Gift of Freedom (Makana), to the North Run Farm schooling dressage show held on Sunday, July 28, 2013. I was curious if the judge would notice a difference since May as I have been working on the tools Jennie gave us to improve engagement into connection, balance, bending, and increasing the depth of stride.

Although we were the only dressage en gaite entry, Makana was not the only Tennessee walking horse entered in the show. There was another Walker who has been trained to trot and what exquisite gaits this mare has! Solid round connection, beautiful smooth trot, and a to die for canter. I can’t help wondering if trot has played a major hand in improving her canter.

Makana and I rode Training Level Tests Two and Three. After our Training Two test, Judge Ginger Kawell said, “Good job! Much improvement in your contact since last time I saw you!” We scored 8’s on our center line halt, 20 meter circles, free walk on a long rein, and 7-7.5 in gaits, impulsion, submission, harmony, rider’s position, and rider’s use of aids for a total of 70.7%. Hurrah, now that we reached 70%, we’ll be moving up a test for the next show!

Training Level Test Three was solid, but not as strong as our first ride. Makana didn’t have as much gas to go as she had in the first test. However, we rode a respectable 68.2%. Areas of improvement are in showing more bend through the serpentines and more stretch in the flat walk 20-meter circle on a long rein.

The next North Run Farm schooling dressage show will be Saturday, August 17. Come on gaited dressage riders! This is one of the most friendly, organized, and low key dressage shows I’ve been to. It would be great to have some company in the dressage en gaite division!

For more information about the next North Run Farm schooling dressage show open to gaited horses, visit www.northrunfarm.org.

Gaited Dressage Photo Gallery>

Video: Gaited Dressage NWHA Training Level Test Two

Video: Gaited Dressage NWHA Training Level Test Three

Dressage for the Gaited Horse, Gaited Dressage Clinics

2013 Jennie Jackson Dressage en Gaite Clinic

July 2, 2013 Jennifer Klitzke

Jennie Jackson dressage for the gaited horse clinic.

By Jennifer Klitzke

Still seeking answers as I apply dressage with my naturally gaited horse, I learned about a DVD by Jennie Jackson. In January, I purchased her DVD set with my Christmas money.

The DVDs showcased naturally gaited horses moving in collection, engagement, and forwardness within their smooth gaits. I watched every DVD back-to-back for hours. This is what I wanted to learn how to ride my naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse using dressage.

An Amazing Connection

To my amazement, a couple weeks after my purchase, Jennie Jackson contacted me and asked for feedback about the DVDs. ME? I was a bit spellbound that the famous Jennie Jackson, only person in history who has trained and shown a naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse to the highest levels of dressage, was interested in knowing my thoughts. More so, I was thrilled just to connect with her.

She was interested in knowing, “Who is this person who bought my entire DVD library?!”

During our conversation, I asked, “Do you hold clinics in the Midwest?”

That’s how the first Midwest “Jennie Jackson Dressage as Applied to the Gaited Horse Clinic” got started. Six months of preparation came together June 29-30, 2013.

So how was the clinic? Stupendous! The Jennie Jackson Dressage as Applied to the Gaited Horse Clinic exceeded my already high expectations. There was a terrific mix of gaited horses, ages three to thirteen, green to advanced. There was a unique mix English and western riders who were new to dressage as well as experienced. Riders and horses were challenged and took home effective dressage methods that addressed their riding goals.

Jennie drew from 40 years of training and showing experience with Tennessee walking horses and the dressage she has learned from top instructors.

During the clinic, both horse and rider received individualized instruction. Jennie explained dressage concepts to the horse as she rode. Then she coached each rider through these concepts as they rode their horse.

My training questions

I brought two questions to my sessions: 1)How to ride a head nodding horse with contact and 2) How to cue my horse forward without rushing into short quick steps.

Jennie addressed both questions with effective tools to help me at home. During each lesson I experienced moments of “the feeling of right.” Connection, forwardness, and engagement while riding at a medium walk, flat walk, and canter.

I’ve been an avid dressage rider since 1988, so the concept of inside leg to outside rein is not new. In fact, I believed I had been riding this way. Jennie explained a more effective use of my rein, seat, and leg aids. She helped me understand why “hands together” equals “horse together” and the difference between direct rein and indirect rein.

Riding at a Jennie Jackson dressage for the gaited horse clinic with my 9-year-old naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse.

Jennie also addressed my forwardness issue with Makana. Jennie noticed it took twenty-two cues of squeeze, cluck, tap, and repeat before my horse finally moved forward.

Jennie said, “Your horse reads you faster than you read her.”

I didn’t have a lazy horse. I have a smart horse. Makana had duped me into believing she’s doing the best she can when she’s only been giving me 20% of what she is capable of! It is quite sobering to realize I had desensitized my horse to my leg aids.

Jennie’s intervention was just what we needed. She showed me the need to establish myself as the leader in our relationship as I retrained Makana to respond to my first cue.

Riders and their Walking horses learned lateral exercises to break up pace or hard trot, engage the hindquarters. She helped others introduce the canter or improve the quality of the canter over cavalettis. We all got an adrenaline rush watching Jennie coach one of the riders hand gallop.

Jennie taught us how lateral exercises, such as pivoting around the fore, shoulder in, shoulder fore, and leg yield molded each horse into exquisite, round and beautiful frames.

Riders and auditors took pages of notes to jog their memories as they returned home.

One of my favorite sessions was watching Jennie ride a multi-gaited Tennessee walking horse through medium walk, flat walk, fox trot, rack, and running walk. Then Jennie coached the rider through the same series of smooth gaits. Another session Jennie transformed a pacey horse into a natural four-beat gait using dressage methods. Then she coached the rider how to maintain the smooth gait.

An enormous “thank you” to riders and auditors who helped bring Jennie to Minnesota and a huge “thank you” to Jennie who drove the 2,000-mile trek from Tennessee to Minnesota and back. We are already talking about when Jennie will be back!

In my quest for answers the last six years riding my Tennessee walking horse using dressage methods, I feel like I have finally connected with “the feeling of right” as it relates to riding a head nodding horse with contact and forwardness.

About Jennie Jackson

In the 1980s Jennie began applying and perfecting dressage methods of training to gaited horses, and in 1998 she introduced dressage as a humane training alternative to the Tennessee Walking Horse breed. In 2006, Jennie and her famous Tennessee Walking Horse stallion Champagne Watchout performed the first Dressage En Gaite Musical Freestyle at The Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY. The team demonstrated Prix St. George movements as canter pirouette, tempi changes, and piaffe and passage en gaite.

In 2010, Jennie and Champagne Watchout were formally invited to exhibit their Dressage En Gaite Musical Freestyle at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games as the official breed representative of the Tennessee Walking Horse. For more about Jennie Jackson and Champagne Watchout, visit Jennie Jackson: Dressage En Gaite.