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French Dressage for Gaited Horses

Hand Position & its Effect on Smooth Gaits

hand position and its effect on the naturally gaited horse

Does hand position make a difference with how well the naturally gaited horse accepts a snaffle bit contact? Can hand position help or hinder relaxation in the naturally gaited horse? How does hand position impact smooth gaits?

Hand Position & Its Effect on Smooth Gaits

Studying Classical French Dressage has opened my eyes to new concepts in my riding. Not only have these concepts impacted the quality of smooth gaits, but they have also brought joy and harmony to my rides with my naturally gaited horses.

A few years ago, I audited and rode at a few Susan Norman clinics who teaches riding with lightness. She studied under, not one, but two French Classical Dressage Masters: Philippe Karl and the late Jean-Claude Racinet. Susan’s clinics introduced me books and DVDs produced by her protégés. These resources have opened my eyes and awareness to new ways of interacting with my horses that have greatly improved their smooth gaits.

philippe-karl-dvds-video-camera
French Classical Dressage Master Philippe Karl’s DVDs Classical vs. Classique and Classical Dressage, volumes 1-4 are excellent resources.
Jean Claude Racinet's book and Lisa Maxwell's DVD
Other favorites are ean Claude Racinet’s book Another Horsemanship and Lisa Maxwell’s 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.

While Norman, Karl, and Racinet apply dressage with horses that trot, I have found that the French Classical Dressage principles they teach apply well with the naturally gaited horses as well. What I have learned has produced lightness, balance, mental and physical relaxation, rhythm, engagement, straightness, collection, harmony, and joy. In turn, this humane method has developed full range of motion and quality natural smooth gaits.

The difference hand position makes

Among the differences is hand position. Karl’s teachings opened my eyes to how hand position impacts movement―for the better and the worse. Did you know that where the bit makes contact with the horse’s mouth is the difference between tension or pain and relaxation? Did you know that a tense horse moves differently than a relaxed horse? I didn’t have this awareness until I began to study Karl’s dressage application and begin to understand his philosophy.

For years I had been instructed to maintain a low hand position. Raising my hands to cue my horse was frowned upon. According to Karl, riding with low fixed hands applies tongue pressure. The horse’s response to this pressure is pain or tension and resistance. This leads to avoiding contact by going behind the bit and over flexing; going above the bit and becoming hollow; or getting tense in the jaw leading to a braced back. For the naturally gaited horse, a braced back leads to pacing, step pacing, a hard hollow trot, or stiff movement―certainly not the smooth gaits I am aiming for!

There is a big difference between riding my horse with low fixed hands and riding my horse with higher hands for cueing. A low fixed hand position presses the bit into my horse’s tongue which produces pain, tension and resistance. Cueing with higher hands makes contact with the less sensitive corners of my horse’s lips. Once my horse responds to the cue, I lower my hands to a neutral position with a light following contact. This means I gently follow the natural head and neck motion. If my hands remain in a low fixed position, it accentuates the bracing, pacing and rough gaits.

Watch: Rider Position and Effect on Smooth Gaits

The purpose of nosebands

Another eye-opener for me was the use of nose bands and flash attachments. For years, I showed my horses at dressage competitions. A quiet mouth was prized, so we rode with nose bands and flash attachments to keep the horse’s mouth closed.

Karl rides with a loose nose band or no nose band at all. Why? This permits the horse to freely open its mouth, taste the bit, salivate, and swallow to encourage relaxation. When a horse is ridden in a snug fitting noseband with or without a flash attachment, it can prevent the horse from swallowing. When you see excessive foam dripping from the horse’s mouth, it is likely that the horse isn’t swallowing. A little salivation is good, as long as the horse is able to swallow. When the horse is unable to swallow, this can lead to mental and physical tension which leads to a braced back. For naturally gaited horses, a braced back leads to pacing, step pacing, a hard hollow trot, or stiff movement―definitely not the smooth gaits I seek.

While educating the horse to the rider’s hands, the rider will have higher hands in training until the horse finds its balanced. Once the horse finds balance, the rider’s hands can be lowered to a neutral position.

A bit maker’s perspective

I recently watched a YouTube video: Dale Myler Bitting Series: #1 Understanding Bit Resistance (below) that reinforces Karl’s belief about tongue pressure. Mylar believes that riding the horse with tongue pressure cuts off the horse’s ability to salivate and swallow which distresses the horse. When the bit presses into the tongue by low fixed hands, the tongue begins to affect the horse’s ability to breathe. Adding to this, tension in the jaw encourages the horse to travel on the forehand and shortens the horse’s depth of stride.

Now, I certainly don’t want these qualities for my naturally gaited horses. Do you?

Thinking this through, as I ride my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horses and fox trotting mare, I apply a higher hand position for cueing, then a light neutral position that gently follow the natural head and neck motion. This helps keep my gaited horses relaxed in the jaw, accepting the snaffle bit contact, and has improved our smooth gaits.

I hope this is helpful. Let me know your thoughts by sending a message.

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Dressage for the Gaited Horse

Smooth and Quality Smooth Gaits

Quality smooth natural gaits

By Jennifer Klitzke

Experience quality smooth gaits: flat walk, running walk, fox trot or saddle rack through dressage!

There’s smooth and then there’s QUALITY smooth gaits

It’s like waking up to a couple scoops of pre-ground canned coffee brewed in a drip coffee maker, and then there’s waking up to freshly ground coffee brewed French press style. Both coffees will jump start your day, but the latter is a memorable experience. Why go back to pre-ground canned coffee after that! Right?

To me there is no comparison to riding a naturally gaited horse trained using dressage. Why settle for an untrained gaited horse with random, undefined gaits when I’ve experienced dressage to develop quality smooth gaits on cue: flat walk, running walk, fox trot, saddle rack, and canter.

Tennessee walking horse flat walk ridden bareback
Makana at 17 ridden bareback and barefoot at a flat walk.

There’s no greater feeling than the connected power and well-oiled looseness of a naturally gaited horse performing a smooth-running walk or the collected happy dance of piaffe on cue!

bareback piaffe
Naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse piaffe riding bareback.

Dressage benefits the majority of gaited horses 

Some naturally gaited horses, like the ones you see at breed shows, are blessed with astonishing movement, big strides, and huge head nods. Many say these horses are born to gait and easy to train the natural smooth quality gaits.

More common are naturally gaited horses that pace, have a hard, hollow trot, or not much overstride. Is there hope for horses like these? Will a pacey or trotty horse ever gait smoothly? Can a smooth gait improve in quality?

Dressage is for all riders and all horses, whether they trot or not!

Dressage teaches the rider to lead their horse into balance, relaxation of mind and body, rhythm, forward movement without rushing, connection, symmetry, and collection over time. The rider develops a balanced riding position and communicates with the horse through effective use and timing of leg, weight, seat and rein aids. This training develops a partnership of trust as well as the horse’s best possible quality smooth gaits and maximum range of motion.

Dressage develops quality smooth gaits, too!

At nine years old, my naturally gaited fox-trotting horse, Lady, came to my place. She had a dog walk on a loose rein and a hard, hollow trot when I took up contact with the snaffle bit. Lady has an inherent fox walk, fox trot, and flat walk, but it took time, patience, and consistent dressage to develop these smooth gaits on cue.

It also took time, patience, and consistent training to earn Lady’s trust with contact. I began with just an ounce of snaffle bit contact and increased the tempo of the dog walk to a fox walk. I focused on relaxation (of mind and body) and rhythm.

Once we established a consistent fox walk, I further increased the tempo just before she would trot to establish the fox trot. This process took several months of riding Lady 4-5 days a week for 45 minutes each time. We worked through issues that came up and finally experienced a natural smooth gait one step at a time.

Smooth gaits to quality smooth gaits

When Lady and I had established smooth gaits on cue, I further refined those smooth gaits to quality smooth gaits. We applied dressage exercises that produce balance, relaxation, rhythm, connection, engagement, symmetry, and collection. These exercises include circles, serpentines, figure eights, leg yield, pivot the fore, shoulder in, shoulder out, haunches in, rein back, transitions between walk and fox trot, transitions between the gait, and even teaching her a quality trot on cue!

Rein back engages the hindquarters and lifts the back and wither
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 communicate with Lady through effective use and timing of my rein, leg, seat and weight aids as well as became aware of my riding position and its effect on her to develop more and more steps of “the feeling of right“.

Dressage will not transform Lady into astonishing rail class movement, but dressage will help Lady develop her best quality smooth gaits on cue. We are still working on more engagement, relaxation, and connection. I am thrilled with how smooth and fun Lady is to ride on the trail!

Naturally smooth foxtrot

What about the bumpy lateral horse?

Unlike Lady’s diagonal, hollow trot, other naturally gaited horses have bumpy lateral gaits like pace, cross canter, and lateral canter. Don’t be discouraged if your horse has one or more of these. Smooth gaits are inherent. It takes consistent training, patience, and time to bring them out. Dressage is a lifelong journey and a partnership with your horse.

trotting a gaited horse over ground rails helps break up pace
Trotting a gaited horse over ground rails helps break up pace.

Ground rails and teaching the lateral gaited horse how to develop a quality trot (on cue) are helpful ways to break up pace, cross canter and a lateral canter.

Video: Breaking Pace & Cross Canter Using Trot & Ground Rails

Over time dressage helps the naturally gaited horse develop its best quality smooth gaits and full range of motion. This means a deeper and longer stride length, breaking up pace with a smoother, more even four-beat gait, breaking cross canter to a truer three-beat canter, and breaking a hard, hollow trot to a smooth fox trot.

Beginnings of my dressage journey

In 1988, I was invited to watch my first dressage show at Brightonwood Farm where dressage trainer Kathy Theissen and her upper-level Morgan, Bullwinkle, danced to the rhythm of a musical freestyle. She led him through his full range of motion and gaits—collected to extended. I loved the partnership, harmony, connection, expression, joy, and beauty Kathy and Bullwinkle shared. This moving performance is one I will never forget. I came to the show unfamiliar with dressage and left deeply inspired to become a devoted dressage student.

Watching my first dressage show: Kathy Theissen riding Bullwinkle, 1988, inspired me to become a devoted dressage rider.

For 19 years I became an avid dressage student with trotting horses: riding 5-6 days a week year-round, taking regular lessons, attending clinics, reading books, and watching videos.

Then in 2007 my aging body desired a smooth gaited horse. That’s when I bought Makana, a three-year-old Tennessee walking horse. It didn’t take long to realize the smooth gaits would need to be developed through consistent training.

Fortunately, most of Makana’s gaits were smooth, except the stepping pace and lateral canter. Discerning which smooth gait was my biggest challenge. Then adding cues to each gait through effective use and timing of my reins, legs, seat and weight aids.

Smooth gaits and quality smooth

shoulder in
Work the shoulder in and haunches in at a slow balanced, collected walk. Don’t worry about depth of stride and head nod. There will be little to no head nod in the collected walk. Lateral exercises supple, strengthen and improve symmetry and the quality of natural smooth gaits.

After each smooth gait is established with a set of cues, I use dressage to improve the quality of her smooth gaits through exercises that help strengthen her body, like circles, leg yield, shoulder-in, haunches-in, pivot the fore, rein back, transitions between gaits and within gaits. These exercises help develop balance, relaxation, connection, engagement, straightness and collection which improve the quality of my naturally gaited horse’s smooth gaits.

Naturally Smooth Gaits»
Today Makana is able to express the following natural smooth gaits on cue and in balance and self-carriage on a loose rein: free walk, medium walk, flat walk, running walk and canter.

Makana is also able to perform the following natural smooth gaits on cue, in balance and with acceptance of an even snaffle bit contact: medium walk, flat walk, running walk, saddle rack, fox trot, collected walk, counted walk, piaffe, canter, counter canter, collected canter, and medium canter.

Developing quality gaits on cue doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time, consistency, and patience. Yet the time it takes develops a partnership. Every ride is a new conversation with my horse and every lesson, clinic, and dressage show is an opportunity to learn and grow. I can’t wait to experience what we will discover next!

Dressage begins with the rider learning a balanced riding position and communicating with the horse through effective use and timing of rein, leg, seat and weight aids to lead the horse into balance, relaxation of mind and body, rhythm, connection, forward movement without rushing, symmetry, and collection.

If you thinking about starting your dressage journey and need help, here are a few ideas:

  • Join a local dressage association to find local dressage instructors, clinics, and schooling shows open to gaited horses
  • Travel to a gaited dressage clinic
  • Host a gaited dressage clinic

Video: How Dressage Improves Movement in Naturally Gaited Horses

If you are on this gaited dressage journey, I’d love to hear from you. Please contact me, join the NaturallyGaited Facebook community, and subscribe to the NaturallyGaited YouTube channel.

Dressage for the Gaited Horse

Emotional Balance & its Effect on the Naturally Gaited Horse

emotional balanceBy Jennifer Klitzke

Emotional Balance

There are many ways where balance improves the quality of movement in the naturally gaited horse, such as leading the horse into a balanced posture and relaxation of the mind and body; developing a balanced riding position; and for me, maintaining emotional balance while riding.

I think back to the first few years with my dear, sweet trakehner/thoroughbred gelding Seili. I purchased him as a well broke, yet green five-year-old, and I was yet only two years into my dressage journey.

Adding to this, I thought riding would be a great way to release my stress. Wow, bad idea! It didn’t take me long to realize how sensitive Seili was; me being emotionally out of balance by taking my stress to the barn expecting my horse to make me feel better produced my worst rides ever!

Stress caused me to tense my body and riding position which translated tension and nervousness to my horse. When Seili was  nervous and tense, his movement became stiff and rushed.

When I wasn’t present with Seili, he didn’t have a trusted leader to guide him, so he took the leadership reins which caused reactionary fear in me. I felt out of control. Then the reactionary fear in me caused my nervous horse to further lack confidence that I could be trusted as a leader.

The harmonious dance that I had hoped for to relieve my stress was replaced with a two-way battle for preservation: I wanted to live through the ride where I felt out of control, and my horse was running away from me to find relaxation that I hadn’t provided.

I left the barn more stressed than when I arrived and I humbly realized that emotional balance is my responsibility, not my horse’s to resolve.

Seili at 29 barefoot and sound
Me riding Seili when he was 29: a lot happier duo with emotional balance!

It became clear how important it is to find emotional balance before I step foot into the barn and de-clutter my mind and heart. This way I can be present to lead my horse into a partnership of trust, harmony, balance, relaxation, rhythm, connection, engagement, straightness, and collection—all of which impact the expression and quality of movement whether the horse is naturally gaited or of the trotting variety.

If you are on this naturally gaited dressage journey, I’d love to hear from you. Please contact me, join the NaturallyGaited Facebook community, and subscribe to the NaturallyGaited YouTube channel.

Dressage for the Gaited Horse

What is Gaited Dressage?

what is gaited dressage

By Jennifer Klitzke

Gaited dressage doesn’t require trot, riding in an arena, an English saddle, or showing. You might be surprised what else gaited dressage doesn’t require and all the benefits you and your gaited horse can gain.

What is Gaited Dressage?

By Jennifer Klitzke

Gaited dressage doesn’t require trot. It doesn’t mean that you have to wear fancy clothes, buy an English saddle, fit your horse with shoes, and it doesn’t mean that you’re confined to riding in an arena. You might be glad to know gaited dressage doesn’t require that you show!

Best of all, you’ll be glad to know that gaited dressage is not abusive. It never uses harsh bits, heavy shoes, chains, pads, artificial enhancements, or mechanical devices to develop natural smooth gaits. No not ever!

As long as you are riding your smooth gaited horse in a well-fitting and balanced saddle and a comfortable and appropriate snaffle bit, gaited dressage embraces your English or western preference—whether you show or not.

What gaited dressage is

Gaited dressage is a humane way to train the smooth gaited horse and rider. Through ongoing lessons, the rider develops a balanced riding position and effective use and timing of rein, leg, seat and weight aids. These aids lead the horse into relaxation of mind and body, balance, rhythm, forward movement without rushing, connection, symmetry, and collection. This foundation helps the gaited horse develop strength and flexibility, full range of motion, quality smooth gaits, and a partnership of harmony and trust.

Gaited dressage is versatile

Gaited dressage is a consistent communication language between the rider and horse that can be taken wherever you and your horse go and whatever you do in or out of an arena, along the trail, while negotiating sneaky cows in the sorting ring, jumping a course of fences, and more.

naturallygaited-working-with-cows

You can even show gaited dressage

There are many schooling shows, breed shows and even virtual open shows that offer gaited dressage. Showing gaited dressage is a great way to receive written feedback from a trained dressage professional about your horse’s training as it relates to rhythm, relaxation, connection, engagement, straightness, and collection, as well as feedback about your riding position and use and timing of your rein, leg, seat and rein aids.

Gaited dressage with a Tennessee walking horse

Gaited dressage teaches the rider how to train the horse

Gaited dressage educates the rider to educate the horse. The rider lears how to lead the horse into relaxation, balance, rhythm, connection, engagement, straightness, collection, and harmony. Over time, these training elements develop full range of motion and quality smooth gaits.

Six ways dressage teaches a rider how to train their gaited horse

1) Rider position and application of aids. The rider develops a balanced riding position over the horse’s center of gravity. In addition, the rider learns the effective use and timing of hand, leg, seat, and weight aids. These aids lead the horse into relaxation of mind and body, even rhythm and tempo, forward movement without rushing, connection with the horse, symmetry, flexibility and strength, and balance, engagement, and collection.

2) Accept and follow contact. Gaited dressage teaches the rider how to teach the horse how to accept and follow a light snaffle bit contact. It also teaches the rider how to follow the horse’s natural head and neck movement with relaxed shoulders, arms, and hands.

3) Feel awareness involves noticing how the rider’s body, breathing, and thoughts impact the horse. Noticing and releasing tension in the rider’s shoulders, arms, hands, hips, back, and jaw, breathing deep into the belly, following the natural head and neck motion of the horse with the hands and following the belly sway of the horse with relaxed hip joints to encourage relaxation in the horse. Becoming aware of the timing of aids and the feeling of when the horse is in the moment for the cue.

4) Feeling of right means knowing what is feels like when the horse is relaxed in its mind and body; balance on all four legs; moving with steady rhythm and even strides; moving forward without rushing; having symmetry (meaning evenly flexible in both directions); and developing engagement from the hindquarters, abdominal muscles and chest to lower the hindquarters, lift the back and wither head and neck over time.

This also means learning to notice when the horse is on the forehand, tense in the lower jaw, hollow in the back, disengaged with its hind legs, crooked, stiff, and rushing.

When a rider has developed this feel awareness, they can restore the horse to the feeling of right through effective use and timing of leg, seat, weight, and rein aids.

Gaited dressage: The feeling of right

5) Consistency training helps the rider develop a consistent communication language with the horse through the use and timing of leg, rein, seat, and weight aids. This consistent communication leads the gaited horse into more and more moments of relaxation, balance, rhythm, connection, forward movement without rushing, and symmetry. Developing the feeling of right helps you notice when corrections are needed to bring the horse back to the feeling of right. And the proper timing of rewarding the horse early and often.

6) Becoming a trusted leader with the gaited horse through an ongoing, two-way dialogue. It requires the rider to declutter their mind and heart and be present with the horse, listening to and seeking to understand what the horse is saying, and learning to effectively communicate with the horse and lead them into the feeling of right. Then listening to the response of the horse for adjustments as needed.

Gaited dressage is more than a training system

Gaited dressage is an on-going journey of a relationship between the rider and horse over time. This takes time to develop. Yet nothing is more deeply rewarding when the communication, connection, and harmony between a rider and a smooth gaited horse lead to the horse feeling safe enough to accept the rider as a trusted leader.

A Trusted Leader

How gaited dressage benefits the rider

  • Improves the rider’s balance and effective riding position
  • Improves the rider’s communication with their smooth gaited horse through the effective use and timing of leg, seat, weight, and rein aids which helps the horse develop greater trust, relaxation and harmony with the rider
  • Developing the smooth gaits are easier on a rider’s body
  • Aging dressage riders who have invested years of time and money taking dressage lessons on trotting horses can apply their knowledge and skill with a gaited horse and enjoy a smooth ride that is easier on the body
  • Gaited dressage can be taken on the trail where the rider can cover a lot of ground quickly and the rider’s body won’t pay for it later!

How gaited dressage benefits the gaited horse

  • By relaxing the naturally gaited horse’s mind, the horse is more teachable
  • By relaxing the horse’s jaw and back, pace can be replaced with smoother natural four-beat gait
  • Gaited dressage can break cross canter, a later canter, and a four-beat canter into a true, three-beat canter
  • Through the effective use and timing of rein, seat, leg and weight aids the naturally gaited horse can be led into relaxation, balance, rhythm, connection, engagement, straightness, collection, and harmony to improve the horse’s full range of motion and quality of natural gaits on cue
  • With lateral exercises like the shoulder-in the horse can find balance, activate the abdominal muscles to lift the back, engage the hind and develop a deeper stride beneath the body which will lengthen the stride overall from hind foot to hind foot
  • By connecting the energy from the horse’s hindquarters through the horse’s body to the bit while riding with a light and even contact on both reins following the head and neck motion, the naturally gaited horse can develop a consistent head nod in the flat walk, running walk, and fox trot

Most of all, smooth gaited horses flourish when ridden using dressage methods that build trust, relaxation, and respect.

Enjoy the journey!

If you are on this gaited dressage journey, I’d love to hear from you. Please contact me, join the NaturallyGaited Facebook community, and subscribe to the NaturallyGaited YouTube channel.

Dressage for the Gaited Horse, Gaited Horse Stories

Is Perfection the Goal of Dressage?

Is Perfection the Goal of Dressage

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.

Lateral exercises at a collected walk

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.

What are your thoughts? Please reach out send me a message or stay connected by subscribing to the Naturally Gaited youtube channel and joining our community on facebook.com/naturallygaited.