Many people ride their naturally gaited horses with low fixed hands. I did this, too until I learned a new way leading to relaxation and smoother gaits.

Here’s my story.

Following the Natural Head and Neck Motion

By Jennifer Klitzke

I’ve been a passionate student of dressage since 1988, predominantly of the German school, learning how to post and develop my core to sit a bouncy trot. This kept me in shape, I’ll give you that!

Then in 2007, my aging body longed for a smooth ride, and that’s when I acquired my first naturally gaited horse: a just turning three-year-old Tennessee Walking Horse filly named Makana. I began her training with the German dressage I knew until I was introduced to a gaited rail class instructor. This is where I learned to ride with low fixed hands.

Then French dressage clinicians traveled to my region, and they acquainted me with the work of modern classical French dressage Masters, such as Philippe Karl and his School of Légèreté. This launched a book and DVD study into his methods which were vastly different than the German dressage and rail class instruction I had learned. I gradually began to adopt Karl’s methods as I rode my naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse.

A few years later, I learned that Karl had been teaching School of Légèreté instructor certification clinics at three USA locations—one of which was not far from family. At my next trip to Seattle, WA, I contacted Nichole, one of Karl’s instructors in training for lessons.

Each day with Nichole I took several lessons on her non-gaited horses. First, we began with: Work in Hand: Educating the Mouth.

Then Nichole taught me how to apply the exercises from the ground to the saddle. First, we began at a halt and then a walk.

As soon as I began the walk, Nichole noticed my low fixed hand position. While my arms and hands were quiet at my sides, she also noticed my pelvis and lower back followed the motion of the horse more than necessary. It seemed my back and hips were overcompensating for my still arms (tense shoulders, elbows and hands).

My efforts to remain still with my arms and hands began to affect the horse with tension and heaviness. This great observation and feedback is just what I needed. I certainly did not intend to impose this response from my aids! The book and DVD study I had been doing was great, but only one-on-one lessons can give specific real time feedback.

Instead of being still with my arms and hands, Nichole encouraged me to follow the horse’s natural head and neck motion. This meant becoming aware of my arms and hands―elastic fingers and relaxed wrists, elbows and shoulders while maintaining a light contact with the reins connected to the snaffle bit.

This was an epiphany for me!

Granted, I was riding a non-gaited horse at a walk, but the walk is an evenly timed four beat gait. I began to think about the smooth evenly timed four beat gaits of the Tennessee Walking Horse. Gaits like the flat walk and running walk with a natural head and neck nod.

I wondered how my stillness and low fixed hands had been affecting my horse’s relaxation, willingness to move forward, and quality of natural gaits?

• Could low fixed hands and stillness be creating tension and braces leading to pace, step pace, short quick steps, lateral canter and bit avoidance?
• Could the tension in my shoulders, still arms and hands be saying “stop” to my horse when I intend to move forward?

Nichole taught me the importance of following the natural head and neck motion of the horse’s four beat walk with relaxed shoulders, arms and hands. This fostered relaxation, harmony and lightness with each horse I rode during my lessons.

If following the natural head and neck motion of non-gaited horses at a walk produce relaxation, wouldn’t the same logic translate to the naturally gaited head-nodding horse at a flat walk, fox trot, and running walk?

• Would following hands produce less driving with my legs and seat to encourage my horse forward?
• Would following hands produce less tension and more relaxation, harmony and lightness between me and my horse?
• Would my horse be more apt to seek contact with a snaffle bit if I followed the head nod?
• Would following hands lead to longer and deeper strides rather than short quick steps?

How many naturally gaited horses struggle with a camel walk, hard pace, step pace, and a lateral canter? Would horses be smoother to ride if they felt more comfortable and relaxed? Could following the horse’s natural head and neck motion lead to smoother gaits?

Did You Know

When the horse holds tension in the mouth, jaw and poll it affects the body with tension. For the naturally gaited horse this body tension can lead to pace. (Just do a study on the hyoid apparatus, the horse’s tongue, and the effect it has on the horse’s body and movement.)

Wouldn’t the opposite be true? If the naturally gaited horse where more relaxed in the mouth, jaw and poll wouldn’t it lead to smoother gaits? Wouldn’t following the natural head and neck motion of the horse lead to relaxation better than low fixed hands?

I began to explore this idea of following the natural head and neck motion with my hands at the flat walk and running walk. In the beginning I was rather clumsy with my following arms. Yet it was a step in the right direction since I was letting go of the tension in my shoulders, elbows and hands as compared to a low fixed hand position.

Overtime I gained more finesse in the use of elastic fingers and wrists, along with relaxed shoulders and elbows, as I followed my horse’s natural head and neck motion at the flat walk and running walk.

Watch: Why follow the natural head and neck motion with relaxed arms

Granted, it is a lot easier to ride a naturally gaited head nodding horse with floppy reins, but dressage is my passion. I needed to find a way to communicate with a light contact that produces relaxation leading to smooth gaits. I believe following the natural head and neck motion is beneficial.

Special thanks to Nichole Walters, the owner and instructor of Cadbury Farm who taught me the “Educating the Mouth” and “Following Hands” exercises that she learned firsthand from Philippe Karl and his School of Légèreté.

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