Tag Archives: twh dressage

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.

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

Visit website: NaturallyGaitedHorse.com
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Dressage for the Gaited Horse, Gaited Dressage Shows, Gaited Dressage Videos

Gaited Dressage at Rocking R

June 4, 2013 Jennifer Klitzke

By Jennifer Klitzke

Rocking R Farms in Foley, MN ordered perfect weather for their Spring Schooling Dressage and Jumping Show: sunshine, light breeze, not too hot or cold, and no bugs.

Rocking R Farm is one of the few facilities in my area that accommodates gaited dressage at their three schooling shows each year. I’ve been participating at Rocking R’s schooling shows since 2010, and so far have been the only gaited rider/horse team entered. I long for the day when more people give it a try. The feedback received from a trained eye is very helpful!

Gift of Freedom (Makana) and I rode NWHA Training Level Tests Two and Three and received scores of 69.28% and 66.8%. At previous shows, judges have encouraged me to establish and maintain contact with the bridle, so I’ve been working at this. Perhaps I took it too far as the judge felt my horse was bracing against the contact. I definitely see a difference in the way Makana moves which brings up another question: What do collected gaits look and feel like?

I asked Larry this question last summer at the five-day Larry Whitesell and Jennifer Bauer Clinic. Larry said that collected TWH gaits do not track up as much as gaits shown in breed rail classes and that the head nod is less extreme. Larry said to look for rounding of the back and bending downward of the haunches—not a hollow back and a flat croup. The legs should step under the belly, not step far behind the horse’s tail, so the horse carries rather than pushes itself forward. I am very interested to hear Jennie Jackson’s thoughts on this topic when she visits Minnesota for the Dressage as Applied to the Gaited Horse Clinic held June 29-30.

On the positive side, it appears that our riding in the snow and over jumps have paid off. We received “8s” in our canter work, as well as free walk on a long rein and center line halts.

I can’t wait until Jennie Jackson gets here for the Dressage as Applied to Gaited Horse Clinic held Saturday-Sunday, June 29-30 at Walker’s Triple R Ranch in Cambridge, MN. Jennie will definitely help me establish forwardness and rhythm into contact for a round frame!

Gaited Dressage: Rocking R Farm 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 Shows, Gaited Dressage Videos

Gaited Dressage at North Run

May 19, 2013 Jennifer Klitzke

By Jennifer Klitzke

Our 2013 show and clinic season was off to a late start with wintry weather through April and treatment for Ehrlichiosis from a deer tick bite just days after the snow melted. Would we be ready for the May clinic and show schedule?

Yes and no. We missed out on riding at the Jennifer Bauer gaited dressage clinic held at RNR Ranch in St. Croix Falls, WI and a couple weeks of our cow sorting league at High Circle Vee Ranch in Isanti, MN. I wondered if we would be ready for North Run Farms schooling dressage show I had planned on. In April I had contacted the show manager for approval to bring my gaited horse to their May show, and I didn’t want to miss this opportunity. Since we were off to a late start, I dropped our level of difficulty back a few notches and entered the show at Training level, tests two and three.

Not a bad strategy, as I am also competing my nongaited Spanish Mustang in Training level this year, and this would be an opportunity to get familiar with these tests. Plus, I had never ridden Makana through these Training level tests as the tests change every four years.

North Run Farms in Delano, MN put on a well organized schooling show. Rain and a flooded outdoor forced us inside, so after each two rides, the arena was open for ten minutes of schooling and warming up. For Makana, it was an opportunity to familiarize herself with the unusual objects hidden in the corners with lots of transitions to get her attention and lots of bending to unlock the tension in her poll. While riding through the tests I noticed that there were many improvements over last year. Makana is more forward without prodding or rushing, she’s more engaged from behind into a rein contact, more up in the shoulders, and more even in rhythm with deeper steps.

In Training level test two we received 68.214%. Dressage Judge Ginger Kawell remarked, “Nice forward ride. Try to get horse rounder on bit to get even better scores.” In Training level test three we received our highest score of 69.6% and the judge remarked, “Nice ride! Horse had movements with rounder frame! Keep it up.” Our two rides received some of the highest percentages of the show out of 14 horses (only one gaited) and 27 rides ranging from Intro to Third Level! To make it even better, the show organizer invited us back for their July and August schooling dressage shows and asked if I knew of any other gaited dressage riders who would like to enter as well. This is terrific news for gaited dressage!

Several people watching the show were intrigued with gaited dressage and approached me with questions. They had never seen anything like this before and were impressed with how comfortable a smooth gaited horse must be to ride.

Thank you to North Run Farms in Delano, MN and dressage judge Ginger Kawell for accommodating gaited dressage at the May 2013 dressage schooling show. North Run Farm is a terrific facility and Ginger is an encouraging judge who provides constructive feedback to help entrants in their pursuit of dressage. She draws from her experience in training both traditional and gaited dressage horses. The next North Run Farm Schooling Dressage Shows are Sunday, July 28 and Saturday, August 17, 2013. If interested, mail in a copy of your NWHA test with the entry form.

Dressage for the Gaited Horse

Dressage is More than Trot

February 7, 2013 Jennifer Klitzke

Dressage helps horses develop quality natural gaits, whether the horse trots, tolts, fox trots, or flat walks.

Dressage is More than Trot

By Jennifer Klitzke

How many times have you heard someone say, “Dressage is only for horses that trot?”

Coming from over 30 years of dressage riding non-gaited horses, much of my focus had been on the quality of the trot. Before buying SeilTanzer, my German warmblood in 1989, I had looked at over 50 dressage prospects to find the best trot I could afford. Back then the trot seemed to define dressage, especially in the show ring.

Eighteen years later I bought my first gaited horse, Makana. Dressage was the only training method I knew, so out of default that’s how I trained my Tennessee Walking Horse from the age of three. I didn’t encourage a trot, rather I focused on developing relaxation, balance, rhythm, connection, and engagement to establish her full range of motion for quality smooth gaits. This proves to be extremely helpful as my Walking horse has more gaits than my trotting horses ever did.

When my naturally gaited horse turned five I began to bring her to schooling dressage shows. Ironically, this is where I realized the true essence of dressage. While each judge said they had not evaluated a gaited horse in the dressage ring, each commented on the qualities of rhythm, relaxation, harmony, balance, engagement, connection, straightness, rider’s position and effective use of aids. And that’s what dressage training is all about. Dressage is more than trot.

Dressage is a French term for “training of the horse and rider.” In fact the United States Dressage Federation recognizes the dressage training pyramid in the development of the horse. Not one element in the dressage training pyramid is “trot.” All horses whether they flat walk or trot will benefit from progressive training which develops rhythm (with energy and tempo), relaxation (elasticity and suppleness), connection (acceptance of the aids and bit), impulsion (energy and thrust, straightness with alignment and balance), and collection (engagement, self carriage, lightness of the forehand).

So whether your horse is a scopey warmblood with lots of hang-time, a backyard pony, or a smooth-gaited Walking horse, dressage training will improve the quality of its natural gaits, and you’ll develop an amazing connection with your horse that is both enjoyable to ride and watch.

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

Visit website: NaturallyGaitedHorse.com
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Dressage for the Gaited Horse, Gaited Dressage Clinics

Gaited Dressage Clinic with Larry Whitesell and Jennifer Bauer

September 15, 2012 Jennifer Klitzke

RNR Ranch in St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin hosted a five-day Gaited Dressage Clinic with Larry Whitesell and Jennifer Bauer August 27-31. The clinic featured five Tennessee walking horses, a Foxtrotter, a Rocky, and a Singlefooter and their riders from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa.

Larry brought his professional teaching, coaching and communication skills to unpack his unique riding philosophy which is based upon classical dressage and years of showing and training gaited horses. His training focus is in meeting the horse’s needs.

Larry says, “Don’t teach the horse what NOT to do. Teach the horse what TO do.” Instead of punishing the horse for making a mistake, redirect the horse to find balance and relaxation and at the same time the horse’s need for security will be satisfied, and the horse will better trust the rider as a reliable leader. This translates into less spooks, bolts, bucks, buddy sourness, and rears. The more a horse trusts the rider to keep it secure, the more the rider can trust the horse on the trail. It’s a win-win training method.

Participants learned exercises to help their horses find balance and relaxation which in turn will help the horses become safer and happier trail mounts. Jennifer coached riders into establishing a better riding position while Larry helped each rider/horse team through the exercises. Participants were amazed with how much influence a good riding position has on a horse’s balance.

The clinic was filled with mounted and dismounted exercises, working the horses in hand, lunging, and riding through exercises that helped each horse unlock the braces in their poll, neck, shoulders and back. Exercises included turn on the forehand, turn on the haunches, shoulder in, halt, rein back, transitions within a gait, and transitions between gaits every few steps. Larry identified each horse’s level of training and gave each horse/rider team tips for improving balance, relaxation, impulsion, and collection.

After each clinic day, riders were welcome to enjoy RNR’s beautifully groomed trails. Three riders even had a close encounter with a big buck as they rode through the mature forests, rolling meadows, and farmland.

Published in the the September 2012 Heritage Highlights newsletter for the Tennessee Walking Horse Heritage Society.

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

Visit website: NaturallyGaitedHorse.com
Subscribe: Naturally Gaited youtube channel
Follow: facebook.com/naturallygaitedhorse