Dressage develops quality smooth gaits. Over time and consistent training, dressage for the naturally gaited horse develops full range of motion for quality smooth gaits on cue and long-term soundness.

Why Dressage for the Gaited Horse

by Jennifer Klitzke

Dressage offers many benefits for the naturally gaited horse. For starters, classical dressage is a humane training method and a communication language through the rider’s effective use and timing of rein, leg, seat and weight aids to the horse. This communication can be taken with you wherever you and your horse go and whatever you do together.

Dressage helps the naturally gaited horse develop

• More relaxation (less mental anxiety and body tension)
• Better balance (less pre-dominance on the forehand and more evenly on all four legs)
• Steady rhythm and head nod
• Even tempo and stride length
• Forward movement without short quick steps
• Stretching and strengthen the horse’s top line muscles
• Stretching the spine and encouraging a neutral back
• Depth of stride under the body mass
• Connection between the rider and horse through the rein, leg and seat aids
• Greater symmetry and flexibility traveling left and right
• Pushing power and carrying strength

All of these dressage attributes aid in improving the quality of natural smooth gaits and full range of motion.

How dressage benefits the naturally gaited horse

Relaxing the mind

Relaxation of the horse’s mind allows for a more teachable and attentive horse with less anxiety and tension. Relaxing the mind helps build a partnership of harmony between the horse and rider to promote trust. A relaxed horse is able to listen to the rider and worry less about the distractions around. This reduces the risk of spooking.

Relaxing the body

Relaxation of the horse’s body allows for a more trainable horse. Relaxing the body transforms tense muscles and a hollow posture that produce pace into more flexible and maneuverable movement for smoother gaits.

Relaxing the body includes expression of the mouth, comfort of the lower jaw and poll, stretching and flexibility of body muscles, a maneuverable posture, and lifting the chest and back. For the naturally gaited horse, a relaxed body promotes smoother gaits—less tense and hollow gaits such as pace, step pace, hard trot, and lateral canter.

Stretching

Stretching exercises help the naturally gaited horse stretch the spine, top line and neck muscles. Stretching reduces hollowness, and when encouraging deeper steps under the belly can improve depth of stride and the length of stride.

Developing symmetry

Through gymnastic exercises, the gaited horse become more ambidextrous. These flexibility exercises promote balance, strength, symmetry, and evenness of stride, length of stride, and depth of stride.

Breaking up pace

Diagonal moving exercises, such as shoulder in, haunches in, shoulder out and renver, break up lateral foot fall sequences as pace and step pace. These exercises also soften and supple the horse’s body and lift a hollow back to a neutral position. All this leads to smoother gaits.

Developing quality smooth gaits

Over time and consistent training, dressage for the naturally gaited horse develops full range of motion for quality smooth gaits and long-term soundness. This means developing smooth gaits on cue like the ground covering flat walk and running walk as well as the more collected saddle rack.

Watch: How dressage improves smooth gaits

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