Training Tennessee Walking Horses in Dressage

If you only associate dressage with the high-level, balletic skills seen during Olympic equestrian events, it may seem that a Tennessee Walking Horse, with its unusual running walk gait, would be hard to train in this discipline. Basic dressage, however, is useful training for every horse, including gaited ones. Dressage teaches a horse how to better use its body and be more responsive to its rider. Of course, since Tennessee Walking Horses have a different gait than other breeds, dressage moves that would normally be done at the trot need to be adapted to its running walk.

Instructions

    • 1

      Teach your Tennessee Walking Horse to yield to leg cues. Apply gentle pressure to your horse on one side while holding him back, either with your reins or with your horse facing into a rail to prevent him from moving forward. Apply rein pressure at the same time. Try to place your leg a little bit back of where you would normally cue the horse to go forward. Your horse may be confused at first and get frustrated when it wants to move forward, but can't. Eventually, it should move away from your leg pressure. When it does that, release the pressure and praise the horse. Continue to work with your horse until it understands that the pressure means you want it to move away from your leg applying the pressure. Do not work too long with your horse in any one session as it is mentally taxing to a horse when it is first learning to yield to your leg.

    • 2

      Work with your horse on giving to the bit. While at the walk, apply leg pressure and rein pressure. Your horse will want to break into a faster gait, but keep it from doing so with steady pressure. As your horse gets better at working on rein contact, you can progress to working with it at the running walk and eventually at the canter.

    • 3

      School your horse in bending with a lot of circle, serpentine, and figure eight work. This type of work will help your horse to be more supple.

    • 4

      Teach your horse to extend its gait by applying pressure on your horse's side opposite the front leg that your horse is moving forward. Alternate leg pressure with each movement of your horse's leg, while keeping contact with your horse's mouth. This will make your horse extend out its gait. Start at the walk, and eventually school your horse with this method at the running walk.

    • 5

      Practice with your horse often. Dressage takes a lot of time to perfect. It is also important to give your horse days off, as learning dressage can be mentally and physically taxing, especially in the beginning when the horse is learning how to use its body more effectively.

    • 6

      Work with a trainer, especially one that may have experience with teaching dressage to gaited horses. As you advance into more complex dressage maneuvers, you will need the help of an instructor or trainer to advance your and your horse's skills.