The Jog – The Cowboy’s Gait
Fig1. – The two-beat jog and trot, features the feet moving in diagonal pairs.
In classical dressage, the two-beat diagonal gait of the horse is called the trot. The trot is characterized not only by its two-beat diagonal movement but by the suspension desired between the foot placement of the diagonal pairs. It is this suspension that give the trot its animated jaunty appearance. (fig.2).
Fig 2. – The trot is characterized not only by its two-beat diagonal movement but by the suspension desired between the foot placement of the diagonal pairs. It is this suspension that give the trot its animated jaunty appearance.
The Cowboy Dressage horse’s jog, while also being a two-beat diagonal gait, is quite different from the dressage trot in more than just nomenclature
The jog should be a very comfortable—for both the horse and the rider. While retaining the propulsion of the classical dressage trot, it lacks suspension in both the working and the free frame.
(fig.2.1).
Fig 2.1 – The jog should be a very comfortable—for both the horse and the rider. While retaining the propulsion of the classical dressage trot, it lacks suspension in both the working and the free frame.
By discouraging suspension but retaining the forward momentum, the concussion to both horse and rider is removed from this two-beat gait. A Cowboy Dressage horse in a working-frame jog should be smooth and comfortable to ride seated. The jog has its origin in the working cowboy who spent hours in the saddle. (fig.3).
Fig 3.- The jog has its origin in the working cowboy who spent hours in the saddle.
Like the working walk, it is a gate of preparation for the execution of further maneuvers and commands. You may wish to jog over to a gate, stop to turn back a cow, or skirt around a rodear (tight group of cattle); the point being that the gait should be one of practicality—a calm, relaxed jog that doesn’t jar you and has cadence and softness in a ready frame for the next task required.
Working Jog
The frame of the horse when transitioning from working walk to working jog shouldn’t change noticeably (fig. 4).
Fig 4. – The frame of the horse when transitioning from working walk to working jog shouldn’t change noticeably
The compression and shortening of the frame in Soft Feel that occurs at the walk should be carried into the jog with the same soft contact. This is why correctness, cadence, and Soft Feel at the working walk need to be accomplished before the horse will find success with the working jog.
The transition from the working walk into the working jog should be thought of as an upward transition, not a forward transition. (fig.5).
Fig 5. – The transition from the working walk into the working jog should be thought of as an upward transition, not a forward transition.
From the working walk, you prepare the horse for the transition by making soft contact with the reins, asking the horse to first compress slightly. Then you cue for the upward transition—not by urging the horse forward or faster but by asking the horse to “lift up” into the jog. You accomplish this by lifting and tightening your core, driving with your seat, and if needed, a gentle nudge with the calf. As the horse transitions up into the working frame, hold the horse until he is balanced, then lightly releases the light contact and ask him to hold the gait and cadence on a soft rein.
The downward transition from working jog to working walk should be accomplished much the same way. The frame of the horse and forward momentum shouldn’t change. Instead of step- ping up into the jog, the horse “melts” down into the walk. By carrying the frame forward in the downward transition, the horse will not bounce to a stop or land on the forehand. A properly executed downward transition maintains the engagement from behind but allows the energy of the jog to melt down into the walk.
Free Jog
Like the free walk, the free jog is performed in a lengthened frame (fig. 6).
Fig 6. – The free jog is the lengthened frame of the working jog. The cadence of footfall should ideally be the same but with longer strides. The horse should use his back well, rounding evenly from head to tail in a nice soft arc.
From the working jog the horse is asked to maintain cadence while driving from the hindquarters. On a lengthened rein, the horse reaches outward and downward stretching the long muscles of the top line. The free jog can be one of the more difficult gaits to teach both horse and rider to execute correctly.
The most commonly seen pitfall in the free jog is that the horse hollows the back instead of stretching the top line down and out.
To facilitate the transition into the free jog from the working jog, it is important that the horse has learned to stretch in the free walk.
Because the free jog requires the horse to drive from the hindquarters while shifting the center of gravity forward from the working frame, it is more difficult for many horses to do in the two- beat diagonal gait. Teaching the horse to follow the feel forward and reach for the stretch is of the utmost importance.
As when transitioning from working walk to free walk, you make a light contact with the horse before lowering the hand and releasing the rein, thus allowing the horse to carry the rein forward and downward through your hands (to the bottom of the bit).
While not required, the Cowboy Dressage rider is encouraged to post the free jog to additionally help the horse understand the transition between the gaits. Posting is also a very helpful way to encourage the horse to lengthen the stride and drive from the hindquarters into the gait. Posting from the back of the saddle to the front of the saddle—rather than posting up and down—encourages a longer stride. It is important to not speed the horse through the free jog by over-posting, posting too quickly, or dumping the horse forward on the forehand by throwing the reins away.
While the free jog is ridden on a long rein, there is still light soft contact through the bit to the rider. The reins are long enough and free of undue pressure so as to allow the horse to reach forward and open the throat latch, but not so loose that they are flapping in the wind. A soft “float” in the reins is generally the desired result of Soft Feel in all the gaits, including the free gaits.
Diagonal Advanced Placement
There is a well documented phenomenon commonly spoken about in the dressage discipline called Diagonal Advanced Placement or DAP+. This refers to the tendency of the hind foot of the diagonal pair in the trot to land before the front foot. While it sounds like a disunion of the diagonal pairs and cause for a fault in the horse’s movement it is actually a natural occurrence of propulsion and collection in the horse. (fig.7).
Fig7. – The two-beat jog and trot, features the feet moving in diagonal pairs. The two feet should hit the ground at the same time. A horse that is heavy on the front will have a split beat as the front foot hits the ground slightly ahead of the hind foot. Conversely, a horse that is weighted back onto his hindquarters may strike the ground with his hind foot slightly ahead of the forefoot. This is considered advantageous movement and is referred to diagonal advanced displacement.
In horse traveling with even weight distribution on the fore and hindquarters the diagonal pairs are caring equal weight and have an equal flight pattern in the gait. In this instance they hit the ground at exactly the same time, as can be seen in this picture. This is the classic 2 beat jog in the long frame showing even distribution of weight, lifting of the back and reach of the hindquarters in the gait. But, when the impulsion in the hindquarter pushes the horse forward in propulsion and the forequarters are lifted out of the way through elevation of the thoracic sling we see that the horse will land with the hind feet just ahead of the forefeet. While initially this may seem like a product of impulsion, we can see this phenomenon in a horse in the Cowboy Dressage gait of the jog as well.
Here is a picture of Santa Fe Renegade demonstrating the same DAP+ in the jog. (fig,8).
Fig8. – A picture of Santa Fe Renegade demonstrating the same DAP+ in the jog. (fig8.). (1&4).
We know that the Cowboy Dressage jog differs from the traditional dressage trot by the decreased implosion and propulsion in the gait. It is a softer and shorter gait with no suspension. It is interesting to note that those changes do not affect the DAP+. DAP+ is a product of shifting of the weight carrying to the hindquarters in the gait.
A byproduct of a horse developing consistent DAP+ in the jog or the trot is that it takes some of the impact out of the gait by splitting the concussion of the landing feet between the diagonal pairs taking the jog from a 2 beat gait to a 4 beat gait. A horse with DAP+ will be easier and more pleasurable to ride at the jog. As work towards building balance and collection in our horses, the DAP+ should be a natural result.
Read more at: Dressage the Cowboy Way
THE COMPLETE Guide to Training Riding with Soft Feel and Kindness. Paperback – Eitan’s new Book Coauthored by Jenni Grimmett DVM.
http://cowboydressage.com/storefront.html
