The Jog is the cowboy delight
(fig 1). – The two-beat jog 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 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 (There should be a clear moment of suspension in between this movement when all the horse’s feet are off the ground. It’s this moment of suspension that gives the trot its expression and lift. The two-beat rhythm should remain the same throughout all variations of the pace).
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. 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. In the two-beat jog the feet moving in diagonal pairs, and 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 or DAP, also called diagonal dissociation, is an abbreviation for diagonal advanced placement. While trotting, DAP describes one foot of a diagonal pair landing a fraction of a second before the other foot. DAP is said to be positive (+DAP) when the hind foot in a diagonal pair lands a fraction of a second before the front foot.
The working jog features a medium frame with soft contact on the bit. The horse is relaxed through the poll and the center of gravity is directly under the rider with the horse stepping up underneath himself.
1 – Santa Fe demonstrated positive (+DAP) when his left hind foot in a right diagonal pair lands a fraction of a second before the right front foot.
2 – 4 feet on the ground instead of the suspension moment.
3 – Right diagonal {right front and left hind) on the ground and the left diagonal (left front and right hind) off the ground.
4 – Positive (+DAP) the right hind foot in a right diagonal pair lands a fraction of a second before the left front foot.
Santa Fe Renegade demonstrating the same DAP in the jog. We know that the Cowboy Dressage jog differs from the traditional dressage trot by the decreased 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. A horse with DAP will be easier and more pleasurable to ride at the jog.The 4 beat jog is a result of no impulsion and no suspension and the horse’s 4 feet are on the ground (instead of suspension) in order to change the diagonal pairs.
“The fox trot is similar to the trot in that each set of diagonal legs move somewhat in unison, but the forefoot lands a microsecond before the diagonally opposed hind foot, breaking the two-beat rhythm. This action eliminates suspension/concussion, and creates an uneven, four-beat gait: 1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4”.
