Have lots of gaited questions!!
Hi
We just bought a 13 year old standard-bred mare. We are having a lot of fun with her. She is our firs gaited horse and we don't know much about them. She has three gaits, so I am told. What I don't know is if my daughter takes her to a show and the judge asks for a trot what gait is that and if the judge asks for a lope/canter what gait is that. Now I have figured out that when she is in what I think is her 2nd gait she moves her front and back feet on either side at the same time (Did I say that so it makes sense???) I think you call it pacing??? Well as you can see I need a lot of help figuring out this gaited world, so any help would me great. Also if anyone knows of any good books I can get my hands on to learn more let me know.
thanks
Hi.. your daughter is going to have a blast. Now, I dont know much about the show stuff. so some others will have to answer those questions. We do pleasure riding only.. have 3 gaited plus the colt is gaited. Can you get RFDTV?? if not go to their website and also find websites on the gaited horse. They are great! Think the only other horse I'd want is a Paso Fino or Peruvian Paso.. Good luck with the shows..
Sis
Brenda Imus has a wonderful book that is packed with information on all gaited breeds. It is titled Heavenly Gaits and has information on horse origin, gaits, conformation,etc.It really clarified a lot of issues for me and was so enjoyable to read. I just did a search for it on the internet and purchased it thru one of the on-line book sellers. Very informative and well written book-meaning easy to read and understand. Hope this helps, Terri
Re: Have lots of gaited questions!!
As the owner of a Standardbred mare, I will make a couple of comments. I suspect your horse does a step-pace, rather than a hard pace. For my Standardbred, that is her second gait, and her hard pace is 30 mph--WAY faster than her canter.
If your daughter decides to show her, just be certain the judge understands that she will not be doing a trot as middle gait. In most small local shows, that is okay.
And yes, You are going to have a blast with this horse. My experience is that they have very people-pleasing attitudes, and a lot of "try". They will try to do what you ask.
If you can get a video about various gaits, I would recommend that--so you and your daughter can recognize what the horse is doing.
Walk--nice evenly spaced footfall, one foot at a time.
Step-pace--lateral gait (legs on a single side move somewhat in sync). The footfall is an uneven four beats, with the back foot striking the ground slightly sooner than the front foot on each side. While riding this your hips will rack side to side a little bit, and the horse may have a V-shaped head nod.
Trot--diagonal gait (pairs are from the opposite side, left front and right hind move together). Two beat even foot fall. Front and back of each pair strike the ground at the same time. Depending on the horse, it can be bouncy--up and down.
Canter--3 beat gait. The front feet move independently, but the back two feet strike the ground at the same time. A good canter will rock you back and forth in the saddle.
Rack--four beat lateral gait. Pairs on a single side pickup at the same time, but back foot sets down first, then front foot. Similar to the step-pace, but truly even footfall, 1-2-3-4. Usually a faster gait.
Hard Pace--two beat gait, like a trot, but lateral movement. The two legs on a side move exactly together, and strike the ground at the same time. The rider feels a lot of motion side to side, not up and down. For some horses, this can be very smooth and fast--then it is called a flying pace.
There are other gaits out there--running walk, foxtrot, but I don't think your horse will do anything other that what I listed.
Re: Have lots of gaited questions!!
Thanks for all of the help!! I am going to find a video I think that will really help both of us and I have already ordered one of the books that was recommeded. I will keep you all updated on how we are all doing!!
Thanks!!
leslie
Re: Have lots of gaited questions!!
Hey.. just wondering how things are going with the new horse and the gaited learning. We are going to sell one of our Walkaloosas.. really dread her leaving.. but getting crowded around here.. What all are you doing? Did you get the video??
SIS
getting crowded around here.. What all are you doing? Did you get the video??
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