Gaited vs Ungaited... Reality Check

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I read the Ivory Pal thread with some interest, but with my dial-up internet service there was no way I was going to sit around for 45 minutes while the video downloaded... therefore my official response to that is "no comment".

HOWEVER... it seems that a few of our "gaited friends" here could use a dose of reality when it comes to their horses... there's a difference between appreciating a breed or type of horse and idolizing it beyond what it deserves, and judging from some of the posts I've read, some of the "gaited" members of this BB are just not realistic when it comes to their "favorite breed".

As most of you know, I am a gaited horse aficiando... primarily because I TRAIL RIDE.
This is what these horses were bred to do and do well.... deliver a smooth ride to the plantation owners as they surveyed their property.

If I was not a trail rider though, and was into Reining (for example), I most certainly would NOT be riding a gaited horse.... I would be mounted on the breed which excels at that discipline.

I am a firm believer of selecting the correct horse for any given job or discipline... and the various breeds have been bred to excel in certain disciplines.

I would NEVER be so bold as to claim my gaited horses could perform dressage as well as a Warmblood, run barrels or perform reining manuevers as athletically as a Quarter Horse, pull a cart with the style of a Hackney, or run as fast as a Thoroughbred... yet some members here seem to think their gaited horse is "all that" and more.

Can gaited horses jump, run a cloverleaf pattern, or do dressage basics such as leg yields?
YES they can...
Does their conformation and way of going allow them to do these things as well as ungaited breeds developed specifically for those jobs?
The hard line answer is NO.

The gaited horses here at my farm all canter, neck rein, sidepass, and jump a little.
But just because they CAN DO this stuff does not mean they can hold their own performing these manuevers against horses bred specifically for these duties.

Let's get real people...
Gaited horses are tons of fun and very versatile... but their area of "expertise" is delivering an effortlessly smooth ride for pleasure or trail use... not mainstream competition against ungaited horses in disciplines they aren't suitable for by grace of their conformation and backgrounds.

AND in my opinion, by forcing them into disciplines unsuitable to their conformation and way of going, you not only end up producing a sub-par performer in those unsuitable disciplines, you also risk bastardizing their performance in their own area of excellence... the ability to allow the rider to sit comfortably and without fatigue as they effortlessly cover the miles.

No ungaited breed can match that claim... isn't that enough?

Just my opinion...