|
|
|
#31
09-12-2009, 07:09 PM
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
A gaited horse with the proper build can OUT maneuver a QH. Cindy, I know you have only been into gaited horses a short time, but give them a chance - don't limit every gaited breed out there...they are MUCH more than just a pretty trail horse.
__________________
 “No man can cause more grief than that one clinging blindly to the vices of his ancestors.” ~William Faulkner 
|
|
#32
09-12-2009, 07:14 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Quote:
I hate to see people say - oh, they couldn't do it, they're gaited and never try... My favorite story - Teddy O'Connor - really HOW many people do you know that would even CONSIDER a 14 hand horse for jumpers.........HA! I LOVE IT - ONLY because of who his owner was, was he taken seriously and not laughed at....all the way.
__________________
“No man can cause more grief than that one clinging blindly to the vices of his ancestors.” ~William Faulkner
|
|
#33
09-12-2009, 07:18 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
more
great info - for the reality check
http://www.hashknifehorses.com/gaite...endacities.htm http://www.myhorse.com/on_trail/hors...itage.aspx#top Another myth dispelled here: Myth #9: Trotting ruins smooth gaits. "Sometimes, I’d like to trot my gaited horse on the trail. I’ve seen him trot in the pasture, so I know he can do it, but I’ve heard that if you let a gaited horse trot, it’ll ruin his smooth gaits." Busted! Trotting is a natural gait for most horses, and is good for their backs, balance, and muscular development. Versatile gaited horses are quite capable of performing gaits that aren’t in their capsule breed description. If your horse walks, trots, and canters in the pasture, there’s no reason he can’t walk, trot, and canter under saddle. Go ahead and trot your horse, encouraging him to use his belly muscles, lift and stretch his back, and reach forward and down with his head and neck. He may not get the chance to exercise these muscles in the same way when he’s gaiting, and it’s very good for him to do some cross-training. Don’t worry about causing your horse to "lose" his special gaits, and don’t worry that he’ll begin offering a trot when you ask him for his running walk, foxtrot, or singlefoot. Relax, and trust his intelligence and versatility. To ensure that you get the gait that you want when you want it, simply teach him a specific cue to go with each gait. That way, he’ll understand exactly what you’re asking for at any given moment. Many gaited horses can perform many gaits and do them all well; think of them as extra-special horses with extra gears. It’s perfectly possible for one horse to be able to perform a flatfoot walk, running walk, singlefoot, foxtrot, trot, and canter. Find out what your horse can do, and as long as he’s equally comfortable in all of his various gaits, encourage him to use the ones that are most suitable for your chosen activities. Here even though this started as a separate event - it is a beginning ---geez even a cross crounty portion...guess no one told them they couldn't jump right. Silly ole dressage federation judge too - just must be wasting her time... Gaited Horses Compete in Inaugural Three-Phase Event The weekend before the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, gaited horses competed in a similar competition of their own. With the words “Four…Three…Two…Have a good ride!” a starter sent the first horse and rider out on the cross country course. The weekend before the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event was the inaugural United Mountain Horse Gaited Versatility Challenge and Open Gaited Breed Dressage Show near Lexington, Kentucky. The competition was conceived by Margo Kirn, a Friends of Sound Horses (FOSH) member from Paris, KY, who began riding gaited horses after decades of training thoroughbreds for the race track and three-day eventing. She found that gaited horses were as athletic as any other breed of horse and she wanted to highlight their talents in a three phase event modeled after three-day eventing. On April 21 and 22, the riders who took up this challenge arrived at a new facility being built by United Mountain Horse Inc., in Winchester, Ky. Upon arrival, competitors completed a dressage test, a stadium obstacle course and a cross country course. The stadium course was inspired by show jumping with banks, an in and out and a water obstacle mingled with traditional trail obstacles. A two-phase event of dressage and stadium obstacle was offered, but all riders chose to enter the full event. Although dressage purists may question how a gaited horse can do dressage, Betty Ortlieb, a U.S. Dressage Federation judge for the event said that the ultimate goal of dressage is to “learn to be partners with these animals rather than dominate them.” She emphasized that this “truly classical” approach to dressage is effective with any breed or type of horse, regardless of the gaits. Also judging the dressage classes was Diane Sept, of Denver, Penn., a long time judge with the Independent Judges Association (overseen by FOSH). Sept was instrumental in developing the first dressage tests for gaited horses while living in Canada during the 1980s. The cross country phase took place on the second day of the event, over a course designed with challenging obstacles instead of jumps. Each of the courses took as much brain power as brawn to complete successfully. Horses negotiated bridge and water crossings, and riders were penalized if they arrived at the finish too early or too late. Many of the owners and riders expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to showcase their gaited horses in a new way. Even some seasoned veterans of the show-ring admitted that they would rather compete in this type of event instead of the more traditional pleasure classes. Bob Lawson, a board member for United Mountain Horse Inc., added, “I can’t say enough about this event.” The judges were not immune to the excitement. Dr. Martha Day, a versatility-certified judge from the National Walking Horse Association remarked that the event “was more fun than a regular horse show” and promised to come back next year. Do some research - gaited horses are out there and they are doing it.....doing it all and doing it well - against there non gaited cousins. I am sure doing it smoothly is well on its way to being the norm as can be told by all the gaited horses I see now vs. just 5 years ago. People are not listening to the myths and are trying out these mysterious beings. amen!
__________________
“No man can cause more grief than that one clinging blindly to the vices of his ancestors.” ~William Faulkner Last edited by lovemysoda; 09-12-2009 at 07:32 PM.
|
|
#34
09-12-2009, 07:51 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Y'all probably know I love my gaited horses -- but neither of them is consistent with their TWH gaits.
Many may know that I am quite fond of dressage, and continue to learn, and use dressage principles with both of my horses. One of the problems I have with the 'gaited dressage' that I have seen is that few of the horses truly collect and extend... they are 'contained' but not truly collected.... the pirouettes of higher level dressage is not merely a turn on the haunches, but involves a lot of shift to the hindquarters and flexion of the joints of the hindquarters. You don't see 'gaited' dressage horses do this... at least, not very often. I disagree that trot 'ruins' gait... but then, I have studied Lee Ziegler's and Liz Graves' work in detail (unfortunately haven't been able to do a clinic with Liz - but I did get a lot of help from Lee before she became ill.) Those two fine horsewomen (both fine and considerate riders) are not the only ones who have successfully used a trot to HELP a gait become better. Both of them have a history of working with RIDERS to help them develop their seats so that they can help their horses find and maintain gait -- without shanks, without 'containment'. The use of lateral movements and teaching the horse to use its body better can ONLY help a naturally gaited horse. Many are started and trained with those steps eliminated, and gait is achieved by forbidding anything but gait. Not all, but many. Use of a trot can and DOES help a pacey TWH or SSH use its body better... but it takes an excellent, subtle rider to help the horse trot rather than pace. A canter, if you can condition a horse like that to do a proper canter rather than a lateral canter, will unlock its back and neck and help with the intermediate (or 'easy' as Lee Ziegler puts it) gaits. A trainer I learned from, for awhile, spent quite a few hours with me, working a very pacey mare in circles, watching for her to 'go lateral' in her canter (felt like a buck, or hindquarters-toward-the-center) so I could stop her and call 'do overs'. After only a little of that kind of work, cantering properly, she was finally able to do a saddlerack rather than just a hard pace. Something worked! Lee Ziegler's book is called "Easy Gaited Horses" and explains the biomechanics of gait, why the things that work *work* and why many of the 'traditional' training methods may create a nice picture of gait, but may not be the best for horses in the long run. Here is a well-written training page which lends credence to the idea that trotting CAN help a gaited horse to gait better. The ideas presented here are backed up by some of the greatest 'gait trainers' in existence. http://www.triple-s-ranch.com/kentuc...operations.htm (About halfway down the page you'll find riding and training material.) Here's a nice page showing some fine jumping form -- from gaited horses (see! some of them CAN jump with amazingly good scope and form. Check out the knees!) http://www.gaitedhorse3phase.com/gaitedhorse.html Here's how one trainer uses trot to help younger horses develop gait. Don't know this trainer from adam, but unfortunately, my own mentor who uses trot the same way, doesn't have a web page! http://www.gaitedranchhorses.com/training.htm Everyone I've worked with who understands the mechanics of gait say the same thing... use serpentines and circles to develop flexibility and 'bend' which are part of using the body well. Use uphill and softer ground to help a pacey horse, downhill and firmer ground to help a trotty horse. Pacey horse... get the horse to relax and drop its head so its back can come up. Trotty horse.. don't let 'em get all strung out. Head up more, ride them for fourbeat, not for twobeat. On the other hand, if you like the results you're getting from anyone's training protocols, then *it's all good!*. I just wanted to share another way to look at the gaited/trot-or-not quandary! To diffuse any temptation to say 'Who's she to say all this stuff when her horses don't even gait well!'. That's my own doing. If my body could ride as relaxed and steady and quiet-handed as my brain knows how to do, and if my brain would shut up and help me relax, then they'd gait better. Padman has potential for extremely nice gaiting -- but I have chosen not to develop it quickly. I enjoy his trot, which he will take upon asking him to -- when he hit the age of six, he suddenly decided he's a Walking Horse, and gaits more than he trots. When tired, or when he feels like he needs to lift his belly and back, he asks me to let him trot. I do. Liberty can do a very smooth flatwalk, from time to time... but she definitely prefers a trot. And, while I'll keep slowly working at getting her to gait consistently, if she never does, that's fine by me! Long as they keep on slowly getting better, it's all good!
__________________
 i's rather learn from one bird how to sing than teach ten-thousand stars how not to dance. ~ee cummings
|
|
#35
09-12-2009, 07:53 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
What about Pasos? Do we want them trotting? And why?
Last edited by downsouth2; 09-12-2009 at 10:23 PM.
|
|
#36
09-12-2009, 08:03 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Where in the heck did this come from? I am looking and looking for the thread this came spinning from.
|
|
#37
09-12-2009, 08:08 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
I don't understand why people complain so much about "pacey" TWHs...
THOSE are the ones with the best natural gait! All you have to do is ride them correctly to get a perfect running walk. Now TROTTY on the other hand is a major training job... unless it's a MFT of course. I don't deliberately trot my gaited horses because although the average rider may not be able to see or "feel" it, it really does add a slight "bump" to the running walk of a TWH... horses will always opt for the "easiest way" in anything they do, and a 2-beat gait is far easier to do than a 4-beat one.
__________________
Performance Trail Horses http://www.performancetrailhorses.com  Boarding & Training Gaited Trail Horses
|
|
#38
09-12-2009, 08:16 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Quote:
And I do all kinds of different stuff with our gaited horses... things you might not even attempt... as a matter of fact, I'm the one who taught the reining patterns to the SSH I spoke of earlier. BUT I do keep all horses whether gaited or ungaited within the parameters of their abilities... which enhances success. I LOVE gaited horses... And our horses excel at the things we do with them... I just don't believe that the gaited breeds are as athletically inclined as their ungaited counterparts when it comes down to the more difficult levels of the disciplines traditionally dominated by ungaited horses.
__________________
Performance Trail Horses http://www.performancetrailhorses.com Boarding & Training Gaited Trail Horses
|
|
#39
09-12-2009, 08:22 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Quote:
A short conversation during a training session this morning with my riding buddy (Yes, we were both riding GAITED horses), simply brought forth a few questions in my mind. You haven't been around here very long, but I enjoy exploring the deeper aspects of the things we do with our horses... and WHY. Sometimes it leads me to a better way... 
__________________
Performance Trail Horses http://www.performancetrailhorses.com Boarding & Training Gaited Trail Horses
|
|
#40
09-12-2009, 08:31 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
[QUOTE=perform;256610]I don't understand why people complain so much about "pacey" TWHs...
Cindy, if you aren't careful, you are going to be accused of sounding like a big lick trainer! I've had trotty and pacey and "naturally gaited" Walkers over the years, and while pacing horses can and do "learn" the running walk easier than trotty horses, my old Walker is one of those that gaits naturally, but will trot at liberty. I've never seen him pace at liberty. I can get him to pace under saddle, by asking for too much speed at a gait, but he will not trot under saddle. He naturally gaits. He'll come down the fence line to get his supper hitting a running walk with a three foot overstride at 28 years of age. And he's smooth. Not paso fino or racking horse smooth, but smooth enough for this old bear. He won a Western Pleasure Walking Horse class at the Celebration as a two year old. As a three year old, he was reserve highpoint versatility horse in the Tennessee 4-H program, running barrels, jumping, as well as showing English and Western gaited classes. In his years with me, he's worked cattle a number of times. He's not real swift at cutting, but then neither am I. But if I want to run a calf down the fenceline and turn her through a gate, he'll do. Is he fast? Not really, but when we caught up with a lttle QH mare on a trail ride once, the lady riding the QH couldn't believe my Walker could run! We call him "John", and he looks like the horses Dollar and Dollor that John Wayne rode. The Last Chance bred mare I used to ride would come out of the rodeo arena running as fast as any of the QH's, and when I did a sliding stop with her, she laid down eleven feet of "skid marks". But you know what? If I wanted a horse to do all the things listed in these posts, I'd probably buy an Appaloosa. My old Appaloosa could do it all, and he had a flat walk that would keep up with any TWH or MFT on the trail. The Appaloosa can do English, Western, Dressage, Speed, and some of them are gaited. They also do it in color! I like to think that there are some horses in all breeds that can do some things. And a few horses in every breed that can do some more things. But in truth, no one horse in any breed can do it all, at the highest level. We live in an age of specialization, in the law, business, medicine, even in ministry (my life's work). And horses are just as specialized. A QH that is great at dressage won't make it as a barrel horse. And a TB that excells on the track may not make it as a hunter jumper. I've seen a Belgian do reining patterns, and a TWH run barrels, and a Paso Fino jump. But that doesn't mean that every one of them could, or should. I think there is a tendency on the part of all of us to think "our" breed is the best. I think when we see a horse of "our" breed excelling in a discipline, we become inordinately proud. And in our pride, we lose our perspective. But that's just one old bear's opinion.
|
 |
| Thread Tools | |
| Display Modes | |
|
|
Linear Mode
