Complications of riding a gaited horse.....

[sarah2237]

Hello Everyone. I'm new here, and already feeling blessed that I found this forum. I have so many questions, but don't want to hogg board space. I'll post them one at a time, over the next few weeks.

Just a brief background on me..... I own a 3 mo. quarterhorse filly and a 16 yr old Tennessee Walker Mare. The filly was given to me by my dear old 90 year old friend, who suffered a heart attack & stroke last year. He's no longer able to care for his horses, so as soon as I can wean this filly, the better...

I previously owned my TW mare when I was a teen. I bought her from a serious breeder/trainer here in Oregon, Frank White. She's got excellent bloodlines, and was trained saddleseat as a youngster. I had her for a few years and took lessons on her. When I left home, I was unable to bring her with me. I lost her, and spent the next 12 years looking for her. 2 months ago I located her hours away, and in pretty bad shape. I'm just beginning my journey to bring her back to good health, and to pick up my riding where I left off....

Here's my first question.... my TW's previous owners didn't use her gaits correctly. They are all over the place now. She walks, does a run walk/trot (goes from one to the other) , and does a weird canter now that is almost always 'off' a bit. How do I get her to focus on one gait at a time, and stay at a run-walk instead of breaking into a trot?

[bexj]

Welcome to the board, and don't worry about bombarding us with questions all at once - we are a pretty tolerant bunch.

What a lovely story you have re-discovering your mare - I'm sure all the hard work you are putting in to her will be worthwhile. I can't help specifically on the gaited question, as I've never even seen a gaited horse :eek: but Katie85 who is a moderator on here seems to be a bit on an expert on the subject.

Looking forward to hearing more tales about your mare and filly. :)

[Jessey]

Hey welcome, you will find this place totally addictive and Sooo helpful, everyones great :D

I have never had the pleasure of working with gaited horses so not much help there but I would guess its like any other horse who needs to re-learn stuff, take it slowly, and just work on one thing at a time and as you perfect it move onto the next but keep doing refreshers all the while.

Pretend shes never been ridden before, get the basic gaits fixed first, make sure she can walk properly before you ask her to run :D I know it sounds silly but its true :D

Best of Luck

J xx

[Lindsayanne]

Well I' not much help- but I have watched my trainer- who works with a lot of gaited horses- teach horses to gait. Basically it looks to me like he pushes them into the gait as much as he can with his body and aids, then lavishes them with praise when they get even two or three steps of it, (and in the cases of horses who KNOW what he's asking for, makes it uncomfortable when they aren't doing it correctly) The thing is, I would think, that to do that from the saddle would require an incredible feel for gaits and movement. :o Is there a trainer near you that works with gaited horses?

[sarah2237]

I can feel when she does the run walk...and always praise her for it. She's actually five gaited, so she also does two different types of canter... well.... she does a gaited canter, and a hand gallop.

I'm taking it very slow, and no, there aren't trainers in my immediate areas. Even if there were, with five kids at home and lots of other stuff to do, I wouldn't have time for it. I go to the barn from 5-8 am every morning, so I'm home by the time my kids wake up.

I guess what I'm trying to develop is a plan that I can follow on a daily basis for a while, spending a certain amount of time on the gaits, and a certain amount of time on transitioning, and keeping her supple/smooth/going forward during those transistions.

Thanks for all the replies. PS- I did take several years of dressage lessons in high school too, but heck....it's been so long ago! I'm hoping my memory comes back to me!

[Katie_85]

If she's been allowed to get out of her walk for a long period of time, you've got an uphill battle to get it back. I'm sorry for sounding like the voice of doom and gloom, but it's just so hard to get them back once they've stared doing something else. What bit is she in now? What shoes? What kind of sadde? Does she pace or trot? You're better off if she paces, it's easier to work with. Do you know if your farrier is used to working with TWH's? That in itself can make a world of difference. A good farrier will be able to tell you what you can do under saddle and what he/she can do with her feet to get the optimal gait.

You say you can feel the Running Walk! Great! That's half the battle. A Walking Horse should only really have 3 gaits. A Flat Walk, a Running Walk, and a TW canter. When she free walks on a loose rein, you should feel like you are riding a camel. It's called a dog walk. You should feel your hips moving back and forth in the saddle with each stride. Depending on how swingy she is, you may move a lot or you may move a little. Do a lot of dog walking with her. If her previous owners have let her shorten up enough that she is pulling trot, you've got to get her to stretch out again before you'll get a good, solid gait. Feel free to PM me if I can be of any help to you. My previous job (before teaching) was working with TWH's, Spotted Saddle Horses, and Racking/Rocky Mountain Horses. I don't claim to be an expert by any means, but I'd be glad to help you however I can. Good luck! :)

[momofsix]

I used to lease a horse that was gaited and it was much the same story-not to discourage you. Her owner had been trying to train her to stop gaiting and when we rode her, she was constantly switching between trott and foxtrott. I was just not experienced enough to get her to foxtrott consistently, but I seem to remember that part of the problem was a saddle that didn't allow her to move in gait very well. She also seemed to do better gaiting on the trail than in the arena. Good luck, you sound like you have more patience than me with it. Anyone that will get up at 5am to ride is certainly committed (I know, I also try to sneak in riding before my kids wake up in the morning)