Pacing

[Peaches]

I'm sorry mods, but I had NO idea where this post should go so feel free to move as appropriate...

Is a horse that exhibits the pacing gait (in which the movement is lateral rather than the diagonal found in the trot), bred with this gait, or trained to it?

One of my horses on good going and in open space has goes into a VERY quick movement, which from the front legs is a trot (as apposed to the canter type movement), but the back legs don't feel like they are 'trotting', and I am wobbled from side to side unless I simply hover in my stirrups. Never really knew what this was until somebody from the ground the last few weeks, said he was moving laterally and hence pacing (I've never seen him do it as only does it ridden and I'm always on top!). He can keep up with one of our other horses galloping, whilst staying in this pacing gait.

His breeding is unknown, as his early history - I know he was bought from travelling gypsies when he was a youngster (but he is NOT cob-like) though and obviously I can't find them so can't find more info.

So I'm wondering as I would like to know if this is a result of breeding (in which case what breeds/cross-breeds might be involved?) or if it is a matter of him having been trained as a youngster?

He is quite capable of a normal trot too.

Thanks =]

 

[No_Angel]

Shay does something similar, except he doesn't pace, he foxtrots, he moves diagonally but sets his back feet down slightly after his fronts.
He does it very quickly, and swings from his shoulder and hips (like in the pace) so it was very hard to tell what he was actually doing until someone saw the footfalls in a photo and told me it was foxtrot (though he can sometimes fall into an odd rack when very quick).
He is also of unknown origin and from travellers, he isn't cobby either.
When he is going very fast I sometimes stand in my stirrups to balance myself and I get thrown from side to side.

Pacing I believe is seen more in breeds bred to do it (standardbred) and is not really desirable in ridden horses.

I have recently bought a book called 'easy-gaited horses' which is really good and tells you about the gaits and the footfalls etc..

 

[Wally]

You can train pace to be more prevalent, but the horse has to be born with the gait hard wired in his head to start with.

It's very hit and miss as the whether the gaits are passed on or not. If you cross and Icelandic with something the gaits may appear or never be seen. But you really need to know what you are doing to bring out a lateral gait in a trotty horse.

 

[Bodshi]

Sorry to chip in, but can you tell me what is the difference between pace and tolt? I've watched vids of Icelandics tolting very fast, but have read that is very comfortable to ride so assuming it doesn't throw you from side to side?

There is a trotter in the RS where my horse is kept and he's developed a habit of cantering with his front legs, but trotting with his rear legs - it's actually very comfortable to sit to as his topline hardly moves, but hard to tell what he's doing underneath you!

 

[Dogrose]

There is a horse (MW cob type) at the riding school where I used to live that paces, no one has any idea how to work her so she is known as difficult and rarely ever gets ridden, she would probably be fine if someone knowledgable could school her.
A lot of gypsy horses seem to pace, cobs and racing trotters and others, I saw one in the city the other day, a little grey pony pulling a totters cart, pacing up a hill at speed.

 

[poisondizzy]

i used to ride a pacer many years ago and it was the most comfortable trot ever , certainly not a jolting ..
travellers used to race alot so his over exerted trot could have come from from this

 

[Peaches]

It's great fun and I have no problem riding it when I stand in the stirrups (but trying to post is where the wobbling and jolting occurs!) - it's amazing to cover the ground so quickely in a pace that *feels* so effortless...

He NEVER does it in a school. It's only ever on a straight long stretch of road (I tend to dissuade him from this though as don't like the impact!!!!), particularly on a beach, or in a level field. Doesn't do it up or down hill, and never lose, only ridden. He has a wonderful normal trot, masses of cadence...

He tends to pace if I lengthen his shape more than normal (so it's longer and lower) and then ask him to lengthen stride. No idea how to ask for pace or not for pace, but when he is in this shape/aids, is when he tends to offer it more.

This is the lad in question (NOT suggesting first pic is pacing btw ):

He is 16hh. We have all sorts of breeds thrown at us suggested. WB, lots of welsh, few have said arab (and apparently he looked very arab as youngster), farrier says feet are cleveland bay like...Somebody other week suggested standard bred. Basically people see what they want to I think.

What would you suggest might have thrown in this pacing in leiu of this? Doesn't really matter but just curious =]

 

[Bodshi]

Especially in the last picture, I can see Clydesdale in his strong shoulder and something about the shape of his body, but then I am probably seeing what I want to too ... Could be a lovely mix of heavy with something much finer though.

He is absolutely gorgeous whatever he is!

 

[xloopylozzax]

wally, cant you sort of force a pace using hobbles?

they do for harness racing done they, or is that a "the horse can do it, but we're making sure it doesnt break out of it aswell?"

 

[No_Angel]

I believe the use hobbles in harness racing is to stop the horse breaking into canter, as they are disqualified from the race if the horse breaks into canter.

 

[Wally]

I really don't like those hobbles , you so oftne get a horse who is pacing fast take a wrong step and the beauty of these multi gaited horses is they can often get you out of the poo as they are not hard wired to only walk, trot and canter, an extra leg can come out of nowhere if they take a bad step. I am convinced that the hobbles casue the horse to fall as he cannot freely stop himself falling.

I am fairly certain that unless the horse offers lateral gaits of his own volition, there is no way you can teach it.

 

[ShariN]

I agree with Wally. The gait has to be there at the start.

Differences between the Tolt and pace.... big difference in foot fall and smoothness.

Tolt should look like a fast walk and sound like... Black-in-decker, black-in-decker....

Pace is a lateral two beat gait side to side.

click on Icelandic horses,, then click on gait. Lukka has some good info on Icelandic horse gaits.
http://www.icelandichorse.is/

Looking at the pictures and if he really is pacing.. most likely he has standardbred in him.
Can you get pictures of you riding him in that gait?

 

[vikkig]

sounds to me like he is pacing from your discription, rebel and berri both pace, rebel is a full standardbred and berri is cross with a dales.

he has the look of a standardbred cross a welsh (just like my belle)

rebel just like lance will never pace in the field only under saddle, me and becca had race the other day an my mac didnt stand a chance in trot

people always say rebel is lame when she is pacing and someone called berri a retard at bywell as he looks like he is shuffling

 

[nattyhorseluver]

Shelley sometimes paces before she canters, she has never been taught to do it, when she was being taught to canter under saddle properly (When we bought she could sort of canter but not properly) she would pace round one corner that we asked her to canter on and then on the next she would canter

 

[Bodshi]

Differences between the Tolt and pace.... big difference in foot fall and smoothness.

Tolt should look like a fast walk and sound like... Black-in-decker, black-in-decker....

Pace is a lateral two beat gait side to side.

Thanks for that info. Went on the website and it's full of really interesting stuff - those horses look amazing. Also watched some more youtube vids of pacing and tolting, now that it's been explained I can see the difference.

 

[Peaches]

Paced before canter? I thought most horses had to slow right down to beable to canter if they are pacing?
No way in hell Lance could break into canter from pace I don't think - he rarely does it at a slow pace and he has to slow down from the pace before he can break to canter...maybe he's just not balanced enough to transition 'down' from pace to canter comfortably...

I want to try see if somebody will video him on the beach next time we go - this is where he usually does what *seems* to be pacing, most naturally...


Wally - funny you should say re gaited horses getting you out of trouble with a flying foot out of nowhere: He's one of the most surefooted horses of his size I've ever ridden and can get you out of allsorts of trouble on steep hills at speed, or jumping sj or xc if rider messes up the paces etc - he's almost pony like in that sense, and it's very reassuring!

 

[Wally]

Frances has asked me, when we have been going rather too fast over very rough ground, what gait her horse is doing. ....and I have to be honest, sometimes he is making it up and his feet go down in a random pattern.

This is why I don't like hobbles, I think they cause falls. most pacers when pacing out flat are at the limits of their co-ordination, sometimes they have a hiccup in the gait and they need to break pace and the hobbles trip them I feel. If you were riding at that fast pace and the horse stumbles, as you say, an extra leg appears and you are both saved.

 

[Peaches]

Yes - I doubt he has been hobbled - he was only with gypsy's until 1yr old, and after that was left in a field till 3 at which point he was hunted, so pacing not beneficial to those people so can't imagine was hobbled...That's why I doubted he was trained into it but wanted to make sure.

The gait itself is lovely when he's in it and I'm hovering during it. Coming down from it is uncomfortable as it's very jolted - probably he's doing what you say Wally and his co-ordination goes out the window and he throws legs where ever they need to go - he feels like he's moving effortlessly when he does this gait, and there is SO much power there - it's like the feeling you get when you seriously collect up a powerful canter, and you can just feel the power coiling under you, but with this gait it's not slow, but incredibly fast and long. I would love to get a video to confirm this is what he is doing, but from sounds of it it does sound like it.

 

[No_Angel]

It would be interesting to see pics or a vid to see if he actually is pacing, as it sounds exactly like what Shay does.
I was convinced that Shay paced until someone told me it was foxtrot, which is easier for non specific breed horses to do, as its similar to the trot sequence.

 

[standardbred]

wally, cant you sort of force a pace using hobbles?

they do for harness racing done they, or is that a "the horse can do it, but we're making sure it doesnt break out of it aswell?"

Please dont think that they are forced to wear hopples. Every standarbred naturaly has that gait. Hopples are worn to guide them to their optimum stride length at speed, and help to prevent them ‘breaking’.