Teaching an ex-pacer to trot/canter

I state again, and many specialist Icelandic trainers will confirm, that some horses, especially the highly pacey ones cannot be trained to trot.

Pacers are not as pure bred as some gaited breeds and their way of going might be easier to influence.

Still holding handbag and pursing lips!

Frances, are you insinuating that Maganoo was anything other than a biddable gentleman? The last person who thought they could teach him a lesson got taken to the top corner of the school where he folded his arms and went, firmly on strike! WUNT!
 
wildspirit said:
I state again all horses can be re-trained if people go about doing it the right way, suited to the horse as an individual.
Click to expand...

I would love to see you on some of ours then. Because our little piggy pacer will NOT canter. We will get 2 strides of lateral 3 beat movement and that is all. He has just about mastered trot, and some tolt but that is it. He is practically 1 gaited.

When I was a judges writer for the Brit Championships I was talking to tje judge there about piggy pacers (seeing as later that year he went on to judge the World Championships I'd like to think he knew what he was on about!) who told me that some horses will never be correct, and thats part of the breed. The rider can try and stress the horse and force it to go correctly, but at the end of the day the horses comfort and balance were the most important.
 
Originally Posted by wildspirit View Post
I state again all horses can be re-trained if people go about doing it the right way, suited to the horse as an individual.

I did laugh when i read this, the above poster was just out to cause a reaction on this forum and has done so on many posts before. There are some sad pathetic people that hide behind a computer screen and in reality in some way must feel somewhat inferior to other genuinue posters. I haven't worked with icelandics but I have trotters and pacers. Some you can re train and some you most definitely can't it makes no difference who is doing the training as I have said before it all depends on the individual animal and until to start to train you won't know how the animal will react. If the above statement where true then I'd be able to teach a daisy cutter to step like a hackney and I can catagorically say 100% that you would have more chance winning the lottery and flying to the moon than achieving this. Just a quick thank you to the mods for handling the trolls of late I admire your patience. This is the best horse board I have found on the internet even though I don't ride at the moment showing hackneys is my forte and my mares are all at stud as I am in foal myself. I think its a fantastic site.
 
You CAN retrain an ex pacer. it just takes alot of time and patience. lunge frequently and make sure he is calm and comfortable in walk before asking for trot. I used trotting poles with my ex-pacer and each time she paces (on the lunge or when riding) I am quick to correct her, bring her back to walk again and ask for trot only when she is calm. Asking for trot uphill is also a good way to encourage trot because pacing uphill is more difficult.
 
Just me read the thread properly <sigh>

No one is saying that you can't if you actually read the thread properly someone stated that you can re train all horses ...........

its a shame i haven't still got a pacer i had that had been through many hands he paced end of no trotting or cantering, i've spent the last 20 odd years training carriage horses and some horses you will not change end of.
I would of loved to of seen anyone ask him and succeed in getting him to trot or canter.

are you a troll (o; ?
 
Last edited:
wow thanks everyone, never thought i'd get this much advice!
i may even try to get some pictures of his progress soon :) if he decides to co-operate that is...
 
God luck, Training gaited breeds is facinating........ but, as Frances often says, so long as he is safe , comfy and happy, does it really matter what order he puts his feet down in?
 
hi, im a horse trainer and have worked with several pacers. the best way through this is to ride him forward, leave the reins as free as you can. if you look at (british open barrel racing) on youtube you will see a red and white horse, she was bred for pacing in france. this should show you it is possible. all the best .
 
Certainly possible but not always. So if it doesn't work out it might not be you who has failed, so don't get downhearted.
 
millcreek said:
hi, im a horse trainer and have worked with several pacers. the best way through this is to ride him forward, leave the reins as free as you can. if you look at (british open barrel racing) on youtube you will see a red and white horse, she was bred for pacing in france. this should show you it is possible. all the best .
Click to expand...

Hi I am new on here, thanks for that I have searched and watched you tube:)
I have a pacer that has never been on a track I bought her as a 2 year old and just backed her, she canters beautifuly and has elegant floaty paces when she does trot diagonly, but she will only do a few strides(am very pleased with this though) any tips on getting this more? I appreciate the pace will ALWAYS be there but her ability to rot so floaty is amazing, she tries hard for me and can do trotting on small circles, was thinking of trying poles, would appreciate any suggestions.:)
 
-x-laurrie-x- said:
Is such a thing possible?

He's a lovely boy, and would be great to use in the riding lessons.. if he didn't trot so oddly. I think the term is a pacer, where he moves both right legs simultaneously and then both left legs; rather than moving them diagonally.
At the moment he's only hacking as normal schooling confuses him.

Everyone has been racking their brains as to how to reschool him, but so far we've come up with nothing. Someone we asked said it was impossible, theres no retraining a pacer.. but i thought i'd ask all the clever people on NR and see if anyone had any ideas
:) hope you can help
Click to expand...
Click the trot beat and rise up and down with the beat you are clicking. U will see his ears go back and forth as he listens to u. It is better to try this first on the road as he listens to sound he is making to the clicks your making. He will soon trot to the clicks your making once he is trotting praise him loads. It also helps to get him to relax and stretch so in the school plenty of circles and half halts. Again once he has relaxed and brought his head down in a stretch praise him.
 
newrider.com
Top Bottom
Back