gaited horse, gaited horses, horses that gait, what is the gait

gaited horse, gaited horses, horses that gait

, what is the gait

A Very Simplified Description of the Gait

There are two gait genes. One gene is a trot gene, the other is a pace gene. All horses, regardless of breed, have 2 gait genes. Each horse will, therefore, carry a gene pair, consisting of trot/trot, trot/pace or pace/pace. Horses that have a 4-beat gait have an additional gait gene (sometimes called a gait or gene modifier). However, there can be a hundred variations of that gait gene. Therefore, the horse will be trot/trot with a gait gene, trot/pace with a gait gene or pace/pace with a gait gene or some variation of these pairs.

These genes are inborn and natural, as can be exhibited by a young foal, gaiting along side of its mom. The gait shows up in a foal as soon as the foal has its legs underneath him and begins to move. By understanding the genetic makeup of a horse, it is easier to understand where all the varieties of action can come from. Horses will have the ability to trot as well as gait, pace as well as gait and even trot, pace and gait. A talented horse (but a frustration to the rider!) will have a great variety of actions to choose from! An experienced and patient trainer will be able to teach the horse, on cue, to move into any or all the various actions.

Specific for the Gait

Many gaited horses, regardless of the breed, will trot and/or pace. Young horses, 2 or 3 years old, often do not have the muscle development or the coordination to perform the gait consistently for long periods of time. Exercise to build up the hindquarter muscle enables the horse to get the propulsion from the rear. Turns along the fence and back-up will engage the hind end. Loping or cantering can also help the hindquarters to engage. Immediate corrections when the horse breaks into a trot and/or pace, by asking the horse to slow down or turn, will tell him that the trot/pace is not acceptable. Riding up and down a hill will help the horse to find its gait. There are some specific exercises to encourage the gait. As mentioned previously, breeding has a lot to do with the gait. Collection and encouraging the horse to stay in the preferred gait are all part of riding the gaited horse. Some aids can be used. Certain types of trimming and shoeing (if necessary) can enhance the gait. Each horse must be assessed as an individual to keep trims as close to the natural angle as possible, which is always best for the horse. Many farriers believe in a balanced foot and trimming with a natural angle. There is concern that lameness and unsoundness can result if the hoof is trimmed outside the natural angle. Action chains or weights can be used to slow down or speed up the front or rear leg action to put the horse into proper movement. We are not talking about severe shoes, weights or chains. Often just the noise of a wooden chain on the ankle stimulates the correct leg action. There is NO PLACE in training for the gait for severe devices that can harm or injure the horse. If the 4-beat gait is NATURAL then all that needs to be done is, encourage the horse to the best of his ability. We believe that long shank bits are NOT necessary for correct head set or collection. They can cause more problems for the horse than they solve. A halter, side-pull, bitless bridle or snaffle bit work just as well, and in our opinion, give more control and direction to the horse. All bits and aids MUST be used properly. Training the Gaited horse is a process, as it is will all horses, and should be an enjoyable, pleasurable process for both horse and trainer.

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