Different Terrains Can Affect How Your Horse Gaits
By Gaye DeRusso
So, your riding down the trail having a great time. Your horse is gaiting well and all of a sudden, he goes out of gait or changes his gait. Why?
You have 2 arenas at your barn, in the one arena he gaits great but in the other his gaits are horrible. Why?
Terrain affects gaited horses and not everyone knows this. If the footing is too deep, or too hard in the arena it will affect the way they move. On the trail if it is muddy, sandy, rocky, deep grass or hard ground, it will affect your horse's gait.
Your horse tries to do the easiest thing to carry you on the trail and in the arena. So, with different footing, he may change which gait he is doing to make it easier on himself.
Rocky, muddy, sandy, or deep grass footing makes horses go more towards a trot, so this will make a pacey horse gait better, but a trotty horse may go into a hard trot.
Hard footing, pavement or not much footing in an arena will usually make a trotty horse gait better and a pacey horse get worse and go more toward a pace.
Why? The deep grass, rocky, mud or sand footing, makes a horse have to use his back and stomach muscles and lift his legs higher. They cannot swing their legs as easy or tense up their back as much so therefore, they go more toward a gait where they lift their feet instead of swinging. So, a pacey horse would go more toward a running walk, saddle gait, rack, fox trot. But a trotty horse will go more toward a hard trot.
With the hard footing it is easy for the horse to tense up his back and just swing his legs. Since he does not have to pick them up to get through the footing. So, this would help a trotty horse to saddle gait, rack, or fox trot. But a pacey horse sees this as an opportunity to swing its legs and tense its back, so they do not have to work so hard and therefore they pace or step pace.
How do you fix this? Easy peasy.
You just have to ride your gaited horse and help him. You must communicate to him, that although the gait he wants to do is easy, that you do not want to do that gait.
So, if the trotty horse is trying to trot, you're going to shift your pelvis back, put more weight in your buttocks, elevate your hands to bring his head a little higher to tense up his back and half halt to keep the gait he is in. But the sooner you do this, the easier it is to stay in gait. So, when you see mud, sand, rocks, or deep footing you must think, time to help my horse and tell him to stay in his gait.
If your horse is pacey and he starts trying to pace, you are going to do the opposite. Tilt your pelvis forward, put more weight in your thigh and crotch area, lower your hand and try to bring his head lower and round his back. Then use your half halts to help balance him and use his hindquarters. The more relaxed you can get his neck and back the better. You can also do some lateral movements if you have room, such as your serpentine, bending, leg yield and moving his shoulders or hindquarters. But again, the sooner you communicate with your horse the less likely he will change his gait.
So now you know, you are not crazy. Your horse is changing his gait, to make it easier for him. The less training, he has and the less communication you are giving him, the more likely he will change his gait in these circumstances.
The more you train, condition, and communicate to him what to do, the more likely he will stay in the gait you want.
Oh, and by the way, this is why some horses for sale are shown only on the pavement and some are only shown going through the grass, mud, or sand. Yup, to help their gait!
By Gaye DeRusso
So, your riding down the trail having a great time. Your horse is gaiting well and all of a sudden, he goes out of gait or changes his gait. Why?
You have 2 arenas at your barn, in the one arena he gaits great but in the other his gaits are horrible. Why?
Terrain affects gaited horses and not everyone knows this. If the footing is too deep, or too hard in the arena it will affect the way they move. On the trail if it is muddy, sandy, rocky, deep grass or hard ground, it will affect your horse's gait.
Your horse tries to do the easiest thing to carry you on the trail and in the arena. So, with different footing, he may change which gait he is doing to make it easier on himself.
Rocky, muddy, sandy, or deep grass footing makes horses go more towards a trot, so this will make a pacey horse gait better, but a trotty horse may go into a hard trot.
Hard footing, pavement or not much footing in an arena will usually make a trotty horse gait better and a pacey horse get worse and go more toward a pace.
Why? The deep grass, rocky, mud or sand footing, makes a horse have to use his back and stomach muscles and lift his legs higher. They cannot swing their legs as easy or tense up their back as much so therefore, they go more toward a gait where they lift their feet instead of swinging. So, a pacey horse would go more toward a running walk, saddle gait, rack, fox trot. But a trotty horse will go more toward a hard trot.
With the hard footing it is easy for the horse to tense up his back and just swing his legs. Since he does not have to pick them up to get through the footing. So, this would help a trotty horse to saddle gait, rack, or fox trot. But a pacey horse sees this as an opportunity to swing its legs and tense its back, so they do not have to work so hard and therefore they pace or step pace.
How do you fix this? Easy peasy.
You just have to ride your gaited horse and help him. You must communicate to him, that although the gait he wants to do is easy, that you do not want to do that gait.
So, if the trotty horse is trying to trot, you're going to shift your pelvis back, put more weight in your buttocks, elevate your hands to bring his head a little higher to tense up his back and half halt to keep the gait he is in. But the sooner you do this, the easier it is to stay in gait. So, when you see mud, sand, rocks, or deep footing you must think, time to help my horse and tell him to stay in his gait.
If your horse is pacey and he starts trying to pace, you are going to do the opposite. Tilt your pelvis forward, put more weight in your thigh and crotch area, lower your hand and try to bring his head lower and round his back. Then use your half halts to help balance him and use his hindquarters. The more relaxed you can get his neck and back the better. You can also do some lateral movements if you have room, such as your serpentine, bending, leg yield and moving his shoulders or hindquarters. But again, the sooner you communicate with your horse the less likely he will change his gait.
So now you know, you are not crazy. Your horse is changing his gait, to make it easier for him. The less training, he has and the less communication you are giving him, the more likely he will change his gait in these circumstances.
The more you train, condition, and communicate to him what to do, the more likely he will stay in the gait you want.
Oh, and by the way, this is why some horses for sale are shown only on the pavement and some are only shown going through the grass, mud, or sand. Yup, to help their gait!