Action Devices
By Gaye DeRusso
Many people have asked me about action devices over the years. Do I use them and how they work. I think it's important to understand what they are since they are very prevalent with gaited horses and also with saddle seat riding. That being said I do not use them, except if a horse is having a hard time learning to canter but I will get to that later in this article.
So, what is an action device?
It is something you put on a horse's leg to make the horse pick its leg up higher and can also change the timing of the horse's feet to affect its gait. These include chains with weights put around the horse's ankles and weighted shoes, that are either removeable or are nailed on. This also includes the shoes they call packages or stacks, which you see with the big lick horses in the show ring. Action devices are not soring which is the use of chemicals on the horse's legs, action devices are just weight added to the horse's leg.
Why do people use them?
To help the horse gait or to help the horse get more action in its front end which is popular in the show ring. Action means lifting the legs higher or reaching out more when they are lifted. This makes the horse showier, and some trainers think it makes them look more exciting to the people viewing the horses.
Can horses naturally lift their legs high?
Yes, some just through breeding will tend to lift their legs higher than others, especially the ones on the trotty side. You will also see many horses do this when running loose but they do not do it for long periods of time. So, to get a horse to do it naturally without the weight, it needs to be bred well, trained, and conditioned well.
Years ago, when people started using the devices, they were rewarded in the show ring, so of course they wanted to win and used them more, until it became acceptable in the show ring, and no one thought about what it was doing to the horse. Over time of course people added more weight (stacks- shoe with pads, and weights) until it became a ridiculous freak show as humans do to most things. We always think more is better, but it is not. That is when they added more and more weight and then some started using chemicals as well which is called soring.
The action devices are not just used with Tennessee Walking Horses (TWH) which many think, but many gaited breeds and also with Saddlebreds, Friesians, Arabs, and any breed that is shown saddle seat or in park classes. They do not use the stacks like they do on the TWH, but they do use weights to get them to lift their feet so high.
It takes much more time, effort, and conditioning to get a horse to gait correctly and comfortably vs putting some weight on its front or back feet to get it to gait. Weight changes the timing of the footfall. But if you use weights instead of teaching the horse correctly, you will most likely always need the weights. Some use weights as a tool to help the gait, or just for the show ring, but then remove them, I think if you're going to do it, this is a better option.
I do not use weights to help the horses gait. I teach the horses slowly how to use their bodies to get the gaits. I condition them, I use poles, hills, and different terrain to help them. I do not use special shoes or angles to get them to gait. I only alter the shoe if a horse is trippy. I do not have horses with long feet, they are all shod like regular horses with the angles that work best for their conformation.
Some sellers use them to make more money because if you put out a product faster and sell it faster, there is a bigger profit. To me it is about the horse, they give us so much, it is my job to help them gait correctly and to train them well. The next important part is the rider learning how to gait them correctly and at the correct speed to hold the right gait.
The fastest the gaited horses go besides a gallop is to pace or trot, because it is at the ends of the gaited spectrum. So, if you put weights on a horse that paces very fast, it will change the foot fall enough that it is smoother but just as fast. Same with the trot. But that is why so many people think the horse's gait is so fast, because they see them gaiting so fast, but it is not the correct gait, it is usually a pace, and they need weights to make it look like a stepping pace or rack.
I do think weight can be useful at times if done correctly and not permanently. I do use a weight on one front leg, if the horse is having issues learning to canter and once, they understand, I no longer need the weight. It just helps some to figure out the footfall when they are too lateral (pacey).
I do not show gaited horses, and in the show ring, you may need to use these devices to compete and win. There are different classes and to compete in these classes, there are different weights of shoes. So, if your showing, you may have to use weights to even be competitive in those specific classes, like a park class.
I think as with anything worthwhile; you need a good product to start with, a good foundation to build on and then years of practicing and conditioning to perfect it. I always try to buy the best naturally gaited horses, but they cost a lot of money to get ones with talent, then I build on it. But I also train many client's horses with not much talent at all. They all get better, but it takes time, lots of time.
And that is why so many look to action devices, because as soon as you put them on the horse, the gait is changed. Using weights as a training tool to help your horse understand or to build muscle may make a difference in its gait. But if you use them, it should not be the only tool you use. Help the horse understand what you want, but then condition him to be able to hold the gait and learn how to ride correctly to help him stay in gait without the weights.
By Gaye DeRusso
Many people have asked me about action devices over the years. Do I use them and how they work. I think it's important to understand what they are since they are very prevalent with gaited horses and also with saddle seat riding. That being said I do not use them, except if a horse is having a hard time learning to canter but I will get to that later in this article.
So, what is an action device?
It is something you put on a horse's leg to make the horse pick its leg up higher and can also change the timing of the horse's feet to affect its gait. These include chains with weights put around the horse's ankles and weighted shoes, that are either removeable or are nailed on. This also includes the shoes they call packages or stacks, which you see with the big lick horses in the show ring. Action devices are not soring which is the use of chemicals on the horse's legs, action devices are just weight added to the horse's leg.
Why do people use them?
To help the horse gait or to help the horse get more action in its front end which is popular in the show ring. Action means lifting the legs higher or reaching out more when they are lifted. This makes the horse showier, and some trainers think it makes them look more exciting to the people viewing the horses.
Can horses naturally lift their legs high?
Yes, some just through breeding will tend to lift their legs higher than others, especially the ones on the trotty side. You will also see many horses do this when running loose but they do not do it for long periods of time. So, to get a horse to do it naturally without the weight, it needs to be bred well, trained, and conditioned well.
Years ago, when people started using the devices, they were rewarded in the show ring, so of course they wanted to win and used them more, until it became acceptable in the show ring, and no one thought about what it was doing to the horse. Over time of course people added more weight (stacks- shoe with pads, and weights) until it became a ridiculous freak show as humans do to most things. We always think more is better, but it is not. That is when they added more and more weight and then some started using chemicals as well which is called soring.
The action devices are not just used with Tennessee Walking Horses (TWH) which many think, but many gaited breeds and also with Saddlebreds, Friesians, Arabs, and any breed that is shown saddle seat or in park classes. They do not use the stacks like they do on the TWH, but they do use weights to get them to lift their feet so high.
It takes much more time, effort, and conditioning to get a horse to gait correctly and comfortably vs putting some weight on its front or back feet to get it to gait. Weight changes the timing of the footfall. But if you use weights instead of teaching the horse correctly, you will most likely always need the weights. Some use weights as a tool to help the gait, or just for the show ring, but then remove them, I think if you're going to do it, this is a better option.
I do not use weights to help the horses gait. I teach the horses slowly how to use their bodies to get the gaits. I condition them, I use poles, hills, and different terrain to help them. I do not use special shoes or angles to get them to gait. I only alter the shoe if a horse is trippy. I do not have horses with long feet, they are all shod like regular horses with the angles that work best for their conformation.
Some sellers use them to make more money because if you put out a product faster and sell it faster, there is a bigger profit. To me it is about the horse, they give us so much, it is my job to help them gait correctly and to train them well. The next important part is the rider learning how to gait them correctly and at the correct speed to hold the right gait.
The fastest the gaited horses go besides a gallop is to pace or trot, because it is at the ends of the gaited spectrum. So, if you put weights on a horse that paces very fast, it will change the foot fall enough that it is smoother but just as fast. Same with the trot. But that is why so many people think the horse's gait is so fast, because they see them gaiting so fast, but it is not the correct gait, it is usually a pace, and they need weights to make it look like a stepping pace or rack.
I do think weight can be useful at times if done correctly and not permanently. I do use a weight on one front leg, if the horse is having issues learning to canter and once, they understand, I no longer need the weight. It just helps some to figure out the footfall when they are too lateral (pacey).
I do not show gaited horses, and in the show ring, you may need to use these devices to compete and win. There are different classes and to compete in these classes, there are different weights of shoes. So, if your showing, you may have to use weights to even be competitive in those specific classes, like a park class.
I think as with anything worthwhile; you need a good product to start with, a good foundation to build on and then years of practicing and conditioning to perfect it. I always try to buy the best naturally gaited horses, but they cost a lot of money to get ones with talent, then I build on it. But I also train many client's horses with not much talent at all. They all get better, but it takes time, lots of time.
And that is why so many look to action devices, because as soon as you put them on the horse, the gait is changed. Using weights as a training tool to help your horse understand or to build muscle may make a difference in its gait. But if you use them, it should not be the only tool you use. Help the horse understand what you want, but then condition him to be able to hold the gait and learn how to ride correctly to help him stay in gait without the weights.