March 16th, 2024

Gaited Horses and Dog Field Trials
By Gaye DeRusso

Dog field trials are a competition for dogs.  There are different kinds but the most popular dog field trial where gaited horses are used is for bird dogs. The dogs run in a brace (pair of dogs) while judges observe on horseback. They usually do this twice a day for about 3 hours each for a total of 6 hours. The dogs are worked on live gamebirds.
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They are required to find the bird and point and wait. Once the judge indicates then the handler/owner flushes the bird out, dog remains staunch on point throughout flush, a blank shot is fired. The dogs are judge on these skills and are faulted if they chase the birds, bark, run out of control or flush the game to early.

This is an all-day event and can go on for several days or weeks. To keep up with the dogs, and to find their dogs in the brush, the owners/handlers are on horseback and the judges are also on horseback. There is also something called the gallery, and these are spectators that ride in a group watching the competition. They can be the size of 10 or 30 or more spectators (riders) depending on the event. 

They use gaited horses for comfort, endurance and to cover the ground easily. The most popular gaited horse used is the Tennessee Walking Horse because of their gait but also ground covering stride, calmness, and willingness to do what the rider ask. But many do use other gaited breeds such as the Missouri Fox Trotter, Rocky Mountain, Racking Horses, and Single Footers to name a few.

What do the horses have to be good with?

Dogs running all over.

Dogs running up from behind, coming out of the brush and even going under their bellies.

Dogs in the saddle, in case they get injured or too tired to get back.

Dogs attached to a long line that the rider is in control of.
Gun fire.

Riding in large and smaller groups, separating, going ahead, or falling behind the group without issues.

Riding alone.

Surefooted, riding over obstacles, through fields with mud, water, poor footing.

Ground tying.

Standing at trailer for long periods of time.

Being staked out at the events, there are no stables at these events, they are usually in the middle of nowhere. 

Not spooky

Goes where it is asked without issues.

Neck reins, as handler needs other hand for task.

Handlers will get on and off frequently, so standing to get on and parking out to make it easier. 

The horses must gait well to be smooth and be able to canter and gallop to keep up with the dogs quickly.

Good endurance as it is an all-day event.

Tough, as they work all day over different terrains, with rocks, mud, water, ditches, roads.

Most will be shod to protect their feet from bruising from the rocks.

Trailers well, as they go to many events and adjust well to new places. 

Easy keeper, as the travel and work use a lot of calories. A hard keeper will lose weight easily. 
 
Many handlers will sell their older horses and get younger ones to stay competitive, they don't do well if they cannot keep up with their dogs. So many gaited horses for sale have dog field trial experience. What you need to understand if you buy one of these horses, is was the horse in the gallery, just walking and gaiting and watching the event or was the horse in the competition, gaiting fast, galloping with the handler.

The ones that were in the competition usually are forward, fast, brave horses. So, they may not know how to go slow or to follow other horses for long periods of time. They might blast through terrain and footing which may scare nervous riders. So, this would not be a good horse, if you just want to walk with your friends on the trail, but would be a great horse, if you ride alone or you ride fast in groups. A horse that was ridden in the gallery would be a better fit for someone who just wants to walk or gait slower in groups, but not ride alone much. 

A horse may also be sold if it did not do well in the dog field trial, so it’s helpful to know why? If it was too slow that might be a great horse for trail. If it did not have enough endurance that might also make a great trail horse. If it was too spooky, that might be a better horse for the arena or experienced rider. So, ask questions, so you know what you are getting into. 

Dog field trials are a great experience for horses. They get use to so many different things. But you have to know these horses are used to being ridden a lot and may not act the same if not getting enough work. The main complaint I hear from clients who have bought dog field trial horses without knowing what that was, is the horse is too fast or has too much endurance, they cannot wear it out for it to go slow. 

Horses can learn new jobs, but it takes time for them to figure out what you want, and you have to be clear, so they understand. So yes, you can retrain these horses to do many jobs and I think they make great trail horses, but they do have to get use to new things, such as hikers, bikes, single track trails and going slower. As always, time, patience and repetition are keys to retraining these  horses for a new job.