By Gaye DeRusso
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There are 3 main ways to get a trained horse. Buy one that is already trained. Buy one that is not trained and send it to a trainer. Buy one that is not trained and train it yourself. Although the first one seems the most expensive, it actually is the least expensive, safest and the most time saving choice. So, lets break them down.
 
If you buy a  horse that is already trained, and by trained, I mean it knows all the arena work, has lots of good  trail experience and gaits well if gaited,  it will cost a fair amount. For a trainer or breeder, to  find a nice horse, then to train  it and then to take care of it  with shoeing, and up to date on all its care including yearly dentals and vaccines cost a fair amount. Since Covid horse prices seem to have tripled and with the auctions they have gotten a little out of control, but in our area, it would cost around $12,000 -$30,000 for a good horse in the age range of 8-14 years old. 
 
If you buy one that is not trained and send it to a trainer, the cost can vary. But let’s say you found a good-looking horse with potential and cost around $5000 but the horse has not had good care. So, you will need a good shoer to get its feet in better shape $200 every  6 weeks. Needs vet care for vaccines, dental and worming $600. Then boarding of the horse would be about $500 per month at the low end in our area plus training per month for a descent trainer would be about $800 per month. Depending on the horse's talent and the trainer’s talent, and your talent to ride the horse, the training could take 6 -12 months. This will be slowly drained out of your bank account over a year so does not seem as bad until you add it all up. Also even once trained, the horse might not be something you like or can handle as each horse turns out different.  Cost for the year is $22,800.
 
If you buy one that is not trained and train it yourself. Cost of horse is around $5,000. Maybe you will board it at home so less cost in board but more time for the care of the horse. Feed $30 per bale in our area, your horse eats about  1 1/2 bales per week. So, $2,160 just for hay, shoer $1,600 per year, vet care $1000, its higher because the horse is not getting worked hard, so it is getting into more trouble which leads to injuries.
 
 Now depending on your work schedule, weather, and your talent, depends how fast the horse will get better. But let’s say you can only train the horse for  6 months out of the year due to these facts, so it will take you 2-4 years to train the horse into what you want. In the meantime, you also get injured from falling off the horse several times in the process. So, it’s about $24,040 that you spent in 4 years on the horse, not including your time or the hospital  bills  which if not covered enough by insurance could be  $40,000 and up. So, in the end of 4 years of training the horse at home, to be the horse you want, cost $64,000 not including the time you put in. And if you do not do a good job, it will not be the horse you wanted or needed. 
 
Cheap untrained horses cost more money than expensive horses in the end, unless you are one of the lucky ones that found one that was well taken care of and trained, and the owner just gets out of horses. 
 
Even though the cost up front is more for a trained well taken care of horse, in the long run it saves money and keeps you safer. 
 
$12,000, $22,000 or $64,000 you choose. 

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. 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

Working Up a Tripping Horse - Gaited Horses Part 2 - Ringbone and DSLD
By Gaye DeRusso
 
So, what do you look for next?  Well as I said start with the feet and move up. X-rays of the feet are so important because it can show many things or nothing, which helps you know what else to look for. The x-rays besides showing navicular, can show arthritis, cyst, broken bones, sidebone and ringbone. Any of these things can cause pain and tripping, but I want to talk about ringbone, which is another form of arthritis, since it is another common finding with horses having tripping issues. 
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When a horse gets ringbone, you will sometimes see bumps in their foot area. Some vets and shoers are very good at picking this up, but you still need x-rays to prove it because I have also seen them be wrong. These bumps are from bone growing around 2 joints, the coffin and pastern joints. They call it either high or low ringbone depending which joint is by, coffin - low ringbone (foot), pastern - high ringbone (ankle area).

Signs of ringbone include tripping, shorten stride, pointing the toe, heat by the foot, shifting weight, intermittent lameness to start then consistent lameness. It is more common in horses with short upright pasterns and horses that toe in. Horses that have repetitive stress to the joint such as jumping, barrel racing, and even police horses and cart horses because they are ridden on the roads repetitively. So how do gaited horses get it?  Well besides the conformation, many are racked on pavement repetitively. Horses that are overweight also puts those joints at risk, so another good reason to keep their weight in check.

The sooner you find ringbone, the better chance you have at keeping the horse useable and decreasing the tripping. So don't wait on those x-rays.  Special shoeing, pain medications, and injections are some treatment options. The horse is tripping due to the lack of movement in the joint and the pain so treating these issues can help.

The coffin bone has more movement, so low ringbone is usually a worse diagnosis than high ringbone. But with either, it will progress over time, you can only try to keep your horse comfortable and slow the process down. 

Now let’s talk about DSLD (Degenerative Suspensory Ligament Desmitis). This disease affects the horse’s fetlock area and is also degenerative which means it progresses over time. To keep it simple, the suspensory ligament runs down the back of the horse’s legs and then splits into 2 branches at the bottom and insert onto the horse’s foot bones. The suspensory ligament is responsible for holding up the horse’s fetlocks, so if they are not working properly the fetlocks begin to get lower. Over time they will finally give out where they will be touching the ground.

DSLD was thought to just affect the fetlocks, but they have found through research that it affects many soft tissues in the body and is thought to be a connective tissue disease. At this point in time, it is believed to be a genetic disease and not from injury. The hard part is at this time as far as I know, they have not found the genetic marker, but I am sure in time they will be able to.

DSLD usually appears when horses are age 15 and up but is possible in the younger horse.  It is more common in Peruvian Pasos, Paso Finos, Arabians, American Saddlebreds, American Quarter Horse, Morgans and even Thoroughbreds, but can happen in any breed. 

When it affects the horse, it is bilateral, which means it happens in both front legs or both hindlegs, not just one leg. 

Signs of DSLD may include tripping (horse may not lift hoof completely off of ground due to pain), landing toe first, tight rope walking, traveling wide behind, unable to stand on one leg for shoer,  stomping of feet with no flies, shifting back and forth on legs, frequently lying down to relieve the pain, back soreness, digging holes in pasture and standing in them with toes pointing down in the holes to get the pressure off the back of the leg. Sitting on fences or buckets, behavioral changes.

 Fetlocks may be swollen, warm and appear plum like, the horse will be tender over its suspensories, and the fetlocks will drop down in time. If it affects the back legs, when the horse is standing normally not parked out, its legs will appear more straight in the hock area. Some horses will also appear neurologic, and some will act colicky often, but no reason for colic is found. 

Diagnosis is through a lameness exam that should include palpation of the suspensories, fetlock, flexion exam and ultrasound. The ultrasound will usually show fiber pattern irregularity and calcifications on the ligaments. When it is severe most vets and people can see the fetlocks are dropped way down. 
Because gaited horses do many times come further down in their fetlocks, we have seen DSLD misdiagnosed from vets just looking at their legs. So, unless the horses fetlocks are on the ground, always ask for an ultrasound to prove it is DSLD before retiring your horse.

This is a progressive and so far, incurable disease. That means it will just get worse overtime. Riding the horse will only put more weight on its fetlocks so the horse should be retired. You can try to keep the horse comfortable with pain medications, support boots and supplements. Shoeing can help support the fetlocks with a bar shoe or with more heel support, but many owners have down well with a well-balanced barefoot on the horse with the toes backed up. 

The reason these horses trip is due to the pain and the lack of support in their leg. Again, it is not a curable disease, so it is better to find out if the horse has DSLD and retire it. As the horse cannot help the tripping and it is unfair to expect them to carry you safely. 

As you watch videos of gaited horses for sale and you look at horses in rescues and kill pens, you may see them come down in their fetlocks a fair amount. But some come down much more than others. They may or may not have issues in the future. If you have concerns it is best to get a real vet check on the horse before bidding on it in auction, buying the horse or rescuing it.

 Many of the horses in the rescues were sent there because of this, or to the kill pens because the owners did not want to deal with putting the horse down. So be very aware, that if you do not do your homework and get one of these horses, it may not be rideable.
 
 
 
 

When Will He Slow Down?
By Gaye DeRusso
 
Many gaited horses have high endurance, and many have been ridden very forward. When you watch videos on gaited horses you will see most the time, they are not slow walking, but they are moving out pretty fast. So, you get the horse, and it’s very forward. So, you do all the arena work, and one rein stops, to teach him to slow down.  Now he is great in the arena and around the barn but on the trail, he is still stuck on go. What do you do? You think and you think, and you think more, about what would make the connection for this horse to slow down. 
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So here is a story of a horse I trained, occasionally. He was never in full training. So, I only had short training sessions to try and fix him. He was an ex- show horse, TWH, flat shod, very pacey. Went with his head sky high and the owner knew nothing about gaited horses when she bought him. So that’s how she rode him, and he looked like a giraffe. He was long and lanky. She said he never wore out. So, we proceeded to fix his gait and work on his canter in the arena and then start to try and fix the  trail. He was always anxious but not spooky. 

She didn't complain much but everyone who rode with her said, he acted a fool and was always on go. So, I said can you pay for a couple of hours of training and let me see what I can do to get him to walk on a loose rein. She said yes, do what you have to do. So, I came up with a plan. 

Where we were, we had some pretty steep trails, but there is one that is super steep, we call it the roller coaster trail. Most horses when they go up it once quit about 100 feet from the top, because it is so hard, and they just stop and stand to rest. I have taken forward horses up it before and usually they calm down and want to go slow after a couple of times of doing it. I leave the barn knowing my plan and riding alone so there are no distractions. I gait out usually at a flat walk and then running walk or saddle gait or fox trot depending on the horse. I head straight toward roller coaster. This isn’t a trail ride; this is a training session.

When I get there, many horses want to run up the hill because it makes it easier to get up and many clients like to gallop up it. No not today, today is about getting this horse to think instead of reacting. Galloping just brings up more adrenaline. So, I go up the hill at a gait, keeping the horse's head down and I make them drive with their backend to get up the steep hill. When you get to the top, it goes down for a while and then back up another steep hill. So, he tries to pull me down the hill and I serpentine down the entire hill or leg yield, so the horse is not out of control.

When I get to the bottom, I slow down to make sure they are doing a good gait, then I go up the next hill keeping their head down and making them drive with their back end. When I get to the top I turn around toward home and ask the horse if it wants to rest, by dropping the rein. If it wants to go, I go and just keep repeating. Every time I get to the top of the steep hill, I offer the horse a rest and a loose rein but if it wants to go, I go. 

The whole point is the horse is not thinking, it is running on adrenaline and thinking it has to go, go, go. So, I have to help the horse figure out that it doesn't need to go. I know this is going to take a while, since I have never seen this horse tired. So that is what I did, every time at the top, dropping the rein and every uphill I gait and every downhill, I give it jobs. 

Did it work? Yes, it worked very well. But it took longer than any other horse I had to do it with. He was so sure if he just kept going, I would take him home because that is what always happened. His bad behavior was always rewarded with the barn and food and friends.

 But to his surprise I just kept turning around and letting him do it again. It took over 20 times, and I can't remember exactly, but an hour to two hours of non-stop hard work. He was fast and I had to hold him back, but always released if he stayed the speed I asked or slowed down. Asking him each time to rest at the top, but no he wanted to go.

About the 15 time, I knew he was getting it. He was still fast but not as fast as before. At the 18 time, I had to start pushing him up the hills. At 19 he started to pause at the top to rest, but still was anxious and on the 20th time, half way up the last hill, I dropped the rein and took off my leg and he stopped. 

He was exhausted and out of air. I rested some time there and walked to  the top, on a loose rein and rested again, but not very long, just a couple minutes, then told him how good he was and walked home on a completely loose rein. He had no desire to go faster because he had done hard work and no longer had the strength or energy to keep going. For once in his life, he made the decision to  walk, and it was a smart decision. When we got home, I left him tacked up and tied him up for an hour then untacked him. No grain just hay for dinner. 

I repeated it the next day, and it took half the time, and he walked home on a loose rein. I told the owner she needed to do it the beginning of each week and days in a row, so we made sure he understood walking was a better decision for him. If she did it right in a couple weeks, he would be able to walk and walk home on a loose rein when she asked.

Did it stick? No and this is why training here and there usually doesn't work very well. It needs to be consistent for the horse to understand and for the training to stick. 

It would have but the owner did not keep it up. It only works if you repeat it until the horse is sure, this is the new way and that can take many weeks or months especially when you’re not a trainer. 
See you have to show them there is no reward in going fast but you have to get to their brain. Using steep hills or the beach with deep sand is a great way to teach them they can walk. But if you don't repeat it and you don’t do it when they start going fast again, it won't stick because you reward the wrong behavior each time instead of rewarding the right behavior. If you go on the trail and only do a couple hills, that will not work, you have to plan the ride to help the horse make the connection. 
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Usually no one ties up when they get home. That's why so many horses are barn sour. Ever notice ranch horses are not? Ranch horses never rush home, because they get tied up and just get more work, there is always more work, so no rush to go anywhere for more work. That’s also why trail stable horses never rush home, because they get home get tied up then go out on another trail ride. 
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Another thing you can do is go on the trail with a friend, go out and work. Gait etc., then ride home and go back out with another friend and keep repeating until the horse goes home slow. If they understand there is more work anytime, they go home fast, they do not want to go home fast. 

The reason most people cannot fix it, is because you feel bad, or you don’t want to make the effort, you would rather be dragged home or run away with then teach the horse the lesson. But if you make the time and teach it well, you will only have to remind the horse here and there to keep them good. 

Most horses do not want to be ridden 5 times in a row on trail with no rest, but if they don't know that’s the consequence, they will want to run home each time or run on the trail because they think that is what you want. So, rest and reward when they are slow and give them more work when they are too fast or go home too fast. You can come up with your own plan, but it must be hard work and only reward when they go slow and are calm. If it's not working, you are not doing it hard enough or long enough to get the point across. And don't forget you have to be able to do it alone or just with one horse and do it well first before you add in more horses. That's just the way the horse world works. 

​How To Work Up a Tripping Horse - Part 1 - Gaited Horses
By Gaye DeRusso
 
I labeled this part 1 because I have a lot of information on tripping that I want to share with you. I wanted to break it down how I would work up a horse that is tripping. 
 
It's best to do your workup in parts and not jump to any conclusions before you go through all the parts. As sometimes it is just one thing that is making them trip, other times it is a combination of things that is making your horse trip, and it won't get better unless you fix all the things. Before you start the workup, you must take some notes daily about the tripping to help solve the issue. 
 
Important things include, when he is tripping like at the beginning, middle or end of the ride. Is it at a walk or gait? Is it in the arena, grass, dirt, gravel, road, rocks, over obstacles or trail. When during the shoeing cycle is he most trippy? Has he always tripped or is it new? What changed in that time period like a new rider, new shoer, you took off its shoes, or you have new boots or a different saddle, or even your riding on a loose rein vs short, a different bit, a different boarding stable. Yes it all really matters because there are many causes for tripping.
 
If its new you really want to think about anything that has changed in that time period, even if you think it could not cause the tripping, still write it down. Was he in a stall and now he is pasture or the other way around. Did his old friend move away? Think about anything that changed and write it down. You want to write it down, because it is much easier to solve when you see it in writing, and you will remember more things if you write it down. It will also help the vet have more information if you need them to work it up. Vets rely on what you tell them, but no one ever tells them enough, so it becomes a guessing game of what the cause is. The more you give them, the better they can help solve the problem. 
 
Start with the feet of course because they trip with their feet. 
 
I like to watch the horse walk and see how high it lifts its feet when it walks. That's right not all horses lift their feet the same. Some drag them on the ground, some lift them a little and some lift them a lot. You can even video tape it and slow it down if you need to. Gaited horses usually lift their feet higher as they go faster, unless they are pacing. So if it’s fine walking but trips when it gaits, it may just be pacing and you need to teach it not to pace. I also like to see how big is the horse’s stride and watch are they landing heel first then rolling onto the toe or are they landing flat or landing toe first these are all clues of issues. 
 
I also watch them walk from the side, the front, and the back. Then I watch them walk on different terrains, the arena, the grass, the dirt, gravel, and road. Then I watch them walk on the trail, over obstacles and up and down hills. I do this all from the ground without a saddle so I can see their feet but also their whole body moving. 
 
Also be aware of their attitude during the process, do they pay attention, are they looking around, are they lazy or alert. Don't forget to watch their face as well, and see if they look nervous, distressed or in pain. They have a lot of expression, but you have to look for it. 
 
Now back to the feet. A horse is supposed to pick its foot up, move the leg forward then land heel first. If your horse is landing toe first, something is causing it to have heel pain or it is not able to make the full arc with its leg, like it takes a very long stride. If it has a long stride the toe can be hitting the ground because it did not complete the arc of the movement in time. Many times with big strided horses they are just covering too many rocks or obstacles vs a short strided horse. 
 
If it’s the stride causing the tripping, you might have to ride with more contact and collect the horse to shorten its stride when it needs to be more surefooted. If heel pain, it could be bad thrush, contracted heels, navicular, there are many causes. So, you must see how the foot is landing. I like to always get X-rays of the feet to help you to figure some of this out. They show the bone, how long the toe is and how thick the sole is, so they give a lot of information to help you. If it shows navicular, that will be treated totally different then having thin soles, so best to know what’s in those feet! If they have thrush you need to treat aggressively so it does not go further into the foot. Thrush can be very nasty. If contracted heels, you need your shoer or trimmer to try and help you get the horse comfortable. 
 
Now watch the toe and see how much clearance it gets over the ground. If it drags its toe then no clearance, if it picks it up an inch, that’s only a little clearance or it picks it up many inches then it should be clearing the ground and not tripping. Pacey, well gaited and lazy horses many times drag their toes  because they don't bend their knees much and keep the foot close to the ground. The pacey and lazy ones also swing their legs instead of using their muscles. So, a good reason not to let your horse pace when you’re riding it. 
 
A horse that trots when loose will usually have more knee action and have better clearance, or a horse that is bred to have more action will lift its knees higher so better clearance. This is also why I make all the gaited horses walk over poles, to learn how to pick their feet up higher, and become more athletic. And if you have a horse use to the arena or just flat terrain and you have hills and rocky terrain, they have to learn to pick up their feet more and also get use to the hills and mountains which can make them tired and a tired horse will trip more. 
 
Some horses are not athletic or they don't have sensitive feet, therefore they don't react the same as an athletic horse, or if they hit something with their feet they don't care or they just have poor proprioception. Walking and gaiting or trotting them over poles 3-5 times a week for 5-10 minutes can make a huge difference with these things. Sometimes they just need to be taught what to do.
 
If they drag their toes or not lift them high, then you need to get the horse more clearance. So, get x-rays because it will show the vet and the shoer, just how much toe you can take off and if the foot is balanced.  Then start with just trimming that toe back more and balancing the foot. Also, if you do not have a good shoer, now is the time to change, you need a good shoer to work with you and one that is willing to listen to what you’re saying.  Not one that tells you it won't help. They also need to watch that horse walk and see what it is doing. Tripping can be deadly, and you need everyone’s help, to help your horse be safe. If the good shoer cost more, then pay more, because a hospital bill will cost a lot more. 
 
If it still trips, you bring the toe back but also roll the toe of the shoe, to get more clearance as it helps with the break over of the foot. If that doesn't work you can rocker the shoe and that will also take off some sole of the foot, and get you more clearance, so the x-rays will help you know if you can do this or not. If those fail, trim the toe back and use a square shoe like the natural balance shoe. It gets more toe out of the way, increases the break over and gets you more clearance. I have seen horses that tripped all the time stop tripping with these shoes on, but the shoer also has to prepare the foot correctly for it to work. An added benefit to trying these shoeing techniques, is it helps pacey horses gait better by changing their footfall and separating the legs more. Now if you try these things and it is not better, you also have to continue the workup to rule other things out. That will be in the other articles I will post. 
 
But if everything comes back negative, some horses just trip more than others. The next thing to try would be a toe weight or a heavier shoe. That's right when you put weight on the horse’s foot, it lifts it higher, that's why so many show people use heavy shoes in certain classes to get more knee action. Speak with your shoer and see what weight of shoe you have been using and try a heavier shoe. So, if you’re out of other options, a heavier shoe is better than having a horse trip and fall with you. 
 
There maybe barefoot techniques to help but all I know is the mustang roll, so ask your barefoot trimmer if they can try anything to help. I do not have a lot of barefoot horses. 
 
If it is tripping in the arena, mark where it trips and take a ruler and put it in the spot then put the ruler in other spots nearby and see if the footing is deeper in different areas. I have done this in many arenas and had some areas with 8 inches of footing and other areas with 1 inch. Many horses will trip and fall in the arena when footing is bad or if the arena is uneven. 
 
Is he fine on the grass and dirt but trips on the gravel or road? Then his feet may be sore. Even if you have boots on, if they don't give firm support and the horse has tender soles or not much soles, it can make them trip. If you ride on trail and the horse keeps going to the side of the trail, your horses feet are sore. You may need a firmer boot or shoes or shoes with pads to protect the soles. But know if you need more toe clearance, even if you trim the toe back and its barefoot, once you put the boot on, you no longer have the toe clearance anymore.
 
 I have diagnosed a lot of horses that feet were sore that were barefoot, and the boots did not help. I can feel when a horse’s feet are sore and many times the owner cannot. As soon as we got shoes on, the horses walked right over the rocks in the middle of the trail instead of hanging on the side and tripping on the footing. So sometimes it is an easy fix and sometimes it takes a lot more work. But a good vet, a good shoer or trimmer can make a huge difference. But if they don't have the information, they cannot help you. 
 
Sometimes vets will jump to conclusions, because you did not give them the right information, especially because the gaited horses can move weird. But if they come and you say watch him walk, he doesn't lift his feet very high, he is pacey, lazy and drags his toes when he is tired. He is fine after he is trimmed but starts tripping when he is 2 weeks out, can we x-ray the feet to see what's in there? They will have a lot more information to solve the problem and think about the feet. Because some vets when they watch our horses  move, immediately think neurologic because they have never seen a horse move like this, especially the Tennessee Walking Horses. So give them a little guidance where to start. 
 
Its best to start with the feet because I have seen horses diagnosed with EPM only to come back with a negative spinal tap and when I pushed the client to get the x-rays of the feet like I told them in the beginning, they found out the horse had navicular. They could have saved a lot of money if they had started with the feet. With a couple injections and special shoeing, the horse was comfortable and no longer tripping. Look for article 2 coming up!
 
 

​Bit vs Bitless For The Gaited Horse
By Gaye DeRusso
 
If your horse is well gaited, well trained, and calm, you can just about ride that horse in anything including just its halter and lead, but don't forget the rider must also be well trained. 
 
But getting a horse that is not well trained or well gaited to gait and have control of it, can be a challenge. Many people do not understand that a bit helps communicate to your horse in a more sensitive way then the bitless options. So, if your trying to lift your horse's shoulders or to raise or lower the horse's head or to do a shoulder in to help get your horse's gait, it can be easier to do with a bit. But once your horse understands, then you can convert to a bitless option. Using a bit to start just might help you get there faster. 
 
There are many options with bits, and you can watch my video on bits which helps explain what each one does. Many times, I get asked what is the best bit for the gaited horse? The best answer is the one that you can communicate best with, gives you good control if issues come up and that your horse is comfortable in.
 
With a light hand you can ride in a snaffle or in a shank bit and your horse will be comfortable, but with a heavy hand if you ride in a snaffle or a shank, your horse can be very uncomfortable. Even with a bitless option a heavy hand can still make the horse very uncomfortable because all the pressure is going on the horse's nose. 
 
Signs your horse does not like the bit your using or you’re not using your hands correctly:
 
Throws head when you try to put on the bridle
Throws head when you apply pressure to bit when riding
Jerks on bit
Hangs tongue out of the mouth
Puts tongue over the bit
Opens mouth when you apply pressure
Runs through the bit
Does not stop well with the bit
 
Now some of these signs are because your horse was never taught to accept the bit, but if you have gone back and restarted your horse with a snaffle and made sure it understood how to do lateral flexion and vertical flexion (give to the bit), one rein stops and taught it to bend and stop well and backup and the horse still showed the above signs then it not comfortable. If you then, have tried several options of bits from snaffles to shanks and still the horse is acting up, then trying bitless is a good option. Some of the gaited horses, just do not like the snaffle. Some have a lower palate, and it seems to annoy them, so I always try a shank with a port that gives more tongue relief before deciding the horse really does not like bits. 
 
Also, if you’re not the best rider, it is good to have a better rider, ride the horse and see if it acts the same. If it is completely comfortable with that rider and bit, then it is you that is the problem. You are not using your hands correctly and while you learn, you may need to use a bitless option to be kind to your horse. 
 
Now there are options with bitless as well, you have the hackamore, bosal, side pull and the bitless which crosses under the horse’s cheek and through two loops -one over the poll and one over the nose. 
 
The hackamore and bosal work off nose pressure and can still be harsh in the wrong hands. They also must be adjusted correctly to avoid hurting the cartilage area in the horse’s nose. The bosal applies pressure to the nose and facial muscles and is best for neck reining, it also is hard material, so if you horse shakes its head a lot with gaiting, this might also cause discomfort by repetitively hitting it in the nose. 
 
The hackamore applies pressure to the pole, nose and chin and is used with 2 hands. It usually has leverage and needs to have the rider be educated how to use it. It can push on sensitive areas of the horse’s head and cause pain if not used correctly. It can also cut off air passage to the horse if reins are too tight and using constant pressure. 
 
With both of these options you want to apply pressure and release and not hold constant pressure on the horse's nose. Also make sure you adjust them correctly to fit the horse. Just go on YouTube and there are lots of videos that show how to adjust them.
 
The bitless bridle applies pressure at the pole and nose and if the leather crosses under the cheeks, it applies pressure almost like a hug to the horse’s head. If it just comes through the nose piece, then pressure is just across the nose. So, you have to play around and see which bitless option your horse does best in and gives you control, especially if the horse spooks or starts to act up. 
 
Many gaited horses have been handled harshly. They are not started well and never taught with kind hands and they go very quickly from a snaffle to a shank to get results, but the horse never understands what exactly the bit means. Since the horses don't understand to back off from the bit, many gaited people are then taught to drive the horse forward into the bit and then pull constantly to get the horse to gait. So, the horse learns just to pull on the bit and go forward, it does not understand to back off from the bit, that's why it has no idea to slow down, when you pull or half halt on the rein. It is not the horse's fault.
 
Retraining these types of horses takes time and patience and still many will not like a bit. The bitless bridles can do wonders in these horses and releases much of their anxiety over the bit. So sometimes a horse that will run through a bit and be very forward, will be calm in a bitless bridle. 
 
The best thing to do is to try different options with your horse and see what they respond best to. It takes time for the horse to understand the new equipment and how it works, so give them time. Try a new bit or hackamore or bosal or bitless for a couple of weeks, if they are getting better, stick with it a couple more weeks. If they are doing well, then use that equipment. If they are not doing well change the equipment. 
 
I have had runaways do great in bitless bridles and I have horses that also just leaned on bitless bridles. So, it just depends on the horse and what works for that individual horse. Recently I had a horse that opened its mouth with the bit, I tried lots of different bits and he did it with all of them. I used a noseband to show him to keep his mouth shut but he still pulled against the nose band, I switched to a bitless and it only took a couple days and then he was gaiting well, very responsive and I had good control. So goodbye bit.
 
So, remember it’s not just the bit or the hackamore or bosal or bitless. It’s what works for your horse and what works for you. Any equipment can be harsh, and any equipment can be gentle in the right hands. If your horse is not gaiting well and your using bitless, try switching to a bit even if you do it just for a month till the horse understands the cue better and then you can try switching back. But to say all horses should have a bit or all horses should be bitless is not understanding that some do go better with a bit and others go better without it. Listen to your horse and they will tell you what works for them. 

​Breeds of Trotting Horses That Can Gait
By Gaye DeRusso
 
Many people think a horse has to be a gaited breed to gait, but they don't. That's right, some of the trotting bred horses can also gait. Not all of  them, just the special ones. They just have to have that lateral gaited tendency and it comes from their genes. This mutation on one of their specific genes (DMRT3) gives them the ability to do lateral movements (gait). So, a horse can inherit one, two or no mutated copies of this gene. If it has 2 copies, it should be easiest to gait, but it may also pace, if it has one copy it will more likely be able to trot and gait, if it has no copies, then it won't be able to do the lateral movement needed to gait.
 
This gene also affects their canter. Ever wonder why some horses that gait really well or are on the pacey side, have major difficulty getting the canter? Those horses have two mutated copies of this gene. The horses with only one copy of the mutated gene can usually canter easier and the ones with no mutated gene have the easiest time cantering but those horses are not gaited. This is why some Saddlebreds and Morgans can gait, and some do not. This is also why some gaited horses canter easier than others. So those who like to gait and canter, would do better with a horse that has only 1 gaited gene or one that already has been trained to canter.  
 
Many of the horses of today, trotting, and gaited horse breeds were crossed so many years ago with other breeds to make them what they are. Way back, some of the trotting horses were crossed with horses that had the gaited gene, they might not even have known the horses could gait. That gene now reappears here and there in the trotting bred horses. It is just one copy of the mutated gene. 
 
The American Quarter Horse is a horse known for agility, speed, and surefootedness. It is used for many different purposes. But did you know that the Quarter Horse originated from the Spanish Mustang and North African Barb. 
 
Many Spanish horses can gait, and the Spanish mustang is one of them. Therefore, occasionally you will see a Quarter Horse that can gait. You may see them doing a flat walk or a saddle gait or another gait, but they are gaiting. Most the owners don't recognize it when it happens, they just think something is wrong with their horse, but it is gaiting. So yes, some Quarter Horses can gait. 
 
The Arab is known for its versatility and endurance. It is used for many different purposes. They are so smart, quick, and agile. We had many at one of the barns I was at. The trainer was working with one on its canter, and it kept cross cantering. It caught my eye, so I stopped riding to watch, and yup there it was, it fell out of its canter into a pace. I asked if I could help. I said your horse has a lateral gait in it, that’s why it is cross cantering, try doing this and see if it helps. What do you know, it kept its canter lead. 
 
At another barn with many warmbloods at it, a lady asked me to watch her warmblood go down this incline. She said I think he is off; he feels so weird but only on the downhill. I watched and what do you know it was pacing down the hill. I said, lady you have a gaited warmblood, nothing is wrong with him, he is just special. 
 
Some Appaloosa horses, do what they call the appaloosa shuffle. It’s a lateral gait and yes, it is smooth. So, it is not just the ones we call gaited horse breeds that can gait. The horse just needs the mutation on that gene to be able to move its legs laterally and then someone who knows how to get the gait, to bring it out.
 
So many horses were crossed when brought to America. Horses escaped and ran in the wild and of course they bred. So, lines got crossed and although we think gaited horses are the only ones that gait, we are incorrect. Other breeds of horses can gait, they just don't do it consistently. But in the right instant, with the right rider, some will start to gait.  Sometimes its just because they are with gaited horses and start following the rhythm because they can. They have the gene. And other times a gaited rider is on them and tries to see what they can do and then it comes out, it can gait because it has the gene!
 
Now these horses I am mentioning, most are not bred to gait, it just happens, because that is how the world works. Things get passed along in nature and nature has a special way of showing it to us sometimes. 
 
Horses are not the only ones that gait. Many animals can gait if you just start watching their movements. I have had one boxer dog that paced and a pit-bull that can do a flat walk. I have a shih tzu that paces. I have seen a hyena pace, an elephant pace, and a lion. Somewhere they got the gene to do it, some do it all the time and others just do it when they are tired so they can use other muscles. Just like your horse may gait well and then it gets tired and paces or trots. 
 
I think any animal that can gait is special. It was given just a little more than the other ones. 
 
So next time someone says my Quarter Horse can gait, or my Mustang gaits. Open your mind to something new and ask them to show you. Because it is the coolest thing to see a horse known for trotting start to gait. It is like a little secret the horse has been keeping and then all of a sudden it goes, hey look what I can do. I can gait!

​How To Use Spurs
By Gaye DeRusso
 
Spurs have been around for a long time, but they are highly misunderstood. When many people see a spur on a rider, they think they are abusive, but spurs are not made to abuse horses, they are to enhance your communication with the horse. Spurs are a piece of metal that goes around the heel of the rider and are held on by a piece of leather. There are many shapes and lengths of them as well as dull to sharp, I will explain this soon. The reason riders use spurs is to help the horse respond quicker to a cue and to clear up confusion when they are not understanding a cue by adding more pressure. They are a great tool if you have weaker legs and cannot apply much pressure when needed. 
 
Before you consider wearing spurs you want to make sure you have a well-balanced seat, a quiet leg that does not move around much and steady hands. They are a tool that needs to be used correctly and quietly. They should not be used for every stride the horse takes and it should not be the first thing you use to get the horse to respond. 
 
When riding, you use your seat, your calves, then your heel if the horse does not respond. Then if no response you use your spur. To use the spur, you rotate your foot outward like a duck and raise your heel till you feel it make contact with the horse. Once you get the desired response, you take the spur off the horse as the release. You always want to apply pressure in stages and the spur is the last thing you would use. It is to make the horse more sensitive and responsive to your leg and acts as a backup, if the horse does not respond. But always remember it is not the first thing you use; it is the last. 
 
When wearing spurs, it is best to put them low on your heels to start, so you do not hit your horse by accident with them. Shorter, dull spurs are best to start with, as you won't get a big response if you hit the horse by accident. The longer and sharper the spur, the more advanced rider you should be, as hitting a horse by accident with those kinds of spurs can cause a big reaction. 
 
If you are over using your spurs or using too much spur, your horse may start to swish its tail, pin its ears, or kick out. If this is happening, try to use the spur less and use lighter pressure. Sometimes alternating between a dressage whip and spurs is the better way to go. When you use the spur or whip, you also start with light pressure then increase if the horse does not respond. 
 
Not every horse need spurs, the sensitive ones usually do not need spurs, but the dull, unresponsive, or stubborn horse can be so much better when ridden with them. This way it is much harder for them to ignore your cues. It is also a way to use less pressure with your leg, so you’re not exhausted when riding a dull horse. Sometimes just having them on is enough that the horse responds, just because they know you have them on, and just touching them once with them gives you a more responsive horse.
 
When I use spurs I use them mostly for lateral work, not going forward. I like to use the dressage whip when I need more forward and give light taps. But when bending, doing leg yields, side pass and turns, the spurs help the horse to understand the cue better. Also, a horse that leans in has a hard time leaning on a spur, it is much harder to ignore then your leg. 
 
Now some sensitive horses prefer spurs. Sounds crazy doesn't it, but they are so sensitive that a light touch with a spur is more comfortable for them then the bigger pressure of your leg. It is like using your finger to push them over vs your whole hand to push them over.
 
With gaiting, it can make a big difference in getting and holding your gait. You can use them to help round your horses back by tickling its belly with the spurs to ask it to use its abdomen and raise up its back. This is helpful when you have a horse that you are trying to get more on the trotty side, like going toward a fox trot. A spur can get you a little more speed in your gait. Sometimes your using too much pressure with your leg, which asks for too much speed and you keep going past the gait. If your horse paces, you can get the horse to do a lateral movement easier and get it back in gait. 
 
So start with a shorter dull spur or one with a round ball on the end as these are the mildest. Once you have good control of the spur, if you need more response, then a longer spur or sharper spur will help. The ones with rowels won't rub the hair off your horse if you need to use it repeatedly but get ones without sharp edges. 
 
If you wear cowboy boots, then western spurs are best. You will have to bend them to get them to fit correctly on your boot. The western spurs have a strap on top and none under the heel, so if the spur keeps moving then a rubber under strap can be added to help.
 
If you wear all terrain riding boots or English boots, then an English spur is best. They are easier to bend, and the leather strap goes over and under the foot to hold it in the correct position. 
 
Always start with the spur low on your heel, so you know when you are engaging it. As you get better, if not much response from the horse you can put the spur higher on your heel and many boots have a little bump that sticks out to help hold the spur higher on the heel. 
 
Remember spurs are to enhance your communication, not take it over. Always use your calves first, then heel then spur if no response and never kick a horse when wearing spurs. 
 
Used correctly they can be a great addition to your riding aids and help your horse to understand so much easier. Remember most tools used correctly on a horse are helpful, but any tool used in the wrong way can cause harm. It is not the tool that is the issue but usually the user of the tool that is the problem. 
 
 

By Gaye DeRusso
 
The Tennessee Walking Horse and many other gaited horses are a mix of breeds that over the years have been bred into a willing, calm, smooth moving horse. But with the good there is always bad. 
 
We have bred many things into the Walking Horse for certain reasons and many of these things are considered neurologic findings in a normal horse. Because of course when humans like something, we push it to the extremes, it is just our nature to do so. And yes, it is sad that we do this, but we do it all the same. 
 
So, if you have a Walking Horse it is helpful to know, what Walking Horse people consider normal and what vets consider abnormal. Because most everything the Walking Horse does, is considered abnormal to a vet who has not seen many Walking Horses.
 
There is no education on gaited horses in vet school. They learn on the job and if they are not familiar with the Walking Horse, they are everything the vets were told was neurologic in a trotting horse. I know scary isn't it. 
 
Many other gaited breeds can have Walking Horse lines back in their breeding. They mix other breeds with them to get the larger stride and calmness. So, it’s not only the Walking Horse people that need to be aware of these findings because it could be way back in your horse's breeding lines also, and they could also exhibit some of these findings. 
 
                                    Vet                   Walking Horse 
 
Large Overstride         Abnormal        Normal
Drags Feet                   Abnormal        Normal
Hyperflexible              Abnormal        Normal
Paces                           Abnormal        Normal
Keeps feet where        Abnormal        Normal
placed
Forges                         Abnormal        Normal
Wobbles when            Abnormal        Normal
walking
Trips                            Abnormal        Normal
Hocks Wring                Abnormal        Normal
Toes Out                      Abnormal        Normal
Cow hocked or
Sickle hocked              Abnormal        Normal
Crooked Legs               Abnormal        Normal
Moves over with
tail pull                        Abnormal        Normal
Smaller Hindquarter   Abnormal        Normal
Poor Topline                Abnormal        Normal
Super Calm                  Abnormal        Normal
Falls asleep                  Abnormal        Normal
Super willing               Abnormal        Normal
Sensitive to                 Abnormal        Normal
Anesthesia
High pain                     Abnormal        Normal
 tolerance
Parks out                     Abnormal        Normal
when resting
Narrow chest              Abnormal        Normal
Sloping hindquarters  Abnormal        Normal
 
This is not even a full list, but you get the idea, that everything considered abnormal in a regular horse is normal in a Walking Horse to different degrees. Also, there are different types of Walking Horses, which I have a video on, but the ones that have the most problem with vets are the ones I tend to call wonky, because they are the extreme ones. Usually very loose and lanky, don't worry I will explain. 
 
They are bred to have large overstrides, to cover ground quickly and smoothly. This in turn can cause many to forge when they are walking slow. They are bred to keep their feet close to the ground to give them a higher endurance and smoother ride, this in turn causes some to drag their toes and in turn causes some to trip since they do not clear all the ground obstacles. 
 
They are bred to be super calm, so less skilled riders can handle the younger horses. But sometimes too calm, that some just go to sleep when standing still, which in turn causes them not to pay attention to much. This makes them not spooky and good for beginners but also bad because they don't pay attention to the ground obstacles and trip.
 
They are bred with a high pain tolerance, so you have to be highly aware of what is normal for your horse. I had one with an abscess that would only take one bad step when he came out of his stall, otherwise he was fine. I had to convince the vet to dig into his foot and yes, he was surprised to find an abscess. So, you should always check your horse closely before riding. And if a vet pokes their foot with a pen to check if they can feel their feet, they may have to poke pretty hard to get a response. 
 
They bred pace into them for gait but also for the heavy shod show classes, this makes them more trippy and makes them look odd when moving and so many people think they are lame. Some have poor toplines because they are pacey and just swinging their legs instead of using their muscles. So yes, poor topline can mean the horse is pacey. 
 
They can have a narrow chest which is more comfortable for your hips if you have arthritis and many of the narrow ones have better endurance. Their hindquarters are not round like quarter horses but more sloping so they can reach way under themselves. And you may see them parked out in a field, because some have longer back legs then their front legs and this is a comfortable position for them. 
 
They are hyperflexible like the people you see who can dislocate all their joints. Due to this they can be looking one way and walk another, which can cause them to trip because they are not paying attention. If you turn them too fast, some lose balance and fall over, such as a one rein stop because they are not built or wired the same as regular horses. This hyper flexibility causes some to swing their legs out on quick turns which makes the vet think they are neurologic.
 
If you place their feet in a certain position they will keep them there, because they think you want them to. Also, because they are so flexible it does not make them feel uncomfortable, so they will stand with legs crossed or sometimes all 4 legs facing different directions. They can also stand on 2 legs, just watch the shoer with them. The shoer will have one foot up and the horse is resting one of its other legs. 
 
The hyper flexibility can make some uncoordinated like a Great Dane. Ever watch a Great Dane run? They don't always know how to get over obstacles, they have to learn that coordination compared to a short strided athletic gaited horse. Some also have poor proprioception, so you have to teach them where to put their feet, so lots of work over poles. 
 
When they do the tail pull for the neurologic test, many fall sideways, especially the pacey ones, why wouldn't they, they are moving different then a trotty one, like I said they are wired differently, so the test is not a very good test for them to judge if the horse is neurologic. Also remember they are calm so once it kicks into their brain that they are supposed to pull back, the test is over, and they have failed the test. It can take them 6 times or more of the tail pull before they realize they are supposed to pull back. But the pacey ones usually never pull back as hard as a trotty one can. 
 
Many have crooked legs, toes out or in or sometimes one-foot toes out and the other toes in, some wring their hocks. Sickle hock and cow hocked. So many of these things are bred into them so they don't step on their own feet with that large over stride, these things help them to swing their legs out of the way. But also makes them look unstable. 
 
The vets never get to see these horses in action like I do. I have seen these horses climb hills, like spiders. I have seen the footing give out and them reach up 2-3 feet with a front leg to pull themselves out. I had one slip on the road, and sit down, any regular horse would have probably broken its pelvis. His front legs were facing one way and his back legs another. He did exactly what I said, and he waited till I climbed off. Then he slowly pulled his front end around and pushed himself up like a creature from an alien movie and he was fine. A neurologic horse could not do that. 
 
Their chest is larger than there hindquarters like a Boxer dog, which helps them have strong upper bodies so they can pull with that front end but weaker hindquarters, so they have to learn to engage themselves otherwise it makes them heavier on the front end, so easier to trip if you do not balance them correctly. 
 
Knowing what your horse is and how to help them is the key and you are your horse's guardian. They cannot tell the vet I am a Walking Horse, I have been like this all my life, and I am fine. I was bred to do this. I thought you wanted me to keep my legs crossed. I am pacey that’s why I wobble. 
 
They are an anomaly that we created. Some of you love them and some of you hate them. But either way you need to understand them because your horse just may have some Walking Horse in it and have some of these same issues and we created them. 
 
Now not all Walking Horses are like this. Some Walking Horses are more alert, or spooky or athletic, and will not have many or any of these issues, but some have been bred with such extremes especially for the show ring, and if you get one of these horses, you need to understand what they are, how to ride them and how to manage them because I am getting tired of fighting this fight alone to save them. And some of you will say well they shouldn't breed them that way, well they do, and it probably is not going to stop for a long time.
 
 I love Walking Horses, but I understand who they are and how to handle them.  But many are being put down because they are not being ridden correctly and are tripping or falling down and the vets do not understand them. Of all the breeds I think they are the kindest and most gentle, but they are also the most misunderstood because of what we have made them into. An anomaly.  
            

​Gaited Horses- Another Reason For Tripping - Going From Flat Land To The Mountains
By Gaye DeRusso
 
Gaited horses were most popular in the Midwest but now you can find gaited horses everywhere. When buying a gaited horse, some of you do not realize that if you buy it from a flat or hilly region and then ship it to you in a mountainous region like, Utah, Montana, Colorado, New Mexico, or California, that it will take time for that horse to adjust to the new terrain.  
 
A horse that gaits and moves balanced on the flat or hilly areas, may not do so in the mountains. Climbing mountains is a whole different story. Think of it this way, you are able to walk 5 miles easily on the flat, but if I took you to Yosemite and we hiked 5 miles, you might pass out by the end of it. Going up and down those trails and being aware of where your feet are, is not easy and then imagine carrying someone on your back. 
 
It takes time for horses to adjust to the footing and the terrain. It doesn't take a month; it could take a whole year. You might think since the horse does the trail it's fine, but this could be a reason it is tripping. If it’s tired because of the steep terrain and you are going for long rides, it may start to drag its feet and then start to trip, where it had never tripped at its previous home. 
 
If the horse was only ridden in an arena such as a show horse, it will take time for it to adjust to climbing up and down steep mountains, to climbing over rocks, to lifting its feet high enough to clear the terrain. This takes conditioning which takes time. You cannot expect them to do a 5-mile trail that is very steep and not trip, when they have not been condition to do steep terrain.
 
Knowing where your horse was ridden before, how often it was ridden and the terrain it was ridden on, will help you prepare it for its new job. But expect a horse that was ridden in the arena or the Midwest or even the East Coast, to have some issues when it arrives at your house in Montana. It has to get use to the new job and build its strength and proprioception before it does a good job and that can take a year.
 
Using poles in the arena, doing some steep but then flat terrain, and alternating harder rides with easier rides will help your horse to learn but also stay surefooted.
 
I remember riding this one TWH that was in California but the horse grew up on completely flat land, it had never been on a hill. As I took it out for trail training, it could hardly get down the hills and these were not even steep. So, I would ride it on the flat and uphill but get off and hand walk it down the hills. I did this as well as pole work. As it got better, I started riding it down the hills, helping it go slow and balanced, by half halting each step, keeping my weight back, but also stopping every 10 steps or so and giving little breaks, then moving on. 
 
Friends riding with me, would tell me he looked drunk, they thought he was going to fall over, and I told them don’t worry over time he will get better. But they didn't believe me, and they thought he had EPM or a neurological condition. 
 
I just kept it up and ignored their comments. It took some time but around 4-6 months he had gotten so much better. At a year he could climb up and down our steep trails like it was nothing. Those non-believers became believers. So just remember where your horse came from and what condition it came in. Take the time and teach it climb and balance itself. Yes, you may have to hand walk it at times to make it easier for them and safer for you. But in time they will get there. 
 
In the process, it may stumble or trip this is normal. You must put in the work to help them, so your horse is ready for the task at hand.  You may be surprised how different they are once they are conditioned and prepared for their new job.