​Teach Your Pacey Horse To Trot
By Gaye DeRusso
 
I teach many pacey horses to trot when loose. Why? Because it helps their gait, decreases tripping, makes them stronger by using different muscles and helps the vet to evaluate them if any lameness issues come up. 
 
Gaited horse people sometimes freak out when they hear about letting the gaited horse trot, but many gaited horses trot when they are loose and yet they can gait very well. Letting them trot loose or on a lunge line is not going to ruin their gait, in fact if it is pacey, it usually helps their gait. 
 
I set up cavaletti poles in a line or in a circle, I start with just a couple of poles and lunge them over them. Once the horse can get over them well at a walk and then at a faster gait even if that’s a pace, I add a couple more poles and then every couple of days or so if they are doing well, I add more poles. So, in the end I end up with 6-8 poles. I put them just about a foot apart or 3-4 of my feet, If the horse has a big stride and keeps hitting them, I move the poles farther apart, until they can get over them well. If they keep leaping to get over them, I move the poles closer together. 
 
By having so many poles close together, it makes it very hard for the horse to gait or pace through the poles. The easiest thing for them to do is trot, and they usually learn that in time. If they keep trotting after the poles, I let them trot, when they go back to gaiting or pacing, I take them back through the poles. This is easiest done with the horse on a lunge line, so you can control where it goes and the speed of the horse, too fast, wiggle the rope, too slow wave the whip and create energy. 
 
I will do this exercise for 5 - 10 min at the most in the beginning, because it is a hard exercise and they need to use their brain, but also their bodies to get through the poles without tripping or falling down. It can be stressful, so best to do for short periods 3- 5 days a week before you ride when they are fresh and have energy. Doing this exercise after the ride can make it too hard for them because they are tired.  But you could do after your ride if they are barn sour!
 
What happens overtime, is the horse becomes better with its feet, less tripping because it learns better proprioception. It also learns to pick its feet up higher to get through the poles, which also helps with tripping. It learns how to balance itself better and It increases the strength around its stifles, back and abdomen from trotting through the poles. Once it learns to trot, it makes it easier for them to canter, because now they have learned they can switch their legs from lateral to diagonal which is more like the canter. Also, it will start to trot when loose and there are no poles because it can now. It is pretty amazing to see them change.
 
Now you will have more tools to help that pacey horse. If you do it enough, you will see the horse start to get a better gait when it is loose. And when riding, now when you round them out and get their back to relax it will gait better. 
 
Now you might say, well what if it trots now under saddle? No big deal, if it falls out of gait and goes into a trot, just raise its head up and sit back, this will invert the horse's back and take it back into its gait. 
 
I do not recommend trotting under saddle and this is why. Most gaited owners do not have the gaits down and you want to make sure you can get all the gaits and keep them before you add a trot under saddle if you want them to trot. Otherwise, you will totally confuse your horse on what you want.
 
You also want to make sure you have a specific cue for the trot that is different from their gaits, so the horse knows when to trot and when to gait. Until you get to that point, only let your horse gait under saddle, when it paces round it out, bring its head down and relax its back and if it trots, bring the head up and sit back and invert its back. 
 
Now why would you want them to trot under saddle? Some people do, they do endurance, or they are doing dressage or jumping, and they want that option. Remember many Icelandics and Saddlebreds trot and gait.  So, it is possible, if you have the education to do it with your horse, but you must make sure their gaits are solid, as the pace and trot are easier to do than the gaits. And if you just let them trot anytime, they will choose to do it more often since it is easy and then your horse may not gait as well. 
 
Teaching the trot is just to help you get a better gait if your horse is pacey. It is a tool to use and can be a very good tool, if you use it correctly. I specifically like to do with the very hard pacers and the ones that pace at a walk, as those types can be trippier since they swing their feet instead of picking them up. 
 
Lastly, it really helps the vet if you can get your gaited horse to trot, it is so much easier to tell if a horse is lame from a trot vs a gait or a pace. In fact, most horses that pace look lame even though they are not.
 
 I like nothing more than someone seeing me lunge a gaited horse and blurt out your horse is lame, because people love doing that and I go, hold on he was pacing, let me show you, his trot. Then the horse does a beautiful trot and of course they say nothing and walk away. 
 
So, to trot or not to trot, is your option but it really does help the pacey horses be more surefooted, coordinated, increase its proprioception, and build a better topline. 

By Gaye DeRusso
 
Many horses become barn sour. Even a horse that has never been barn sour in its life, in the right situation can become barn sour. So, what makes a horse barn sour? Horses like to be lazy; they like to eat, and they like to be in a herd where they feel safe. If they have all those things at the barn, then why would they ever want to leave?
 
We don't mean to make them barn sour, but so many of us do. We take them out for rides and make them work for hours, then when we get back to the barn, we take off their tack, let them roll, feed them, and let them hang out with their friends, so of course the barn becomes the better place to be. 
 
It’s just like us going to work, we have to do it to pay our bills, but if we got paid anyway if we stayed home, I could tell you most people would not go to work. Well, that is exactly what happens when your horse decides not to leave the barn. He or she throws a fit, scares you, so you take them back to the barn, take off their tack and put them away where they have friends and food. They just scored the ultimate reward, no work. 
 
The best thing to do is to never let your horse get barn sour. When that new horse arrives, you need to show them their new job and let them know you are serious about it. Ride them out with energy, so they get tired and that way they will usually come back home slow. When out of on the trail, stop at times and get off to give them breaks and or graze. Let them visit with their friends, even give them some special treats. 
 
When they get home, don't get off, either go ride in the arena or around the barn for 10 minutes or so. Don't just walk, ride them, and make them work, gait, practice your canter, do some side passing and turn on the forehand, lots of backing up. Things your horse does not think are fun. Then get off and don't loosen your girth, just tie them up away from their friends and let them stand for an hour if you can or as long as you have time for.  Go clean their stall or do something with that extra time, then come back, take off their tack and put them away. If possible don't have food in their stall, wait an hour or so before you feed them. Also, no grazing or cookies or grain when you bring them back or at least not for an hour or more. 
 
In time they will understand this is just their job and when they come home, the job is not over yet. Therefore, home will not be the best place to be, so no reason to rush home for more work. 
 
Now if you horse came barn sour or you made it barn sour, well then you may have to go through some temper tantrums before it is fixed. Some get barn sour just because you are not working them enough, so they think they don't have to work anymore. Such as you were very busy at work and with family, so you had no time to ride or work with your horse for a month. So, they got one month of no work and all fun. They might not want to go back to work so easily, since they had the easy life of doing nothing all day. 
 
As you start to take them out, even if you ride out with energy they may slam on the breaks and not go. You spin them and get after them, and they proceed to buck or rear to say no. You cannot let them scare you, this is the temper tantrum, and you have to work them through it. You don't have to be on their back, but you do need a good plan. If you can't get them to go out, try backing them up. Not just a couple feet, back them all the way to the barn where they want to go. When you get there, keep the saddle on and tighten the girth even more. Then take them to the round pen or lunge them, changing directions every 1-2 circles, so it is very tiring for them. Do this for at least 10-20 minutes and no walking, make them move the whole time. Then get back on and try to ride out again. If they go, just ride out a little, then get off and rest them, graze them and or give them grain or treats, you could even bring a small bag of grain and dump it out there and let them eat it. Then get back on ride back to the barn and ride them around the barn or arena. Work them for 30 minutes, if possible, then tie them up with tack on, away from their friends and let them stand for an hour or so. Then you can put them away but try not to give food right away. 
 
Each time ride out further, but they might have temper tantrums each time until they are sure they cannot get away with it and then it will finally stop. But you must be consistent, and you must put the time in, or it won't go away, and they will always rush home. 
 
You can do lots of things, if you can't get them away from the barn at all.  I just ride around the barn and if they pull me toward their stall, I let them go in and I ride them around their stall or if I can't I just do the sending exercise in there, I back them around their stall, I disengage their hindquarters, I might side pass in their stall, anything I think would make them not want to be in their stall. If they are afraid of something, put it in their stall, they won't want to go in there anymore. Once you can ride around the barn without them darting toward their stall, you should be able to start getting them on the trail. You may have to just hand walk them in the beginning. But every time you come back to the barn, no rewards, just work and standing by themselves. 
 
If done right it should improve in a couple weeks, if you’re not doing it right or you’re not doing it enough it can take months to years. 
 
Just keep thinking what my horse does not like to do, and then do it at the barn or where they keep dragging you. But if you just try to hold them back from running toward home and then they get rewarded when they get there, they will always be barn sour. 
 
We don't mean to make them barn sour, but we do, we ride out slow, they drag us home fast. We are tired so we untack and feed them and then complain to our friends or trainer about how bad they are, but we don't do anything to fix it. I fix barn sour horses all the time, that is how common it is. But once they realize being at the barn is worse than being on the trail, it starts getting better. 
 
Make the time to fix it, ride for less time on the trail so you have the time when you get back to the barn to correct the behavior. It’s up to you, you either make the time to fix it or just stop complaining. 
 
Horses don't get barn sour in the wild, they have to move and search for food. They are with the herd the whole time. No horse runs anywhere unless playing or being chased. You need to become your horse's leader, become your horse's herd, that way they will feel safe when they are with you. Make being on the trail enjoyable, not just work. We create barn sour horses, now it’s time we fix them. 

By Gaye DeRusso
 
Many horses do not do well in large groups. Some don't even do well in groups larger then 2. Horses do well at things they do often, so if you ride with just one person all the time but then go on a ride with more than one person your horse may have a meltdown. Why?
 
Horses get use to routines. They know what to expect. But when you all of a sudden increase the group size they don't know where they are socially. Are they the lead horse, the follower, or the back and so they act up trying to find where they are supposed to be in this new herd. And sometimes they don't want to share their friend with the new horse. 
 
They may rear up because they want to go in front, or they may balk because they don’t want to be in front. They are trying to figure out their new placement because now there are more horses to deal with. They may kick to defend their position in the group or to tell the new horse stay away from my friend. If the new horse is antsy or misbehaving your horse may feed off of this bad energy, because it is already upset having an extra horse to deal with. 
 
When riding in groups it is best to slowly introduce new horses, one a time, if possible, to start. That means you go from riding with one person to riding with 2 persons, not riding with one, to riding with 10 or 20. You want to slowly build up your horse’s confidence and let him know, no matter  how many horses there are you are the leader, so he will listen to you. 
 
But what usually happens is you ride with one horse and a group is going out, so you join in with 5 or more  horses and the chaos begins. Your horse starts acting up, by rearing, bucking, kicking, prancing around, because it is uncomfortable with the situation because it was too many too soon and he got overwhelmed.
 
If your horse is used to riding with lots of horses in an arena, like a show horse, then it maybe use to horses passing it and use to being in groups. But if you have your  horse at home and ride alone in the arena and don't expose it to large groups and this is the first-time riding in a large group, you are most likely not going to have a good ride.
 
Some horses have been ridden in large groups before you bought them, and some are so layed back they just don't care who shows up. But others, just one more horse can blow their mind. So how do you fix it.
 
First prepare your horse longer when you know more people will be riding with you. Say you lunge your horse usually 10 minutes or maybe not at all when you ride with your one friend. But now you’re going out with more people, so to help your horse listen and stay focused, you need to lunge longer. So, if it was 10 minutes for one person now do it for 20 minutes. If you’re going with a large group like 5 or more, you may need to lunge your horse half an hour or more. But remember tired is better, they are less likely to act up. So, wear that extra energy off. I would lunge before you meet them and if while everyone is getting ready your horse is acting up, well then lunge it some more in the parking lot, do the sending exercise and really move its feet, so you can get its mind back.
 
Also, a great idea that most people do not want to do, is to trailer to group events but then do not go on the trail ride. Just tie your horse to the trailer and let it get exposed to all the chaos without you on it. Once it can do that comfortably, which may take 3-10 times of just trailering to group events, then start riding it around in the parking area by all the other horses and once it can do that calmly, then start going on the trail with the groups. 
 
Once you go on the ride if a horse is acting up, try and get away from that horse and also give your horse jobs to do to keep its mind focused on you. If you do not have those options then try and move out, go forward, and work that energy off. If you just walk and there is chaos going on, the horse is just going to get worse, but if you move out and gait or canter for a while, your horse will feel calmer because it can move its feet and better able to handle the group.
 
What some do not realize is that when you add more horses you are creating a herd. In the herd each horse has its natural position, but they work that out, by moving other horses, biting, and kicking and fighting. Of course, you don’t want your horse to do that with you on their back. So, you have to put them in a position and get them to accept it. If everyone is calm and stays in position you might be ok even if your horse is antsy, but if people are passing each other and some are slow, and others take off running your horse may lose its mind. It has not been exposed to this before and it doesn't know what to do. It will think it should run if others take off because who wants to stay and get eaten. It will think the other horses passing are taking its position and it may fight for it. 
 
So, prepare as best as you can. You want to have your horse as well trained as you can, so when you go on these events you can control it. And you may have to have some not so fun rides before it gets better. It is something that you will have to work on over and over until your horse gets use to it. If you are only doing this once a year,  and your horse is not good at it, I would recommend not going, it’s safer. You cannot expect your horse to do well if it’s not prepared for the task at hand. 
 
When I use to show in Hunter/Jumper Events, we use to get up at 5 am, lunge our horses, then trailer to the event, then lunge again and then ride the  horses around, then tie them to the trailer, then if acting up, ride or lunge them some more. Before the class, I would get  on and ride some  more, so by the time our classes came up they were well  behaved. We rode thoroughbreds, so they were not very calm horses. Over years of doing this, we would have to do less with those same  horses as they got use to going to the shows and what to expect. 
 
The only way to get  your horse better, is to expose it to these situations, but try to make it easier for your horse, not harder, by preparing better and exposing it slowly over time. 

​Turn on the Forehand, Turn on the Haunches and Side Pass
By Gaye DeRusso
 
Turn On The Forehand (Front Legs) Also Called Disengaging Hindquarters
 
Stand parallel with the fence. You are going to use the fence to block the horse’s forehand (front legs). Use your outside rein (one next to the fence), turn the horses head enough that you see their eye but not their whole head. The rein just guides the horse in the direction you want to go. Look the direction you want to go, do not look at the horse’s head. Then with your outside leg (one next to the fence) have it a couple of inches behind the girth, press into their side with your calf, if they don't respond use your heel. Press until they move their hindquarters (hind end) over. Keep pressing until your horse is facing the other direction (so you did a 180), and the horse is straight. Make sure to stand a couple minutes afterwards so the horse knows not to walk away after the turn. This turn is a pivot not a walking turn. So front end stays still, and hind end is walking around. 
 
Mistakes - The fence blocks the horses forehand but once you are turning past the fence you must hold contact, so the horse does not walk away. Hold and keep pushing with your leg, so the forehand stays still and the hindquarters keep turning till you are straight. 
 
If the horse will not move its hindquarters over, bump with your leg. If no response use a dressage whip and tap behind your leg until the horse responds. 
 
If your horse tends to wobble, they sometimes will overturn, so once they have turned, block them with your other rein and leg to stop the movement.
 
What's It Good For? 
 
Teaches you and the horse how to control its hindquarters. So, if they are trying to kick another horse, you can push their hindquarter away to protect the other horse. Also, if your horse is trying to take off, rear or buck, it takes the power away from their backend, so they cannot do these maneuvers and puts you back in control. 
 
Helpful to make a tight turn on a single-track trail. 
 
Turn on the Haunches (Back Legs)
 
Stand parallel to the fence. You are going to use the fence to block the horse’s haunches (back legs). You will open your inside rein (one toward center of arena) to lead the horse in the right direction, with your outside rein press it against the horse’s neck to help guide it over. Look toward the center of the arena. Use your outside leg (one next to the fence) by the girth or a little forward and press with your calf and then heel to push the horse's shoulders toward the inside of the arena. Once you are turned half way, stop so the horse does not walk away then continue your turn till you are facing the opposite way and have done a 180. 
 
Mistakes - Not holding enough contact as you guide the horse will allow it to walk away. Remember this is a pivot maneuver not a walking maneuver. If the horse will not move over, you may have to bump it with your leg or use on stick on the horse’s shoulder to get it to move its shoulders over. 
 
What's It Good For? 
 
Teaches you and the horse how to move the shoulders over. So, gives you more control. Very helpful for S turns on the trail and if your horse tends to spin, this can help block it. 
 
Helpful to make a tight turn on a single-track trail. 
 
Side Pass - Moving sideways. 
 
Make sure your horse can do the turns above first, then it will be able to figure out this maneuver with less confusion. Stand with the horse facing the fence. You are going to use the fence to block the horse from walking forward to make it easier for you. Let’s side pass to the right. So, open your right rein to lead the horse in the correct direction. Put your left rein against the horse’s neck to block it from going the wrong way. Take your right leg off of the horse so it opens the door for the correct direction. Then with your left leg bring it just slightly behind the girth and press with your leg till the horse moves sideways. Start with one step and rest and then repeat 3 more times. Over time you can increase to 3-5 steps in a row as the horse understands what to do. Rest then repeat in other direction. So, to side pass to the left, open your left rein, put your right rein against the horse's neck, take your left leg off to open the door and push with your right leg to move the horse over. 
 
Over time when you can do it well with the fence, then try it with just a pole in front of you and then with nothing in front of you. 
 
Mistakes- Not holding enough pressure once you try it away from the fence and horse walks forward. Holding too much pressure and horse goes backwards. Releasing the leg before the horse does the movement. If horse ignores your leg, bump with your heel and if no response tap with a dressage whip behind your leg. 
 
What's It Good For?
 
Gives you control of entire horse's body. Helpful to open gates and move sideways any time. You can block horse if it starts running sideways when spooking. 

By Gaye DeRusso
 
So many times, we blame the horse for things that happen, but was it really the horse or was it you. Did you fail to teach your horse the cues for things you want to communicate to them. How are they supposed to know what you want if there is no communication. You want to open a gate up, but no one taught your horse to move its shoulders or hindquarters, no one taught it to side pass. So, when you get to the gate and ask your horse to move over, guess what, he has no clue what you’re asking. When you reach down to grab the gate, he has no idea what you’re doing, but feels claustrophobic so he moves away from it. You push on his side to ask him to move over close to the gate, but to your horse that just means forward so that it what he does and then the drama begins and the name calling but it was not the horse, it was you.
 
It was your failure to teach the horse what he needed to know to open a gate and just expecting he could read your mind and would do it. But he has never opened a gate in his life, so how could he?
 
We expect that these gaited horses are trained, but most are not. They have just been saddled and ridden forward. So guess what, that is all they know. You get on and they are supposed to run as fast as they can till you get off and that’s just what many do. Why? Because that is what someone taught them, and no one taught them any different. You get on they run for a couple hours, you get off and they get fed. That’s pretty much their job description. 
 
But most these horses really have no training at all, they do not understand the bit, so they throw their head and fight it, because it is uncomfortable for them, you pull, and they pull because they do not understand what to do with that bit. You get a bigger bit, and they pull again and then no bit works for them. Why? Because they don't understand what the bit means or how to respond to it. They do not need a bigger bit, they need training. 
 
When I first got into gaited, I remember watching a show trainer. He rode each horse about 15 min. He went around the arena one way and gaited and went around the other way and gaited. All the horses had long feet, long toes, and heavy shoes. Then he would get off and go to the next horse. I was so use to hunter/jumper and dressage training, where we would lunge the horse and warm it up, then work at a walk and get it supple and do all sorts of lateral work, then work on the trot and speed control and transitions then at the canter, collecting and extending. We worked them at least 1-2 hours to get all this done. I was like what the hell can you get done in 15 min. Oh you can gait. Duh. 
 
Well, I rode some of his horses and guess what that’s all they knew, was to go around the whole arena and gait, not walk, not canter, not backup or bend or leg yield or side pass or move their shoulders and hindquarters. This was a great lesson; I learned the gaited horse knew nothing but to gait once you got on. 
 
As the years past, I worked with so many gaited horses and the majority knew nothing. People wondered why they had no control or why the horse wouldn’t go over to the gate to open it, or when they asked it to move over the horse sped up. Or why the horse could not back up or walk or canter. I would tell them because you bought a horse that has no real basic training. So, your horse has no idea what you are asking. It’s not his fault, he did not sign up for this job. It’s our fault. So, I would take all these horses and put basic training on them, so they understood cues we gave them, they understood the bit and understood to move forward when we asked, but also to move sideways if we gave the cues. The horses became calmer and more relaxed because they understood and no longer was anyone kicking them or yelling at them for doing it wrong, because now they understood what to do. 
 
So, if you are having lots of issues with your gaited horse, it yanks on the bit, throws its head, runs away with you, its bucking, rearing, runs through gates, won’t stand still to get on, won’t stand by the mounting block, won't gait well. Just remember it’s not them, they did not ask for this job, it’s you. It’s you not recognizing you bought an untrained horse. And although you saw video of it going down the trail gaiting, they didn't show anything else substantial because it doesn't know anything. I could care less about flapping a tarp over a horse’s head, having the horse carry 2 people or someone stand on its back. I could care less about it going down the road gaiting. Sure, those things may show you the horse can gait and its calm, but it doesn’t show you how well it is trained, because a trained horse understands cues. A trained horse knows to go forward when asked, to slow down when asked and to go sideways or backwards when asked. If you don't have a horse that understands those cues, at some point you may have a wreck and it won't be the horse’s fault, how could it, it doesn’t understand. 
 
So next time you’re having some issues, I want you to think is it really the horse or is it you? Do you think he understands what you’re asking? In reality, there’s a high likely hood your horse doesn't understand at all, its just guessing what you want and sometimes its right and sometimes its wrong. If you want them to give you the right answer all the time, then you must train it, so it understands what you want. So, remember, it’s not the horse, it’s you.

By Gaye DeRusso
 
So, you’re looking for a new gaited horse and you found a great one, but he has some crooked legs. Many gaited horses seem to have front legs that toe out, occasionally some with toe in. I have one that even has one foot that toes out and the other front foot that toes in. When they are standing still, some just stand crooked although their legs are straight, so you really have to have them standing well to check if they are straight or not. 
 
If you look down at their pasterns, some will come straight down with nice conformation and others will come down more toward the side of their foot. Then you get to the back legs, and you see sickle hocks or cow hocks, camped in, and camped out. What does all this mean?
 
Well of course everyone wants a horse with straight legs, because we were told over the years, this is the best for the horse's soundness in the long run. Let me tell you what I have seen with gaited horses over the years. Many do not have straight legs. They were bred for gait or color, but I do not see many bred well for conformation. I have seen horses with the wonkiest legs over the years. 
 
I have seen crooked leg horses that the vets said would have issues as they got older, never have an issue. I have seen horses with perfect conformation go lame. Some of it is just luck as they get older and how tough the horse is. Injuries can happen to any horse. They get caught in a fence or step in a hole or gets kicked by another horse and the perfect legged horse now has an injury that it does not fully recover from. Others horses, it is how much wear and tear they have had over the years and the terrain they were ridden on.
 
One of the horses we have had, toed out, interfered and was base narrow, another that could tight rope walk all day long with long pasterns. Both of these horses are in their late 20's now. And guess what, never took a lame step. It’s not always about the horse’s conformation that will make it stay sound. It’s about how tough it is and how you take care of it and that horse's pain threshold. Just like people some are sensitive and feel a lot of pain and some feel very little with the same issues. 
 
It’s also about heart. If you have a horse with a big heart, it will more than likely compensate for its poor conformation and out do the straight legged horse. 
 
I have even seen straight leg horses  trip where a crooked leg horse does not trip. Because one might have better proprioception and athletic ability or maybe it just pays more attention to where it is putting its feet. 
 
Just remember most of us do not have perfect confirmation, but we make it through the world just fine. Pick a horse for its ability, talent, and heart not from looking at all its joints and how crooked they are. I would take a crooked leg horse with a big heart any day. Oh, let me say that again, I did. Tilley my Tennessee Walking Horse has many of the things I listed above but she is athletic and has a big heart. She is amazing on the trails and hardly ever trips. But when I vet checked her, the vet kept telling me what was wrong and I just said ok great, thanks! Cause I knew she was a great horse. Crooked legs and all. 

​
By Gaye DeRusso
 
So, you want a certain sized horse because your short or your tall. As your looking you decide you want 14.2 hands or maybe you want 16 hands. How do you find one that is the correct size for you?
 
Well, you buy one that size. But it's not that simple is it. Gaited horses grow a long time and if you first told me that when I started with gaited horses, I would not believe it myself. But now I have been doing this over 20 years and I have watched many young horses I sold, grow into adults.
 
I was use to thoroughbreds, warmbloods and quarter horses and they seem to be fully grown at around 6 years old. But with gaited horses, I have seen them grow a long time, up to about 9-10 years old. They slowly go up in height and then fill out, especially the TWH, some of them tend to look lanky and funny while growing and disproportioned and then they finally fill in. 
 
I visited one of these TWH recently. He was 6 years old when the client got him and he was about 15/15.1 hands, he is now at least 16 hands and 12 years old.
 
So, if you are looking at young horses, you must keep this in mind, because even when I explain this to people looking, they won't listen. They want a 14.2 hand horse and I explain then if its young you must get one that is 13 hands or 14 hands, but if you get one at age 4 that is 14.2 hands the perfect size you want, well he is not going to be that size at 10 years old. They usually do not listen and buy the size they want and when that horse grows, they decide it is now too big and sell him. Which is always very sad to me. 
 
Also, just because the parents are on the smaller or larger size does not guarantee their foal will be that size because sometimes, they get genes from the grandparents that were shorter or taller, so you don't always know what you’re going to get.
 
If you need a horse to be a certain size or a certain width because you are tall or short or have bad hips etc., then it is best to buy one that is fully grown and not a young horse that may grow past what you want. 
 
You may not believe this either, but I have seen it over and over again. Even the Rocky Mountain Horse I was selling, everyone thought he was too small, but he is slowly filling out and going slightly up, he is only 6 years old, so I know he still may get bigger. He is the one on the left in the picture and use to be much smaller than the 15-year-old black horse on the right. Now they are about the same size. 
 
So just know if you are looking at horses under age 10, there is a high possibility it is still going to grow and if you’re not willing to accept what size or width that horse will grow into, please buy a horse age 10 or older, as then you are guaranteed to have the size you want.

By Gaye DeRusso
 
Many people get a gaited horse because they want a smooth horse, but many of those people only want to walk on trail and rarely gait. But they want the option of having a smooth horse when they do gait. This sounds like a great idea, doesn't it? But it’s not always what’s best for you or the horse.
 
Gaited horses are popular because they can be calmer than some other breeds, more willing. They are bred to cover ground and move out. Remember these horses were for transportation to get from one place to another smoothly but also quickly. That’s why before cars many doctors owned a gaited horse so they could get to their patients faster but comfortably.
 
But if you walk slow all the time, some of them just tend to start falling asleep from boredom. They stop paying attention, they drag their feet and just slowly wander down the trail. They are not focused on a job and their minds start to wander. 
 
They think about grass and hay and rolling in the dirt and before you know it, they trip, fall down and now you are both rolling in the dirt. What happen? Well, he got so bored he kind of fell asleep on his feet. He wasn't paying attention, and neither were you and now your both laying in the dirt. 
 
Not a fun trail ride, not indeed. It happens more when you’re in a slow group and you’re in the middle. They just focus on the horse’s tail in front of them and don't pay much attention to the footing at all. Sometimes you’re so close to the horse in front of you, they can't see the footing anyhow. So, they drag a toe and catch a tree root or trip on a rock they didn't see and down you go. 
 
Your friends on quarter horses, say that’s why we don't like gaited horses, they are so trippy. But your horse is only tripping because it is bored. You walk slow because your riding with horses with shorter strides that don't cover as much ground. 
 
So, what do you do? Well, how about instead of going so slow the whole time you ask your friends if they will jog their horses or do a slow trot so you can gait some. You don't have to do it long just enough to wake your horse back up. A couple minutes here and there throughout the ride can make a big difference. Or try riding in the back, that way you can stop, fall behind and then gait to catch up.
 
Or give your horse some jobs to do. Serpentine, leg yield, circle around a tree, stop and backup, do a roll back, there are so many things you can do, but do something don't just sit there yacking the whole time and letting your horse go out to lunch. Keep him awake with energy or jobs. Also try going in front, they trip less up front because now they have a real job, to look for danger. 
 
How often should you do it? Every 10-15 minutes, more if you got a real sleeper on your hands, less if your horse tends to stay more awake. 
 
You may wonder why do I have to do this? Well because you bought a gaited horse and you never let him gait, you never bring his energy up and now he is bringing his energy way down, so far down it is becoming dangerous to be on him. 
 
So, wake him up, and wake your friends up. Do some walking then some gaiting then some walking then some gaiting. How about a couple canter steps here and there, how about switching up positions. So many things you can do, but you must remind yourself to actually start doing them. 
 
Most gaited horses never trip when they are gaiting or excited or going down difficult terrain. They trip more on the flat when they are slow and or tired. 
 
So, keep that in mind and start riding more. It's not so much about speed as it is about giving them something to do to keep them focused.
 
Remember being in school or at a conference for work, you are just sitting there watching someone talk. The boring talkers put everyone to sleep, just look around, you will see your colleagues drifting off. But put an exciting speaker up there who slams a book on the table, who tells jokes, has active body language, and has inflection in their voice, and everyone wakes up and pays attention. It’s amazing to watch the difference in the audience. Just from having a better speaker up there. 
 
Well, it’s just like that, you need to be a better rider, so stop being so boring. Be exciting to your horse. You may just find out that your gaited tripper no longer trips much at all. 

By Gaye DeRusso
 
So many horses can trip but the gaited horses tend to trip more. Sometimes it appears they trip on air. Why? Because many are bred to keep their feet closer to the ground for endurance, less lift, less fatigue. Also, the ones on the pacey side and the lazy ones will drag their feet more. It’s just the way they are. 
 
The pacey ones are wired differently than the trotty ones and when they do trip, it is harder for them to catch themselves. When you think they tripped on nothing, what your missing is a change in the elevation in the footing, it can be so minor you do not see it, but your horse drags its toe, and catches his toe on it and trips. 
 
I always say a lazy, pacey Tennessee Walking Horse would be the best arena tester. Because they will find every uneven part in your arena and trip on it. Now don't get me wrong, I love these horses, but if you do not ride them right and you do not ride them with some energy, they can catch their toes. 
 
The slower you go and the lazier your horse is or if it is pacey, it will tend to drag those toes. 
 
Many people think the toes need to be long to gait, but they don't and having a long toe on the trail can lead to disaster in many gaited horses. They catch their toes on tree roots and rocks, and many do not lift them high enough to get their toes out of the way. 
 
So, what do you do?  Talk with your shoer but remember your shoer doesn't ride your horse. So even though he or she is trying to do the best job, you need to communicate clearly with them about what is happening. Your horse never tripped when you first got it, so is it your riding or is it the shoeing. Its best to measure their angles when you do get them so if issues come up later, you can compare if they now have different angles. 
 
With ones that really drag their feet, even one centimeter too long can make them catch their foot. So, you need to ask your shoer to make their toe as short as they can. If your horse is better but then in 3-4 weeks it starts tripping again, you know it’s the toe because the toe is growing back. So, you need to keep the toes short, and you might have to keep them trimmed or shod more often than usual to keep you safe. If they are barefoot, still get that toe back and have them put a mustang roll on it. 
 
If your shoer says no, it won't help then get another shoer. Try one that will work with you so you can actually see if it helps. Some shoers don't understand how much your horse is tripping and how dangerous it is, because if they did, they would work with you to help you. Changing the shoe can also help, roll the toe or rocker the shoe or even use a square shoe. All these things help with the breakover and to get the toes out of the way. And the only way to know if it will help, is to try it. You have nothing to lose but everything to gain.
 
I have had to talk many shoers into putting a square shoe on the front of a major tripper. They say, that’s a shoe for the hindfeet and I said well in a gaited tripper that’s a shoe for the front feet. I tried the roll of the shoe and the rocker, but if no difference, that square shoe can be a miracle. Don't get me wrong you still have to ride the horse correctly, but it helps a lot. 
 
They didn't believe me, so I explained the best I could about these horses and why I needed it. Once they did it, I made them watch the horse move again. And told them just that little more in clearance turned a tripper into a safe horse. I then went on the trail and what do you know, no more tripping or a lot less tripping. I come back and thank them immensely and tell them they saved another gaited horse. 
 
I do like to get x-rays of the front feet because then you can make sure they don't have something like navicular that is causing the tripping, and you can see exactly how much toe and sole they have in their foot and if their angles are helping them or hurting them. It’s worth it in the end to pay for x-rays then fall and pay for a hospital bill. 
 
Now the toes are not the only reason gaited horses can trip, but it is a big cause. And it is something simple to try without a big expense as you are shoeing or trimming them anyhow, and the shoe will not cost more. I will cover the workup of tripping horses in another article, but if you haven't tried this, it’s a good place to start and sometimes solves all the issues. 
 
So, remember if they are tripping, get some x-rays, get those toes back and get a shoer that listens to you and tries to help. Start with rolling the shoe, if that fails, rocker the shoe, this does take some sole off so if your horse has thin soles, or this fails to help, then put a square shoe on those front feet. And remember ride better, be balanced, wake your horse up and don't be a passenger. 
 
You may see a huge change in your horse with just these things, and what everyone was telling you was neurological, was just a gaited thing. 

​Gaited Horses with Stifle Issues 
By Gaye DeRusso
Let’s Talk About Stifles
When a horse sleeps on its feet it will lock its joints in order to stay upright. That way, it can take a nap but not fall down. But in the stifle, if a ligament gets hooked over the bone, the horse will have more difficulty unlocking it. 
The stifle which is in the horse's groin area is a hinge joint and it is very similar to the human’s knee. The stifle can lock up which means get stuck, but it can also sublux which means move out of place. This can also happen with the human’s knee cap and other animals such as your dog, and they call it upward fixation of the patella in horses and dogs. 
 How do you tell if it is locking or subluxing?
If it locks up the horse's back leg appears to be stuck in extension and they drag their leg. They will drag it until it unlocks. 
They will also have difficulty backing up because the leg gets stuck. They may drag their leg and then snap it up when it releases. Sometimes when you’re trying to back them out of the trailer and they won't, it’s not because they don’t want to, it’s because their stifle is locked. Also, when you go to pick their hind feet, the horse may not pick it up because the stifle is stuck. If you pull the horse forward or ask them to back up or do both over and over this sometimes will unlock the joint. 
If the stifle subluxes, the back leg will give out and it feels like the horse is sitting down. Sometime it is just one side but sometimes it is on both sides when it happens. The stifle is going out of place and then goes back into place, this is usually do to looseness in the ligaments or poor muscle strength. 
If the stifle is subluxing the horse may have difficulty engaging their backend and they usually have more issues in soft footing like sand vs hard footing on the trail. So, some horses will have the stifles slip multiple times in the arena but hardly at all on the trail. 
What Causes Stifle Issues?
1. It is more common in young horses having growth spurts as the bones grow faster than the muscles develop. Starting a horse too young or pushing a young horse too fast before it has been conditioned well can also cause stifle issues. 
2. Weak horses such as horses who have not been worked and just stand in a stall or pasture with no hills. Or horses that have not been conditioned well and then riding too hard or too fast. 
3. It is in breeding lines especially the Tennessee Walking Horse. The looseness allows them to reach way under themselves for that overstride but it also causes the stifle to give out. 
4. The angle of the joint can cause stifle issues. Just like people who are knock kneed have more issues with their knee caps, if the horse’s hind leg is rotated outward such as cow hocked horses, they can have more issues. When a horse is cow hocked its back feet toe out and the hocks are closer together. Many gaited horses are cow hocked, the reason for this, is it allows the horse to reach further under itself without stepping on its front feet. As a horse moves with cow hocks, it will reach its hind leg inward then outward making an arc. This will cause the horse to land with its hind foot outside the track of the front foot, so it does not step on its front foot, but this in turn puts more stress on the horse’s stifle. 
5. Horses that have conformation in the hind end that is very straight in the stifle and hock area are also at more risk. 
6. If your gaited horse has long toes and not much heel, this can also cause more stress on the stifle joint. 
7. Being an unbalanced rider can also add to the issue or being too heavy for your horse to carry. The horse can comfortable carry 20% of its weight this includes your saddle.
8. Not warming your horse up well before you start gaiting can cause issues. You have to give the muscles time to be ready to gait. 
9. Lastly pacing which many gaited horses do, can cause stifle issues. Since the horse is swinging the leg instead of using its muscles, the muscles around the stifle are weak and do not help the stifle to stay in place. 
Symptoms of Stifle Issues in Horses 
A horse with a stifle issue may drag its toes, it may develop a slight lameness in the hindquarters which, when mild, can be easily overlooked. It may feel like your horse’s back legs are tripping, giving out or like the horse is about to sit down. The horse can appear to knuckle over in the backend, so the owner thinks it’s the horse’s fetlock area that is the issue. 
It can happen more on descending slopes going down the trail. Your horse may even refuse to go downhill, to backup, to pick up its hind foot or get out of the trailer.
The horse may take a shorter step on the side that has the issue, which is usually seen when they gait but not when they trot. They can also have issues holding their back lead at the canter and will cross canter. If the horse loses balance at the canter, it can also bunny hop at the canter and will switch to the wrong lead or back to the right lead. Some horses will also fling their legs out.  Many owners think the horse is bucking or kicking out and will punish the horse, but it is not the horse’s fault that its stifle gave out or locked up. 
Your horse may not be able to make a sharp turn without losing its backend. 
So, if you notice any of these issues, don't write it off as your horse being bad, it could be its stifles and it is best to start treatment to help the horse. Have your vet check the horse and start a rehab program.
In severe cases, a horse may stretch its hind leg out behind it when walking, or kick backward or step in an odd way to get the stifle joint to release. Some horses cannot unlock the stifle and will just drag the leg. 
Treatment 
1. Most the time stifle issues will improve with rehab. This means conditioning your horse, working it over poles and raised poles, working it on hills and teaching it to engage its backend. Don't make sharp turns or work it in a tiny circle. Check with your vet or a rehabilitation facility to see what they recommend. 
2. Make sure the horse does not have long toes and low heels. Speak with your farrier about the stifle issues, as a horse that has an unbalanced foot, can have more issues. If the horse is balanced but still having issues the farrier can encourage hoof rotating by trimming the inside wall and applying a lateral wedge. Also, the farrier can give the horse better medial breakover by rounding the medial aspect of the toe of the hoof or the shoe. If severe locking, then rockering or rolling the toe can also help.
3. Weight gain in younger horses has seem to help, some believe this is due to the enlargement of the fat pad that is behind the stifle.  Also make sure to give them time to grow and recover from work outs
4. Supplements such as Glucosamine Chondroitin, MSM, Hyaluronic acid, Vitamin E, and Omega -3 can help. Injections such as Adequan have helped.  Also making sure your horse has enough essential amino acids to build muscle.     
5. Have your chiropractor or body worker evaluate your horse, as stretching and strengthening certain areas can be helpful. 
6. Teach your horse to gait well without special angles of its feet or heavy shoes, try not to let them pace and learn how to be a better-balanced rider. If you are heavy, try and lose weight and use a lighter saddle to help your horse. 
7. If your horse does not improve then speak to your vet about possible surgery options.
Many horses have stifle issues. The best thing to do, is to educate yourself so you understand what is happening and then come up with a plan to help your horse get better.