By Gaye DeRusso
 
Tennessee Walkers are fun horses to ride. They are smooth with lots of personality. Compared to gaited horses that pick up their feet higher and do not slide their feet as much and do not have such a large overstride, I have found the Tennessee Walking Horse can tend to slide on certain terrain on the trail. Don't get me wrong, they are my favorite breed, but it is something you should be aware of. 
 
I ride lots of different breeds of gaited horses and I ride them on the same trails, so I can really compare how each breed and conformation of the horse handles the terrain. I have found that with the TWH that gaits well or is on the pacey side, they can slide more, when going down a decline with grass, mud, or smooth large flat rocks.  
 
They tend to slide more with their back feet. I have seen this both with ones with shoes and barefoot. I do not see it as much in the shorter strided TWH or the ones on the trotty side.  Compared to the other gaited breeds with shorter strides that lift their legs higher instead of sliding them forward, these other breeds do not tend to slide as much, although all horses can slide when footing is bad. 
 
Due to this if you have one of these horses you may feel at times, unstable.  The horse can do nothing about it, it's just how they move.  When riding it can feel like you're losing their backend, like when you drive a trailer and its starts to fish tail or when your car hydroplanes in the rain. There's just not much to do when it happens, except try not to make it harder for the horse to catch its balance and stay very still.  
 
But you can do a couple things before to help. When I have had horses like this and they tended to slide often, I would put shoes on the back with traction, either a rim shoe that would grab the ground more or add some studs to the shoe or borium. It made a huge difference. 
 
Also, if I knew they were sliding in a certain area, like a specific area of grass, down a hill, then I would try to get off that grass if possible and go down an area that was not slick. I would look for dirt, rocks, or just deeper footing. 
 
As I got to these areas, that I knew they were sliding on, before going down the decline, I would half halt and try to shorten the horse's stride to help him slide less and I would keep him taking smaller steps by half halting each step, until we got by the area. 
 
I always feel bad for the horse, as they are trying to save themselves and you, which is not easy, and they do the best they can.   These horses can still go down difficult terrain; it just seems to be slick rocks like granite, slick mud on a decline and certain times of the year with the grass. 
 
Remember if you do start sliding never turn the horse, like a one rein stop or a sharp turn.   It will not stop the horse as he cannot stop sliding. It will only make the situation worse and can cause your horse to fall over on its side. Just try to stay still and guide him with light contact so he can still use his head and neck to help regain his balance. 
 
If you have noticed this with your horses and have done something different that helped.  Please share below.  

By Gaye DeRusso
 
First off what is meant by frame when talking about horses? It is the outline of the entire horse, including his head, neck, spine, and hindquarters. It is a position we put the horse in when riding it.  You can have a high frame and you can have a low frame, or you can have no frame at all, like when the horse is walking on a loose rein. 
 
Why is it important with gaited horses? Because if you want a certain gait, you usually have to put the horse in the correct frame to get that gait. 
 
Confused? Of course, you are. Many are until they understand why. Most of us were taught to ride a horse in a round frame with engagement, so the horse can carry us well and protect its back. But with gaited horses, rounding some of them up, will get you a different gait then you might want. That's why you see some gaited horses pacing in a round frame. It's pretty but not a gait I want. 
 
With the flat walk, the frame of the horse is usually with the horse's head level with the horn of the saddle or a  bit higher like the rider's chest level, there is relaxation in the neck and back and engagement of the hindquarters.  Of course, if the horses neck come out of its back higher, like many walking horses and saddlebreds, it will have a higher head carriage, vs one that has a neck that comes out of the back lower. 
 
The horse can work in this frame to carry us for long periods of time comfortably. If the horse is on the trotty side, you may have to frame up the horse with a higher head set and invert its back some to hold the gait. With the pacey horse you may have to frame down and lower the horses head and get more relaxation out of its back to hold the gait but not over collect it. 
 
For the running walk, the frame is similar, neck and back relaxed, with head level with your horn or above it, like chest level.  If the horse gets its head too high, the frame will change, and the horse will get tension in its neck and back. It will then start to go toward a racking gait or a pace and not a running walk. 
 
If it gets its head too low, it may go toward a fox trot. If the horse is on the trotty side, you may have to frame up the horse with a higher head set and invert its back some to hold the gait. With the pacey horse you may have to frame down and lower the horses head and get more relaxation out of its back to hold the gait. 
 
 
For a saddle gait, slow rack or rack, the horse needs some tension in its back and neck. Some will do this naturally with not much frame at all, but many will need to get the frame to get the gait especially for a true fast rack.
 
For the racking gaits, the horse is ridden with a higher head set and an inverted back. As the horse gets conditioned in the gait, it can do the racking gait with a little bit lower head set and its head on the vertical.  But if you are trying to get a racking gait and your horse carries its head low and rounds its back, you will most likely get a fox trot or trot instead. 
 
For a fox trot the horse needs to have a relaxed neck and back and usually be in a rounder frame. But remember if it is too trotty, ride it in a higher frame and if it is pacey ride, it in a lower rounder frame. 
 
Now it also depends on if your horse is trotty or pacey or just perfectly gaited. If perfectly gaited, you may not have to frame your horse up or down to get the gait. You just go the correct speed. 
 
But if your horse is trotty you must frame it up with a higher head set to get the lateral gaits, and if your horse is pacey, you must frame the horse down, with a lower head set and rounder back to square up the gait. 
 
So, if your horse keeps pacing or racking and you want a running walk or fox trot, you might need to change your horses frame and ride it with a lower rounder frame. If your horse keeps fox trotting or trotting and you are trying to rack or get a running walk or fox trot, you may have to ride it with a higher frame, with a higher head set and an inverted back. Otherwise, you may never get the gait you want. 
 
If you ride the horse all strung out on a loose rein and the horse is not naturally gifted with the ability to just gait, and not trot or pace, just know the horse will always pace or trot and not stay in a consistent gait until you ride it in a consistent frame and the one needed for the gait you're trying to get. 
 
This is one of the hardest concepts for people to understand, and when I help them to get a rack, they are very happy they got their horse to do it but then immediately ask me when he can do it in a round frame, with head low and back relaxed. 
 
The simple answer is never. Because that is not the frame, he needs to do the gait. In time, sure the head can be lower and more on the vertical, but he needs the tension in his neck and back to do the gait. So, he will never be truly round and doing that gait well unless the horse can naturally do it without help. 
 
One of the most helpful things to do, is to watch your horse gait in a pasture or arena loose. Watch how he changes his body and does the different gaits. And he will show you the frame he needs to do it loose, which will help you understand what frame you need to put him in to get the gait under saddle. 
 
The horse in the picture is on the trotty side. The pictures are of his running walk and of his rack. You will see his head is high in both pictures but in one picture his neck and back are more relaxed. That is his running walk. 

By Gaye DeRusso
 
Tennessee Walking Horses are great horses but some of them are too calm. Yes, I said it too calm. If you are not entertaining them with something to do, or gaiting, they seem to just fall asleep on their feet.  I am not talking about stopping and falling asleep. I am talking about walking and falling asleep. You might be thinking, what?
 
Exactly, but I have trained so many over the years, show horses and trail horses and some due to their breeding, are just too calm. With these horses you have to constantly give them jobs and help them stay awake, because a horse that is bred to slide its feet forward and then also does not pay attention, can be a tripping disaster. 
 
These horses when riding on trail, you need to keep the rein short enough that you can keep their heads up, do not let them put their heads lower than their chest.  If you let them put their head down to their knees, you're setting yourself up to have them fall down if they trip, because all their weight is on their front end. This does not mean you can't let them put their head down to look at something, you can, but then shorten back up. This means do not ride with long loose reins. 
 
Also, because they are so calm when they trip, they usually fall down on their knees, they don't jump up like regular horses. Some trip, fall down, lay there, and hang out, others start eating. Everyone thinks something is wrong with them because what horse would do this. Well, a Walking Horse will. Some don't even care if all the other horses leave, they will still just lay there. 
 
I still love all these horses; you just have to know how to deal with them and not fall asleep yourself. When on the trail every 5 minutes or so depending on the calmness of the horse, give him a job. Leg yield, serpentine, shoulder, or hindquarters in, stop and back up, make a circle, go over logs, go over rocks. Keep giving them things to do. Gait and make them do it with engagement and some energy, not a sloppy gait with all their weight on their front end.
 
When you see roots or rocks on the trail, make sure they are awake. Tap with your stick or hit them with your spurs, you may feel bad, but you will feel worse if they fall down.
 
If they do trip, you need to yank their head up and hold so they have something to push against.  Lean your weight back as far as you can, on their hindquarters would be great and spur or hit them with the stick to scare them some so they jump up. If you don't, they may fall down and then will just lay there smelling the daisies. 
 
If you're going to not pay attention, be a passenger and ride with long loose reins with the horse's head down by their knees, do not get one of these horses, they are not for you. They are great horses but need to be managed correctly to be good trail horses.  
 
I have seen these horses labeled as trippers and some put down. Sad, very sad as they are put down because they are too calm and guess what, we did that. We bred them too calm and now people are putting them down, because the owners and the vets working them up do not understand these horses.  
 
So, know if you have one of these horses, it probably does not have a neurologic problem or EPM, it has a rider problem and if you're not willing to ride it correctly, please do not put it down, just sell it to someone who understands the issue and is willing to be an active rider.  
 
Please share this article, everywhere you can, as it may save some horses. Any horse can be too calm, I even know of a fox trotter that was too calm and was put down. I would have stopped it but didn't find out until after it happen. But that is why I made all the neurologic videos on YouTube.  Some good came of it by saving other horses but at that horse's expense. He was one of the best horses I have ever trained, never spooked at a thing, who would have thought not spooking was a bad thing. Still makes me cry. 

​
By Gaye DeRusso
 
Yes.
 
 But each horse and each breed are different. I have found over the years that I have been training gaited horses, that the Tennessee Walking Horse (TWH) has the hardest time bucking.  But it depends on the TWH backend. Those that tend to overreach a fair amount and are shaped lankier and may have pointier hindquarters seem to not be able to buck as much or as hard as the more normal looking gaited horse. Also, the ones that are pacey seem to not buck as well as the ones on the trotty side. 
 
They still seem to be able to rear up just fine, but the bucking they seem more spastic at. They can still crow hop but it is usually not very high. 
 
I have found that the Rockies, Kentucky Mountain and Fox Trotters and Icelandic's which look more like a traditional trotty horse can buck higher and harder than the TWH. Why? Because they are built like regular horses, so it is easier for them to buck, and crow hop vs the TWH. 
 
When you are going to buy a horse, it is a good thing to watch them run loose, especially if you are older and you want to get a younger horse. Watch that horse run and see what it does. If it can leap and buck and gets way high up in the air, well that's what it can do with you on it. If it does not buck or when it does, it looks awkward and not much height, then when you ride it that is usually the worse, they can do. 
 
Same with rearing, if it rears up when loose like the lone ranger's horse, Hi Ho Silver, that's what it can do under saddle. But if the horse just runs around and doesn't buck or rear then usually it will not try to under saddle. 
 
Knowing what your horse can do when loose can help you prepare it for under saddle. Many calm gaited horses will come out of the pasture or stall and be very mellow or lazy, but if something sets them off, they can leap like there's no tomorrow and that's what you want to get rid of before you get on. 
 
Some horses, if you lunge them, they will not move, you have to be very aggressive and stern to get them going. If you can't make them move, on the lunge, then best to run them loose. If they won't run alone, put another horse in there to get them going and get the bucks out of them. Some won't move for the first couple minutes; these are the fakers which fool a lot of people but then they get going and they are explosive. That is what many people miss, they give up, so the horse never gets it out until something sets them off and then they go into a bucking fit. 
 
Young horses and more normal looking horses buck harder, higher, and faster than older horses or horses that look like they have a funny looking backend. So, if you have one, make sure to get it out before you get on. 
 
It is normal for horses to buck, they do it when they are excited, they do it to lighten their weight if they feel threaten from a predator or feel like they are being left by the herd of horses aka your trail riding partners. Running them around and making sure all the bucks are gone can help a lot if something sets your horse off. It still may buck but at least it may not buck as hard, or as high or as many bucks.  
 
So just know if you have a gaited horse, yes it can still buck and rear and you should know how to prevent it and what to do if you didn't get to prevent it. 
 
Always try to run it around or lunge before you ride to make sure they are not feeling spunky.
 
When riding, if your horse bucks, you need to lean back like you see the rodeo riders do. Lean your upper body back as far as you can, think of leaning back onto their hindquarters, then try to get the horses head up toward the sky. They cannot buck or crow hop usually with their head up. Once you get their head up you can disengage their hindquarters by turning their head toward your knee and using your leg to push their hindquarter around. That way they cannot get the power to usually buck again. Then you can decide to jump off, or face what they were bucking from. 
 
If the horse is trying to rear, disengage its hindquarters as above. It cannot rear if it cannot plant its feet in one spot and it cannot do that if you are spinning his hindquarters around. If you missed preventing it, then lean forward and grab mane high up the neck toward the ears or wrap your arms around its neck and keep all your weight as forward as you can, think of leaning on its neck, till it comes back down and then disengage its hindquarters to prevent it from going back up.
 
More people have flipped over horses by accident by throwing them off balance. When the horse rears they lose balance and pull on the rein which immediately makes the horse loose balance and flips over.  
 
So even if your horse has not reared or bucked, does not mean they never will.  The more prepared you are the safer you are. So, practice what to do and make sure you can disengage your horse's hindquarters very well, practice it daily so you and the horse both have it down. 
 
The more you know how to prevent rearing and bucking the better, but you still need to know the right thing to do if it happens. Never practicing what to do and not preparing your horse by letting him run ahead of your ride, only puts you more at risk of it happening. 

By Gaye DeRusso

First of all, why won’t some riders wear a helmet? 

Some people want to feel the wind in their hair, others say the helmet is too hot, or it will ruin my hairstyle. The helmet gives me a headache. Western riders do not need helmets. My horse is safe. The excuses run wild with what they come up with. I even know people who have had a head injury from riding and still do not wear a helmet. I just do not understand why they would take the chance. 

 Horseback riding is an extremely dangerous sport. No matter if you are a beginner or you’re an advanced rider or even an instructor. Riding is Dangerous. 

Why are horses dangerous? 

Horses can be spooky, unpredictable, they react to stimulus- pretty much anything that moves or makes a noise can scare your horse. No matter how good your horse is, someday someone may spook it, or it could trip or have a heart attack and fall over. 
A fall from a height is a much bigger trauma then falling off your bike, but most of us wear bike helmets now, because it only takes one fall to ruin your life and your family's life.  Yet many of you choose not to wear a riding helmet on your horse. 

So let me tell you why I wear a helmet. Everyone seems aware of football head injuries and CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy), but did you know the sport that causes the most head injuries is not football, it’s horseback riding.  Also, you do not need multiple head injuries to get CTE. Since a fall from riding is from a height, one bad fall can cause a major injury to your brain. Riding is the highest cause of traumatic brain injuries in ADULTS. It is even higher than motorcycle riding. Yes, riding is more dangerous than being on a motorcycle if you are not going to wear a helmet. 

According to the Equestrian Medical Safety Association, head injuries account for an estimated 60 percent of deaths resulting from equestrian accidents. 

 If riders in the arena wear helmets, why don’t trail riders wear helmets? 

Trail riding can be much more dangerous than arena riding, but many trail riders do not wear helmets.  Things and people jump out on the trail, bikes come flying down the trail, dogs chase us, cows can come running in groups to scare our horses, trees fall down, there are so many scary things and no fences to keep us in and no soft dirt to break our fall. You might think your horse is super safe, but even if he never spooks, he can trip or step in a hole and fall. You can fall off and hit your head on the ground or a rock in seconds. 

I wear my helmet because I want to ride my horse safely for as many years as possible.  I also want to be a good example for my students. I wear it in the arena, and I wear it on the trail, sometimes I just wear it around horses in case they kick on the ground, so I do not get kicked in the head. I do not want a brain injury and I do not want to get CTE. I do not want to ruin my life or the people who would have to take of me if I did get CTE. 

If the helmet fits you well, you will not get a headache, but a headache is better than a head trauma any day.  I would rather ruin my hairstyle then have blood inside my brain. If you get a helmet with ventilation, you will not get that hot, but I would rather get a little hot then have the symptoms of CTE. Common symptoms of CTE including memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, impulse control problems, aggression, depression, suicidality, parkinsonism, and eventually progressive dementia.
You cannot react quick enough when falling to prevent your head from hitting the ground, if you could, there would not be so many deaths from head injuries due to horseback riding. Years of riding cannot prevent a head injury.  Just ask your friendly neurosurgeon how many head injuries he or she sees from horseback riding accidents if you do not believe me. 
 
Your helmet will not only protect your brain, but also can provide shade from the sun and looks 
 
great in pictures if you decorate it. There are now, nice western helmets and brims to put on your 
 
helmet. Ignore people if they make fun of you for wearing it. In time they will usually change their 
 
mind. Maybe after they don't duck enough under a tree and hit their head. You don't have to fall off 
 
to be thankful you are wearing a helmet. 
 
 
If you have any stories about how your helmet helped save you, please feel free to share below. 

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By Gaye DeRusso
 
 
The quick answer is two. Riding gaited horses and having them gait well with one hand is much harder, but maybe you are lucky, and you have one that was bred and trained well and will stay in gait with two hands or one. 
 
The gaited horse has more gears than the normal trotting horse.  To keep them in their gait, we use a fair amount of half halts or what some people call checking their horse back. As the terrain changes on the trails affect their gait, we use the half halt to help the horse rebalance and stay in the present gait. We also use lateral movements to help them get ready to gait and to stay in gait. At times we also need to put their body in a certain frame in order to get a specific gait. All these things can be more difficult with one hand. 
 
I recommend all newbies to gaited horses ride with 2 hands, it is just easier to keep the horse in gait and half halt with 2 hands. Keep the rein short enough the horse will feel the half halt as soon as you do it. Make sure to use a rein that has some weight to it or add clips as it will help the horse feel the half halt and release better and quicker, compared to a light english rein. 
 
I also recommend that you teach your horse steering exercises, (lateral movements) moving his shoulders and his hindquarters and leg yielding with the rider using two hands. Being able to do these movements, can help get your horse back into a nice gait when he starts changing his gait.
 
Once you can ride the horse, be able to do the movements listed above and he stays in gait well, you want to start working on self-carriage. Start trying to half halt less and encourage your horse to keep his gait without as much help from you. Try to only apply contact when you feel him starting to go toward the pace or trot. When he is gaiting well, start giving him some slack in the rein. Make sure he can do this really well before moving on. 
 
Now and only now would be the time to start trying to ride him one handed. You will have to teach him to neck rein first, using two hands. But by the horse already understanding how to move sideways off your leg, it will be much easier to teach. You will guide him with your rein, pressing one rein against his neck, then opening the other rein in the direction you want to go, while also pressing with one leg to move him in that direction. Over time when done correctly, your horse will understand when he feels the rein against his neck that he should move away from it, but your leg should always be there to push him over, in case he gets confused. 
 
Now you can start putting both the reins in one hand. Try the maneuvers I discussed above at the walk first. Once you can do this well, you are ready to start gaiting using one hand. Keep the rein short enough that the horse will feel a half halt as soon as you apply it with one hand and use a bit that will help your horse to feel the half halt with one hand. These are the shank bits or what some call the curb bit. A snaffle is not made to ride one handed and you will have to apply more pressure than if you use a curb bit. 
 
Anytime the horse starts to go out of gait, you will use one hand to half halt and help him to stay in gait. If he still is going out of gait, and getting pacey you can use the leg yield, shoulder in or haunches in, to try to help him get back in gait and try to bring his head down and relax his neck and back.
 
 Do not be afraid to go back to two hands at any time the horse is not getting the message. In time he will learn, and it will get easier, but in the beginning, you may have to help him a lot and keep going from one hand back to two. 
 
If the horse is getting trotty, you need to help him get some tension in his neck and back, which can be harder to do with one hand. So, you may need to switch to two hands, elevate his neck and head and half halt to get him back in gait, then go back to one hand. 
 
Now you may understand, riding a gaited horse with one hand is not so easy. This might be why your horse is having issues. 
 
To ride the gaited horse well one handed, the horse has to be well trained, understand cues, and gait well with some self-carriage.   If they do not, they will usually keep going out of gait, because there is not as much support with one hand vs two hands and your horse is not ready. 
 
Remember when you start driving a car, you always had 2 hands on the wheel. Then as you got better, you probably switched from two hands to one hand at different times. Now you probably use one hand and are texting with the other hand. Not safe but impressive all the same. 
 
Riding the gaited horse is similar, get them good with 2 hands first, then going to 1 hand will not be so hard.