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!
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!