Don't Sacrifice Gait for Speed
By Gaye DeRusso
This is a very basic but important concept. Many people, once they purchase the gaited horse, think they can gait super-fast. Some are very fast, like the racking horse, but some are not. Each horse has different abilities, stride, and strength. They can all improve their gaits, to use their muscles more correctly, to build up their hind quarters and this will help them to get faster but there is a limit to each horse.
For some reason people do not understand this. Gaited horses were bred to carry us smoothly on the trail. They were not bred to go 40 mph. The fastest riding horses are about 20-30 mph, and they are galloping. Also, the heavier the rider, the slower the horse will be, that's why they want jockeys to be so light.
Each gait, each individual horse does will be a different speed. So, some are very fast, and some are not. The gait is supposed to be for comfort not for speed.
Some appear to be faster than they are because they have a heavy shoe on. So, they are actually pacing, or trotting, but the shoe or foot angle changes the timing. So, it looks like a running walk or fox trot, but it is not.
When you take the heavy shoe off, or change the angle in the horse's feet, the horse goes to pacing or trotting, because that is what they were actually doing the whole time. You just didn't see it. You must have a trained eye to see different gaits, and to see when horses are not doing the correct gait, but the owner or trainer is using shoes or angles to change the timing.
So many horses I see being sold, are not doing the correct gait. It's sad but they are not and just because someone tells you that's a running walk or fox trot, you believe it because you have no education on the gaits, or you cannot see it yet. To train your eye you must watch many horses do it I in real time and in slow motion and then suddenly you will see it, but it can take years for you to see the truth.
When you push a gaited horse for too much speed, they will do different gaits to get you that speed. The flat walk allows your horse to go many miles comfortably, but it is not very fast usually 3-5 mph. People can walk over 3 mph.
The fox trot, saddle gait and running walk can be anywhere from 5 mph up, but most are about 5-7 mph. Your horse can comfortably do this for many miles also.
So, once you go past the speed, they can comfortably carry you at, you will go to the next gait. In some that is the rack if you're lucky. So many think the rack is a running walk, but it is not, there is no head shake. It is still smooth but racking for long periods of time will put added stress on your horses back and legs.
In other horses they will go into a step pace. In this gait they will swing their legs more then use their muscles and usually invert their back. It will be smooth for the most part, but hard on your horse's body. Therefore, so many of these horses have no top line muscles.
If you keep going for more speed, you may get a pace or a trot or canter. The horse is trying to do whatever it can to go faster for you. So, as you push for more speed you have actually pushed your horse past its talent, strength, and ability and now it goes out of gait.
People get very annoyed with their gaited horse when this happens, but they can only go so fast and they can usually trot, pace and canter faster than they can gait. They are only doing what you asked and that is to go faster.
In the trotting horse, the same thing happens, a horse can only trot so fast then it will break into a canter, but no one usually wants their horse to trot super-fast since it is bouncy. But people understand this concept better. They can only go so fast in certain gaits.
Just like people, some horses are faster than others, but with training and repetition, everyone can get faster, but to a limit and that's the best we can do.
It is the same in horses, through repetition, exercises, strength training, hill work, they can all get faster, but they will have a limit to the speed of their gait. So, if you have a friend with a fast gaited horse, she just needs to slow down when you ride with her or you will mess up your own horse's gaits and it will start to pace, trot or canter.
If you ride with super-fast horses, sometimes your horse will do what you want and go faster at your expense. To be faster they need less weight on their back, so some of them will buck you off to stay up with the other horse.
If you want a gaited horse to stay sound and gait well, work on keeping it in gait and building its strength. Get the correct footfall for the gait and keep working on it. Condition your horse so it gets stronger. Work its backend with hills. Also, try losing some weight if you're a bigger person, and get a light saddle. The less weight the horse must carry the faster it will be.
Do not force it to go faster and faster. If it is not fast enough for you then get one that can gait faster. The ones that are bred as racking horses can be very fast. Also, the standardbred and saddlebred horses or mixes of those breeds are usually quite fast. But just remember most other riders will not be able to keep up with you.
I use to have a very fast horse that could rack. But I only rode the rack when I was by myself because no one could keep up. If I did rack with them, all their horses went to pacing.
So, go the speed everyone's horse can gait at, correctly. And remember do not sacrifice gait for speed, if you do, you will just end up ruining your nicely gaited horse.
Gaited Books
Easy Gaited Horses By Lee Ziegler https://amzn.to/3vFuk8w
The Gaited Horse Bible by Brenda Imus https://amzn.to/3It0Imf
Gaits of Gold by Brenda Imus https://amzn.to/3jGXam0
Heavenly Gaits By Brenda Imus https://amzn.to/3ieKGBP
Training the Gaited Horse By Gary Lane https://amzn.to/3jPcAVq
DISCLAIMER: This description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission if you buy something. This helps support the website. Thank you for the support!
By Gaye DeRusso
This is a very basic but important concept. Many people, once they purchase the gaited horse, think they can gait super-fast. Some are very fast, like the racking horse, but some are not. Each horse has different abilities, stride, and strength. They can all improve their gaits, to use their muscles more correctly, to build up their hind quarters and this will help them to get faster but there is a limit to each horse.
For some reason people do not understand this. Gaited horses were bred to carry us smoothly on the trail. They were not bred to go 40 mph. The fastest riding horses are about 20-30 mph, and they are galloping. Also, the heavier the rider, the slower the horse will be, that's why they want jockeys to be so light.
Each gait, each individual horse does will be a different speed. So, some are very fast, and some are not. The gait is supposed to be for comfort not for speed.
Some appear to be faster than they are because they have a heavy shoe on. So, they are actually pacing, or trotting, but the shoe or foot angle changes the timing. So, it looks like a running walk or fox trot, but it is not.
When you take the heavy shoe off, or change the angle in the horse's feet, the horse goes to pacing or trotting, because that is what they were actually doing the whole time. You just didn't see it. You must have a trained eye to see different gaits, and to see when horses are not doing the correct gait, but the owner or trainer is using shoes or angles to change the timing.
So many horses I see being sold, are not doing the correct gait. It's sad but they are not and just because someone tells you that's a running walk or fox trot, you believe it because you have no education on the gaits, or you cannot see it yet. To train your eye you must watch many horses do it I in real time and in slow motion and then suddenly you will see it, but it can take years for you to see the truth.
When you push a gaited horse for too much speed, they will do different gaits to get you that speed. The flat walk allows your horse to go many miles comfortably, but it is not very fast usually 3-5 mph. People can walk over 3 mph.
The fox trot, saddle gait and running walk can be anywhere from 5 mph up, but most are about 5-7 mph. Your horse can comfortably do this for many miles also.
So, once you go past the speed, they can comfortably carry you at, you will go to the next gait. In some that is the rack if you're lucky. So many think the rack is a running walk, but it is not, there is no head shake. It is still smooth but racking for long periods of time will put added stress on your horses back and legs.
In other horses they will go into a step pace. In this gait they will swing their legs more then use their muscles and usually invert their back. It will be smooth for the most part, but hard on your horse's body. Therefore, so many of these horses have no top line muscles.
If you keep going for more speed, you may get a pace or a trot or canter. The horse is trying to do whatever it can to go faster for you. So, as you push for more speed you have actually pushed your horse past its talent, strength, and ability and now it goes out of gait.
People get very annoyed with their gaited horse when this happens, but they can only go so fast and they can usually trot, pace and canter faster than they can gait. They are only doing what you asked and that is to go faster.
In the trotting horse, the same thing happens, a horse can only trot so fast then it will break into a canter, but no one usually wants their horse to trot super-fast since it is bouncy. But people understand this concept better. They can only go so fast in certain gaits.
Just like people, some horses are faster than others, but with training and repetition, everyone can get faster, but to a limit and that's the best we can do.
It is the same in horses, through repetition, exercises, strength training, hill work, they can all get faster, but they will have a limit to the speed of their gait. So, if you have a friend with a fast gaited horse, she just needs to slow down when you ride with her or you will mess up your own horse's gaits and it will start to pace, trot or canter.
If you ride with super-fast horses, sometimes your horse will do what you want and go faster at your expense. To be faster they need less weight on their back, so some of them will buck you off to stay up with the other horse.
If you want a gaited horse to stay sound and gait well, work on keeping it in gait and building its strength. Get the correct footfall for the gait and keep working on it. Condition your horse so it gets stronger. Work its backend with hills. Also, try losing some weight if you're a bigger person, and get a light saddle. The less weight the horse must carry the faster it will be.
Do not force it to go faster and faster. If it is not fast enough for you then get one that can gait faster. The ones that are bred as racking horses can be very fast. Also, the standardbred and saddlebred horses or mixes of those breeds are usually quite fast. But just remember most other riders will not be able to keep up with you.
I use to have a very fast horse that could rack. But I only rode the rack when I was by myself because no one could keep up. If I did rack with them, all their horses went to pacing.
So, go the speed everyone's horse can gait at, correctly. And remember do not sacrifice gait for speed, if you do, you will just end up ruining your nicely gaited horse.
Gaited Books
Easy Gaited Horses By Lee Ziegler https://amzn.to/3vFuk8w
The Gaited Horse Bible by Brenda Imus https://amzn.to/3It0Imf
Gaits of Gold by Brenda Imus https://amzn.to/3jGXam0
Heavenly Gaits By Brenda Imus https://amzn.to/3ieKGBP
Training the Gaited Horse By Gary Lane https://amzn.to/3jPcAVq
DISCLAIMER: This description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission if you buy something. This helps support the website. Thank you for the support!