What Frame for What Gait?
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
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.