WHICH GAITED BREED IS FOR YOU? So, once you decide if you want
a finished horse or a prospect, what’s next? You have to decide on breed. T e truth is that almost any gaited breed will make a fi ne trail horse. Competition is a lit le diff er- ent thing. Gaited horses make up about 8% of the endurance world now so gaited horses can defi nitely travel 25, 50 and even 100 miles. T e most-used gaited horse in en- durance is the Tennessee Walker. In fact, TWHs are the second most-used horse behind Arabians and part Arabians. It is a distant second place, but still second place. Other gaited breeds that have
done well at 50 miles include Pe- ruvian Pasos, Paso Finos, Missouri Fox Trot ers, Kentucky Mountain Horses, Rocky Mountain horses and at least one Standardbred and Icelandic horse, and a handful of Spot ed Saddle Horses and gaited Morgans. Many gaited horses have done well at the 25-mile (limited) distance level.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR (AND LOOK OUT FOR) WHEN CHOOSING A GAITED HORSE
1.
T e author aboard a 5-year-old Tennessee Walker mare named Nikki at the Pyramid Egyptian En- durance Ride in Lexington, Ken- tucky. Her narrow chest and slop- ing shoulder makes for a perfect running walk and racking gait.
If the horse always paces at liberty or in hand, there will be a pacing problem for you.
2. A sloping shoulder will allow the horse to rack more easily. A vertical shoulder will result in a greater propensity to pace.
3. A short-coupled horse will have a choppier racking gait than a longer backed horse.
4. A horse that performs a “slinky” walk with a lot of up and down move- ment, known as a camel walk, will have a propensity to pace.
5. You want a gaited horse, in particular a TWH, to reach more and get under himself with his rear end. A TWH gets more of his power from the rear end. You do not want the horse to forge, but short of forging, the more reach the bet er.
6. A Fox Trot er will oſt en get more of his power from the front end. Most people think only trot ing horses have leads. A gaited horse will also
have a lead, and that lead can actually be any of the four legs in either the run- ning walk or the racking gait. To fi nd out where your horse’s lead is, ride the horse on a fl at area that conducts sound. Be as still and quiet in the saddle as you can, and ride with your eyes closed. Do not do this if you are the panicky type. Listen to fi nd out if one of the foot strikes is louder than the other three. See if you can feel with your seat if the horse is striking the ground harder in one step than the others. If this is a front foot and the gait is not as smooth as you
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