Many good natural walkers are first trained pulling a little EZ entry cart, so being gaited has nothing to do with their not being able to be driven.
A good natural walker will simply do a running walk rather than a trot. MOST good walkers will NOT trot if pushed, they will PACE since they are naturally laterally gaited horses to begin with, if they are well-gaited natural walkers.
If a walker is pushed to go faster than he or she is comfortable with at a running walk, he or she will lose the four beat lateral gate and go naturally into a two-beat lateral gait which is a PACE. That is the right fore leg and hind leg on the same side will move forward together. A pace is very fast and very uncomfortable to ride as you have the sensation of being thrown from side to side.
Your best bet in finding a good naturally gaited walker is to find someone who breeds and sells them to field trialers or endurance riders or for trail riding. Stay away from those who breed for the big lick show horse because these horses usually cannot do a natural four-beat running walk, and will pace like crazy without the heavy pads and chains.
If someone tries to sell you a retired big lick horse who has been “taken down” off the pads to become a pleasure horse – RUN don’t walk away. Sometimes these horses can be rehabilitated, but it is a long process best done by an experienced walking horse person.
Most Stock Farm in Bell Buckle, Tenn. (if The Mosts are still breeding horses) is one farm known for producing good natural walking horses. There are other farms around. The breeders who belong to the Heritage Walking Horse Association usually produce good natural walkers.
You can contact FOSH or the National Walking Horse Association for a list of breeders. The most important thing to look for if you do intend to ride, is to find a horse whose gait is comfortable for you. Just as their are all kinds of trots, there are several different “ways of going” in walkers and you need to find a horse whose gait you find comfortable. Just as some horses have a faster trot than others, so do some walkers do a faster running walk than others.
Then, just remember not to push the horse to fast when driving so as to force him or her at a speed that forces them to break out of their natural running walk.
A well-bred walker is a calm, reliable horse who enjoys working and likes people. Historically whey were used to do everything around a small farm from plowing all week, to pulling the family to town in a wagon or buggy to being used as a saddle horse. Strolling Jim, the first World Grand Champion walking horse had been a plow and farm horse most of his life before being taken to his first show. It is said you could still see the harness marks on his shoulders when he won the WGC. Unfortunately, he had been gelded before his show potential was realized, so he has no direct descendants. The same thing happened to three time WGC Talk of The Town.
Allen F-1 (Foundation Sire)was actually a Standardbred registered with the ATR who was sold because he paced when pushed in harness and his breeder preferred trotters. After being traded around, he was bought late in his life by a Tennessee man who appreciated his ability to do a running walk under saddle. Since this man was breeding gaited saddle horses, and wanted that running walk, he was glad to get him to use him on his mares.
I would say that a an old style naturally-gaited walker is an excellent choice for someone with back troubles who wants to try to ride as well as drive.
I own two such horses, and am very pleased with them both.
