Gaited horse ignorance

[Luseride]

I have owned many gaited horses through the years, TWH, MFT, SSH, a gaited mule that Foxtrots, Racking, even a App looking gelding that would single-foot. Many years ago I had a Paso mare for about a week which a customer fell in love with so I sold her.

The Sunday before Thanksgiving I bought two Paso Fino mares, neither had been ridden in over a year. One the owner had never ridden, she could not even tell me the type of bit she used. I rode her in a jointed Kimberwick which she hated then tried a Western type bit which she loved.

A couple of days later I asked a young lady that rides here some to ride her and I put a four second video of her on social media. The comments! Obviously most of the people knew nothing about how a gaited horse moves but it was astounding how rude they were. Everything from the mares size, the riders size, the bit, the footing, the gait, the saddle, rider position, etc. Even had one accuse me of riding her on the road and she is obviously in the arena.

The best was one that said she would be mortified if her Arabian walked like that. I did reply I would be mortified if my Arabian walked like that and it was a good thing the mare was not an Arabian.

[walkinthewalk]

I once had a trotting person try to tell me my TWH was dead lame in the pasture because:

1. His head was bobbing.

2. She didn’t know what that funny movement was that he was making with his legs but I should call a vet.

The horse forums are as “social media” as I care to get and your comments are why, lollol

[PushersBlue]

Oh the tales I could tell from gossip when I had my old blooded TWH boy out in Cali.

“His leg is broken!” (He was gaiting his face off in pasture and because he threw those front feet out big time even barefoot at the time he must be injured)

“She has weights on his back feet or else he wouldn’t squat when he moves” (Was wearing boring front shoes only and bare behind. He wanted to go home and went into ShowMode.)

(even better) “She does something to his tail for him to hold it up like that” (Nooope)

And the most common was the head shaking lameness comments and I should get off immediately.

Ironically - when he was lame = no headshake.

[findeight]

When you post on social media you kind of are asking for random comments from random strangers who, at best, don’t know what they are looking at it, passing judgement on or even talking about.

At worst you get some who get off on expressing hate and…well…bullying you. Don’t take the bait.

[SummerRose]

@Luseride

The best was one that said she would be mortified if her Arabian walked like that.

I’m guessing that person knows so little about even her own breed that she isn’t aware that naturally gaited Arabians occasionally crop up. (Okay, so they don’t move like Pasos, but some Arabians definitely gait.)

[Bluey]

There are no gaited horses around here on our ranching part of the SW.
A local young horse trainer once asked me to look for a quiet trail riding horse for a beginner.
I found a few prospects locally on the internet, sent her the links.
One was a really sweet, nice paint mare, that had been carting kids around in organized trail rides, but was obviously gaited in the video.
Friend told me that one was crippled, look how funny she goes!
I had to explain gaited to her, not sure she believed me.

[ZuzusPetals]

Why are photos of gaited horses at shows always shot at that goofy crooked angle? They look like they were taken by a 12-year-old with an Instamatic. Is it to make the knees appear higher?

[Scribbler]

@Luseride

I have owned many gaited horses through the years, TWH, MFT, SSH, a gaited mule that Foxtrots, Racking, even a App looking gelding that would single-foot. Many years ago I had a Paso mare for about a week which a customer fell in love with so I sold her.

The Sunday before Thanksgiving I bought two Paso Fino mares, neither had been ridden in over a year. One the owner had never ridden, she could not even tell me the type of bit she used. I rode her in a jointed Kimberwick which she hated then tried a Western type bit which she loved.

A couple of days later I asked a young lady that rides here some to ride her and I put a four second video of her on social media. The comments! Obviously most of the people knew nothing about how a gaited horse moves but it was astounding how rude they were. Everything from the mares size, the riders size, the bit, the footing, the gait, the saddle, rider position, etc. Even had one accuse me of riding her on the road and she is obviously in the arena.

The best was one that said she would be mortified if her Arabian walked like that. I did reply I would be mortified if my Arabian walked like that and it was a good thing the mare was not an Arabian.

Ha. We have very few gaited horses up here. For a while there was a Tennessee Walker at my facility. My mare got very freaked out listening to him move. She would run out to the paddock and stare when he went by on the driveway and got very worked up when he was out on the trails. Even when he was moving slowly his footfall was just so different. I think to her it sounded frantic. If she could text she would be going “OMG what’s wrong with you?” for sure.

And for that mare, when I started with her she was stiff behind and her trot was very minimally “off” like just tending to foxtrot (she’s a Paint). We worked on her a lot, stretching to the bit, and she now does a proper two beat trot and can carry herself if you ask her. But for me, it’s still very hard to look at a gaited horse IRL and not see a “bad trot.”

This along with the fact that I’ve always been kind of fascinated with them, and have never ridden one and would like to someday. But when you never see them, it’s very different to watch.

I agree, the people online were idiots, but really it does look very very different if you have only seen wtc horses.

[2DogsFarm]

I’m on my 3rd gaited horse.
1st was DH’s TWH - registered Racking as he couldn’t be bloodtyped the required 4 generations.
He really didn’t have much gait, which was fine as we bought him to Event.
His natural Sit & suspension made him a good candidate for Dressage. And he was incredibly brave Xcountry.
Their 1st Event:
(that’s me on my TB, stage right)

After Tom passed, I rode him at a clinic with Eric Biesenthal. Other riders asked what breed he was.
Then, when told, their eyes would glaze & they’d back away slowly…

#2 was registered TWHBEA, recently gelded (with a registered colt) when I got him at 10yo.
He was hardwired to gait. Did.Not.Trot.
Even in pasture.
But his gait was smooth, felt like getting a backrub. So I let him gait & worked with my Dressage trainer on getting his canter fixed.
He tended to crossfire < which I was told was common in gaited breeds.
He was a big, handsome bay - 17H, my vet called him the Belgian Walking Horse
I brought him to a schooling show (where MGMT kindly provided a Gaited Dressage test) & gate person tried to stop me going in, telling me the class was for Gaited horses.

#3 is Alleged TWH (no papers) but definitely gaited when he was given to me by a friend. She’d used him exclusively for trailriding.
When I asked how his canter was, she told me she’d never asked.
Working with my same trainer, he now trots U/S & canter was a Work in Progress when finances got in the way of my 2X monthly sessions.
If my Gumption wasn’t on vacation, I’ve no doubt he’d be W/T/C by now.
He did win an Intro Dressage test a couple years ago, beating several WB, for a rated judge (who complimented my geometry )
Himself:

[findeight]

One thing that was better in the “good old days” is we weere not as isolated breed and discipline wise from the rest of the horse world as many are today. You just saw more different kinds of horses and disciplines at fairs and shows mixed together. Maybe Western in the AM and Jumping in the afternoon. Gaited and driving classes with some Arabians thrown in later.

You learned what was expected and what it should look like, made friends with those folks and got along well enough. Miss that. We don’t mingle anymore.

[Scribbler]

@findeight

One thing that was better in the “good old days” is we weere not as isolated breed and discipline wise from the rest of the horse world as many are today. You just saw more different kinds of horses and disciplines at fairs and shows mixed together. Maybe Western in the AM and Jumping in the afternoon. Gaited and driving classes with some Arabians thrown in later.

You learned what was expected and what it should look like, made friends with those folks and got along well enough. Miss that. We don’t mingle anymore.

Not really around here. It’s Canada, so the gaited horses never really got a foothold.

When I was a kid, the dominant horse breed was Grade, often off a ranch or born feral. Surprisingly few people took a chance on an OTTB despite the fact the race track was very close, just across the bridge from our suburb. I expect that the higher end jumpers were sourcing them though.

When people wanted a registered horse, they tended towards Appaloosas, Arabs, or sometimes Quarter Horses. Warmbloods did not exist. I saw one Welsh Cob, and one Saddlebred cross that wasn’t gaited. I knew a Quarab, and a Saddlebred/QH cross, both were bought as 3 year olds because otherwise you wouldn’t know the breeding if it had changed hands.

The National Exhibition grounds ran a season-end horse show that was multidiscipline and considered a Big Deal but I don’t recall seeing any gaited classes. I might have just missed them. There was some Saddlebred breeding going on locally over the decades.

[Luseride]

That is basically what was said about my mare. I meant for it to go only on my farm page but somehow made it for a larger audience, including people in Europe.

[Luseride]

I do tell my riders that headshake gaited is good, headshake trotting is bad.

We had a really nice TWH for several years and had a difficult time being judged at local shows because the judges did not know what they were looking at.

[Luseride]

I deleted many comments instead of responding. Still not sure how it got such a wide audience.

[Luseride]

I agree. Many people only see their horse and never want to learn more.

[Luseride]

Bless! I love my stock horses but also love that smooth glide.

[Luseride]

I believe so. We started going to TWHBEA shows almost thirty years ago and that was the style of photos and not much had changed.

[Luseride]

When we got our first TWH I pictured the old men that rode Racking horses at the local shows and rode like that the first week or so to get the feel then went back to a more balanced seat. We always called it “turtle necking” due to the way thet sat.

[Luseride]

Our local show series does dressage on the rail and the gaited horses are well represented. Many gaited horses are never taught to canter/lope under saddle but the ones that do are so very nice. Love your pics.

[Luseride]

That is one reason I am a member of a saddle club that holds shows about an hour and a half away. Jumping, gaited, minis, stockseat, ranch riding, trail. So much fun!