Gaited horse ignorance

[findeight]

Grew up in So Cal showing the old AHSA circuit and Fair shows that combined various disciplines. Usually, things that were perceived as…ummmm…duller for spectators went earlier in the day and more exciting to watch things went later in the day. Championship Stakes went in the evening where you might see Appointments Hunters over fences followed by Hackney Pony singles, Three Gated, Arab Native Costume or Park Horse and either a Jumper Stake or Stock Horse (Reining) Stake. It was fun, everybody watched the Stake classes for other disciplines.

Oh, they had special exhibition “half time” shows. Like a Bud Clydesdale 8 horse hitch driving exhibition, including backing up and swinging the team right angles to the wagon. RCMP Musical Ride. Dressage. Nothing like the monotony of today.

That was wasaay back in the late 60s. Suspect numbers were not there back then like they are today when a single discipline supports their own behemoth multi day shows. In some ways thats good but in other ways nor so much.

[Texarkana]

@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.)

I swear I remember 5 gaited English Pleasure classes for purebreds at Arabian shows growing up.

[SummerRose]

I don’t remember gaited classes at recognized Arabian shows (though it isn’t outside the realm of possibility, given the fact that Arabians are often crossed with saddlebreds), but maybe you’re thinking of the five non-gaited gaits ( ) required for country English pleasure/English pleasure - walk, trot, strong trot, canter, and hand gallop?

I did have some friends who bred some really nice half-Arabian racking horses but they showed them as gaited in open shows (and as non-gaited HAs at recognized Arabian shows). Incidentally, they were standardbred crosses rather than the more common saddlebred crosses, but they were really exceptional horses that could do everything from eventing to dressage to WP to driving. I don’t think I would have gone with a standardbred as my first choice of a cross but their horses were athletic and good-minded horses.

[Texarkana]

No @SummerRose I am definitely talking 5 gaited (not 3 gaited with hand gallop and trots and back).

The definitely had (and I believe still have) 5 gaited HA/NSH pleasure classes at some rated Arabian shows. But I thought I remembers 5 gaited PB classes. This would have been in the late 80s early 90s and I was just a kid. It’s entirely possible my memory is incorrect.

[Texarkana]

Because this is bugging the living tar out of me, I’ve been googling trying to figure out if there actually ever were five-gaited purebred arabian classes or if this is a figment of my imagination. The answer is YES, they did exist in the past! However, the most recent reference I can find to them is in the 1960s, so whether or not I was actually in attendance at one remains unknown.

It seems like all the National Show Horse stuff has moved under its own umbrella these days, so you’re not seeing the 5 gaited HA/NSH classes at rated Arabian shows anymore. I grew up immersed in the Arab show world, but haven’t attended one since… 2007? I glanced through a few prize lists and class offerings have changed so much! Western dressage, so many over fences options, Ranch classes, etc.

[Luseride]

That would be a fun show to attend.

Some of the TWH shows we used to go to had a Hackney driving class that I always made sure to watch.

[George_T_Mule]

I’m no expert on gaited; George, the Mule is, in theory, a “gaited” mule; his mommy was a Foxtrotter. And he will pick up the gait once in awhile, but his trot on either side of it is so miserable, I don’t go looking for it very often. His regular ol’ Mule-trot is rideable, and he will canter in short bursts.
Anyway, I have a new boy; a 4 1/2 yo “Kentucky Spotted Mountain Horse”. Call 'im “El Rosado”. I’ve had him about 6 months now.
I have received all sorts of “good” advice from the Gaited Horse Experts: things like: “Oh, you need to use a Gaited Horse saddle.” Something he called a “Plantation” saddle. And “You have to use this special bit (looked like a long-shanked Pelham to me), or you’ll never get him to gait for you.” The real kicker was “You have to sit like you are in a kitchen chair, with your back straight and your legs forward.” This from the Plantation saddle guy, who pointed out that the stirrups were, indeed, mounted forward of what I would consider normal.
I couldn’t believe that, but I Googled it, and “Chair Seat” is a real thing, and apparently even judged in competition. Huh?!?
No offense team, but I’m a mountain trail rider; I ride with my center of gravity aligned with my Equine. I would rather that my critter respond to polite suggestions as opposed to the threat of pain; mostly I use a bitless bridle and neck or leg rein. I prefer a light western Endurance saddle (Georgie has a Synergist), or failing that a Dressage saddle or the like.
I put the new guy “Rosy” in Georgies Synergist (it didn’t fit him, but with a real thick 5Star pad it wasn’t too bad), and a regular Pelham bit my wife had for his first ride with me at the helm. Go, Stop, Left, Right, Back, all in place. We played in the Bending Poles for about 10 minutes, and called it a day. I resurrected one of our Equimeasure molds, and fit it to his back.
Later that week I took the Equimeasure to a local consignment tack store to find a better saddle for him. They didn’t have anything suitable in Endurance, but I did find an old Stüben Dressage saddle that was a good match.
Rosy was OK with the English saddle; we played around for a few minutes in the Pelham bit, and then I put a Dr. Cooks bitless bridle on him. “Waddaya think about this one buddy? Yield left? OK, yield right; Super: Good Boy!” And off we went down the drive, onto the road, and right onto one of the local “Bridal Trail” easements. And so it goes.
No Worries, and friends he does just fine in the bitless. And he will pick up his gait; my cue for this is “Go Rosy, Go” :-D. He will do a regular trot, and canter, too. So much for Expertise.

[SummerRose]

@George_T_Mule

I put the new guy “Rosy” in Georgies Synergist

Totally off topic, but I can’t believe there’s another gelding named Rosy. I thought my Rosie - the [non-gaited half Arabian ] in my avatar was the only one!

Incidentally, I learned to ride saddle seat under an instructor who would not tolerate a chair seat. It’s amazing how versatile a correct seat is - I had no trouble transitioning to both western and dressage (and gaited horses, too!) with virtually no change in position.

[George_T_Mule]

@SummerRose

Totally off topic, but I can’t believe there’s another gelding named Rosy.

A foto. You’ll see why “El Rosado”. And his eyes are shockingly Blue.
Rosy reclining on the “couch”.

[anon40672407]

I am not one of those rude folks (I hope) but I am gaited-ignorant. One of my lease horses is gaited (nobody seems to know what kind. He is at the barn for exercise as a trail horse while his rider recovers from surgery). But he is also lame. So when at liberty, his legs seem to go everywhere at different speeds without a discernable rhythm,

There are a good number of gaited horses in our area as someone has decided they are more comfortable to ride for older ladies, but I’m busy thinking “Uhm, no.” I had two leases on fox trotters, and while the foxtrot was smoother than a regular trot, the walk was more swoopy than a 3 gaited horse’s and it seems to me one spends more time at the walk than at the trot. Friend rode a Paso Fino mare on one of our trail rides, and that horse threw down her feet 3X faster than anybody else going the same distance, but it looked smoother.

And then there was the QH/Walker cross. He wanted to travel like a peanutroller for his natural frame. But when he moved into his walking gait, he threw his head up and tightened his back. So he was always in a state of transition, poor fellow. I loved his attitude, but the ride wasn’t wonderful.

My friend had icelandics for the last several years of her life so I got to ride tolts, too, but no idea how that compares to a foxtrot or a single foot or any of the other iterations. I suspect its a study all of its own.

[2DogsFarm]

Judge at the show I mentioned called me over after I rode my 1st test & admitted she was not familiar with the terminology in the test(i.e. Running Walk, Dog Walk).
Luckily a friend of a friend was there who bred TWHs & had a stallion she rode Gaited Dressage.
She explained terms to the judge & my 2nd test scored slightly lower
Still won both tests - though I was 1 of 2 in both

[2DogsFarm]

@George_T_Mule

did find an old Stüben Dressage saddle that was a good match.

I rode my 1st 2 TWHs in my 1985 Stubben Porto’s A/P (but tended toward Dressage - deep seat, longer flap).
It was my only saddle when I showed H/J with my TB.
& Got me many Hunter Princess sneers… As I earned AA Reserve that year
This saddle served me for trails, Eventing & Dressage until 2010.
It Did.NOT.Fit my WB & had me gift myself a new semi-custom Maestoso.
New(er) saddle fits my current Walker.
Old one was donated to a Theraputic Riding program.

[beowulf]

Some take the definition of lameness literally.
Lame / Unsound:
Any abnormal deviation in the movement or action of a horse

So when they see a horse with abnormal deviation in the typical movement subset (WTC), they’ll assume it’s lame. It might be gaiting, it might not. Sometimes gaiting is a symptom of lameness. Sometimes it’s a derived characteristic from intentional breeding.

Assessing lameness in a gaited horse is a specialty. The typical symptoms of lameness, like a headbob, stilted gait, shuffle, braced neck can all overlap with desired gait mechanisms in a gaited horse. And worse, in some gaited breeds, these characteristics suppress what might otherwise be an obvious headbob or lameness.

Even in my own gaited horses from time to time I’ve stopped and squinted at them for a moment… Is it…? Is it not…? It’s really a world-class skill and anyone who has a vet familiar with lameness diagnostics in a gaited horse is truly lucky. You can’t even rig them up with a lameness locator, that’s how different their gaits are.

I grew up close to a gaited horse community and one of the horses I rode the longest was a (gaited) standardbred. She was an interesting choice for a H/J barn but I do remember getting a few year end medals with her at local shows. One class we were excused as the judge thought she was lame. At the time I felt cheated, but in hindsight horse welfare is paramount and I do wonder if the judge was right. This mare was not anyone’s definition of pretty, but she was honest, kind, and took care of her kids. That was my first taste of Standardbreds and I’ve come to really treasure the breed for the niche they fulfill as multi-talented, honest horses for the average ammy.

Not directed in any way at you OP - I’m part of a Standardbred group on FB. I cannot tell you how many people post videos of their dressage tests and being rung out of the ring halfway through. Sometimes I feel for the rider, but mostly after watching these videos I feel for the horse and the judge. Many people cannot honestly see a lameness in a horse, much less a gaited one, and they write off gait abnormality as a mechanism of being gaited versus pathology in the horse.

[Larksmom]

Surely there are such multi discipline shows around? Where I used to board, there was a close by ring that was used a couple of times a year for everything. They had a big show that had gaited, western just about everything. But we were an h/j barn and I do not remember any of us going up there to compete. And Kansas city has the American Royal every year.
The jumpers always go first so they can clear the arena. I think the hunters go on all day. But I remember they had roadsters to bike and Hackneys were a large part of the Royal because that is what Loula Long Combs drove. I do not know about the other big shows, like Denver or Calgary stampede, but gaited horses are pretty big around here.

[RMJacobs]

@George_T_Mule

Rosy reclining on the “couch”.

My pony had a similar couch. We composted our manure then swapped with our neighbor at times, us spreading alpaca manure and him spreading horse manure. Salt, my bigger pony, loved the heat coming off the manure pile, and it was always his couch. He would sprawl on it and then the phone calls would start: “Your horse is dead!” “No, he’s not, he’s napping.” “I swear, he’s dead, he hasn’t moved in hours!”

Even experience horse people accused me of neglecting to bury my dead pony.

Rebecca

[2DogsFarm]

@RMJacobs

experience horse people accused me of neglecting to bury my dead pony.

Rebecca

You could tell them:
“Yes, I’m composting him.”

My 22yo Hackney routinely goes down for a nap.
Generally just outside his stall.
So far I’ve not been alerted to his “demise”