LSS. Hubby is a very good and experienced rider/horseman, but has “soundness” issues from years of galloping race horses and just getting old!! Riding my big WB crosses and Apx. QH’s just KILLS his knees. I know only the general facts about gaited horses and not the specifics of the best “husband type” minds and way of going. Anybody up for a quick “intro” to gaited breeds?? Just looking for a pleasant trail riding companion for him so I have someone to ride with!! Thinking older, 14.2> 15.2 hands…SANE. Thanks.
All gaited horses can make fine trail horses. I’m not sure what you are asking as just like in any breed they are all individuals, some calm, some spooky , some real smooth and others rough . Rocky Mt Horses and Paso and some Spotted horses are on the small size under 15 and compact. TWH can be 14 to over 16 hands some 17 hands. Since your spouse is experienced rider he may be bored with dead ,broke trail horse.
It might be more fun to get a 3 yr old TWH or Missouri Fox trotter and train it to be the horse he wants. Most gaited horses are sensible and easy to train. In looking at horses be aware of the seller who tells you the horse has to be trained to gait. Again like any breed gaits will improve with training and work but the gait should be there naturally . If he likes big horses a TWH is probably the best bet. I like to buy them very green or unbroken as TWH trainers may start them way too young before the bones are fully developed. The conformation is a little different in TWH may have a sloping hip but otherwise you want a big stride in front and of course and nice powerful rear . TWh will have flat walk, running walk, canter, gallop but my MFT will also fox trot and 4 beat trot.
Also never buy a pacy horse yes you can train it out of some of them but the best smoothest horses are natural and never pace but may trot free in the pasture, I’ve had MFT,Paso and TWH .Almost left out racking horses which are real fast and fun if your husband loves speed a racking horse may be the answer and they are very smooth.
The big issue is what are you going to ride because a good gaited horse will be very unhappy if forced to just walk like a quarter horse. When I ride with trotting horses my friends are pretty fit and they trot while I gait. Often though the two styles just don’t match up on trail.
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Forgot to say I also went to gaited because of joint and back problems and also this weird thing happened, i got old. I find gaited horses to be very sane and so easy to work with and train. I’ve had about 10 now and only one was crazy ,a stallion cut to late and i was way over horsed. I am not the rider your spouse is but these horses are like big friendly dogs , they love to please and are easy to train.Thats a heads up when horse hunting. My 74 yr old friend(good rider) just started her 3 year old 16 hand MFT and they are having a blast.
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Thanks for the input. I find that “old”/occasional riding people should have “older” sane riding horses!! I have a pasture full of “wannabees” right now, so no more projects in mind. I ride (mostly) a 17 hand TB or 16.2+ ISH’s with a lot of TB, so keeping up is not an issue!! I’ve looked on the local horse sites and find mostly Missouri Fox Trotters in our NE Ok. area. Some decent looking, middle aged, geldings seem worth the money. Very few TW’ers. I was just wondering if one breed was saner/easier/more comfortable than the other. Thanks.
Hey, it’s cross creek! Tell Patricia Gus is doing fabulously. I keep forgetting to send her the annual text this year whenever I’m outside to take pictures.
I’ve got a mft that’s a little short, but she’s game as they come, bold, and if I sit UP and drive her forward she’ll drop into a gait and just. keep. going. She’s bottomless and affectionate without being a pocket pony, and if we are out on the trail and she says “no” I know to trust her, because otherwise the word isn’t in her vocabulary. I can’t say enough good about her. I use her as a therapy horse when the cousin with cp comes over, and if she’s got a rider up who can ride a bit, she’ll pack them for miles. I wouldn’t hesitate to look at another.
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What walkers said. 
I’ll just throw this out there too – some Morgans gait. And if you live somewhere in the north and your hubby wouldn’t mind something 14 hands or under, there are Icelandics.
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I had an AMAZING experience with Costaricense de Pasos and Paso Finos in Costa Rica. That was a single barn in a different county, so don’t know what you’d find up in the states (I assume that’s where you are?). This barn had everything from extremely expensive competitive ‘dancers’ to very calm, sane rides for beginners. They also had incredible stamina and heart; I rode my favourite (at this place we were staying at) in a Cabalgata (like a crazy, county horse parade/ trail ride/ fiesta) and if we’d let them they could have just galloped for HOURS. And sitting that gallop for hours would have been like riding a couch in the back of a pickup on a dirt road.
Now, that’s anecdotal, but I thought I’d share just because I was so impressed; that’s been my only experience with gaited breeds.
I have heard wonderful things about the Rocky Mountain Horse.
Also, ditto to what somewhere said above being careful where you get it from. I don’t have any experience in that area, but have heard some horrible stories of the ‘methods’ some barns use to ‘train’ their horses to have fancy, high action.
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In general TWH are more comfortable as the fox trot does have a bounce to it and like all horses some are smoother.
I’d suggest finding gaited folks to speak to in your area. TWH are everywhere and the first one I rode was Colorado and the first MFT was in Wyoming they were far from their origins. At that time National Park service was using MFT’s.Paso are great and strong but small and real hard to find a good one for trail. Recently i looked for a year and gave up but then I have ridden some great Paso’s and don’t like what the Americans have done to the breed. Also The show gaits won’t work for trail. I’d rather not waste energy now on explaining all that.Rocky Mt horse are very small and don’t have the bone of a Paso. I won’t ride them because I like a horse with a big engine and that they don’t have.
TWH industry is in trouble so prices have fallen but again really need to know someone to get a healthy comfortable sane one but I guess thats true of any breed. I bought my MFT at 2 out of a pasture when I saw her just driving by yep I was lucky she is in the backyard now retired at 28. Racking horses are very comfortable as they don’t have the big loose stride of walkers that said most walker will rack if rider lets them. Icelandic may be something to consider, small but very strong and healthy, fast .
If you were closer I’d help and if you want some names just PM me. There are a few people I’d buy a horse from unseen.
If I could not ride gaited I wouldn’t be able to ride, for some of us gaited can keep us in the saddle all our lives.
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Great news!! Glad you two got together!! Patricia remarried and they moved to Alabama a few months ago. She’s on FB if you want to find her…maiden name. Thanks for the tip on the MFT’ers. I’d like to find hubby a horse he can ride with me and be comfortable!! He just can sit on my BIG, wide horses any more!!
We are in NE Ok. No rare breeds around here!!! QH’s and more QH’s!! I have a couple great ones, but they are big and stout!! Thanks!!
I looked on a few local “horse for sale sites”. Found one that wasn’t a million miles away…why do people advertise cheap horses so far away from where they live??? No TWers to be found. Some of the MFT had HUGE price tags!! Thanks for all the input!!
Consider the Mangalarga Marchador. Strong conformations, easy gaits, and quiet temperament. And Iberian looks. What’s not to like?!?!?!
If you’re in OK then you’re not far from the largest U.S. Marchador breeder, Flying Oaks Ranch. Go here for more information. http://flyingoaksranch.com/
G.
As an older rider with crappy knees I can tell you to look for a more narrow horse with flat or “slap” sided barrel. It makes such a BIG difference for achey knees. Tons of TWHs in the Louisiana area. “Gaited Rescue Team, Sharing and Caring” is the FB name for a group who are rescuing gaited horses all over the country. They purchase horses in danger from Kill buyers and put them thru quarantine, training, health care, etc. The horses are then sold to good homes at cost. Anyway, some of these wonderful people may be out your way.
I rode my first TWH just a short while ago. Loved the ride and the horse. Short, sturdy, sane, forward racker. It was sooooo comfortable and he can really cover ground. Wish you were closer because he may go up for sale. I’d buy him if I could afford another. Anyway, I’d suggest the narrow type horse and one confirmed in it’s gait.
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chicamux makes a great point about comfort & barrel shape. I have a pacing Standardbred who is slab sided and he is very easy on the knees. Not all Standies are gaited, but those that are and have been trained to ride can be very comfy. I chose the breed because I wanted a big, forward, sane, sweet gaited trail horse with rock hard feet, and that’s exactly what he is. Your hubby might like an off the track Standie – they’re often forward and fast without being nuts. I don’t put many people on my oldster because when he steps out, their eyes pop and they grab mane. Not sure about harness racing in OK, but, maybe you have some speed racking folks nearby? They use Standies.
You could take a look online for a Standardbred Pleasure Horse Organization in your state – they have classifieds. And the eastern rescues have great web sites – adoptahorse.org is the STB retirement foundation. There’s Sunshinehorses.org, and New Vocations, too. Good luck.
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Second a STB! I just got one and love him dearly. Not sure yet if I can get him to gait under saddle, but hoping to turn his pace into a nice rack.
I had a TWH gelding who used to rack prior to some really bad arthritis. He was a very comfortable ride, and could easily keep up with horses cantering.
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I’ve never ridden a gaited horse!!! I had a buggy horse who was pacing STB once…great horse, but his gait made me SEA SICK!!! Don’t the MFTers do their gaiting naturally?? I don’t want to teach anything!! All we want is a “get on and go”, QUIET, “made”, gaited, trail “Poke”!!
Decide what you want size/age/temperament/price range, then just go look at any gaited horse that fits your list. Breeds don’t necessarily perform the signature gait, so just find something that’s comfortable to ride.
I agree, the pace is awful.
Ditto “Walker’s” sound Pearls of Wisdom on their first post.
I jave ace been riding Tennessee Walkers since 1990 thanks to lower back injuries. They come in all shapes and sizes so keep in mind two different body styles can both perform the running walk and it can very feel different on both horses. While the stepping pace is discouraged, my TWH that was with me 24 of his 27 years performed a stepping pace as champagne- smooth as some can perform the running walk.
My life long friend up in PA still does a lot of hard trail riding (she is 68). She has a wonderful Rocky that has been with her for 11 years. She points, he goes:)
The only two RMH breeders I knew about that were ethical have both retired and sold whatever horses they were going to sell. I know of several TWH people who ethically buy/sell and also breed their own but they are not close to you.
i wouldn’t say this if you didn’t have any horse experience but you do ------ you might look at the rescues and see if something doesn’t catch your eye. While rescues can’t get all the “bugs” out of a horse that someone has ruined, you have the experience to fix any flaws or unacceptable behavior.
There is also Walkers West in Texas. All I know about them is the absolutely massive collection of Walking Horse history they have put on-line, free to the public. They’ve been buy-/selling mostly Walking Horses for many years, including overseas. It might be worth looking at their sale horses; they also have a few consignment horses listed.
Also, your husband might be interested in looking into the wide trail stirrups that swivel. And with a Walking Horse, it’s really easy for him to take his feet out of the stirrups, let his legs dangle and enjoy the ride:)
Best of of luck, hope you find something:)
I just purchased a 9 y/o TWH mare with nearly 500 endurance miles on her. I just can’t rave enough about how I no longer am dealing with ankle pain, knee pain, rubs, and chafes. I’ve ridden a variety of gaited horses (Paso, Saddlebred, Rocky Mountain, and TWHs). I spent about 6 months researching gaited horses before I bought my mare last week. I have some friends who’ve done endurance on Rocky/Kentucky Mountains and these horses like to go and have a wonderful temperament. I’ve also noticed that MSF’s are pretty popular for avid trail riders. TWH’s you may have to research the individual horse because the one’s bred for the show ring often have a nervous temperament and could possibly have hock & hoof problems if they did anything like the “Big Lick”.
I think once you get a good gaited horses, it’s hard to go back to anything non-gaited!
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My gaited guy is a Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse, which is not a breed but a registry. They came from Rockies I think. My horse goes back to Moon who was a Mountain Pleasure sire of sires. He is very very mellow.
Anyway, here are some thoughts:
- Gaiteds’ natural plain walk is faster than that of quarter horses, so I have spent a lot of trail time circling back or putting on the brakes in a way that can frustrate my horse, just to have riding company (I live in Texas so QH’s are plentiful).
- Several times in his life he has temporarily ‘lost’ his gait. This has always been due to stiffness from underwork. We get it back through lots of small circles and bending work. So “get on and gait” has not been the whole story for me at least.
- I highly recommend the flexy stirrups for knee pain. Depending on whether your husband rides English or Western, there are several different kinds of stirrups and conversion kits that allow a more comfortable angle between knee and ankle. Also on a longer trail ride, just losing the stirrups for a few minutes each half hour really helps.
