I’m looking for a trainer who works with both horses and riders for me and my Tennessee Walker. I’m an advanced rider in other disciplines but new to gaited horses and want to prepare my new gelding for trail riding. Thanks in advance for your suggestions.
If you don’t have luck finding a good gaited trainer near you, take a look at Ivy’s website:)
She is in Illinois but she has free videos, and does do on-line lessons. I have never heard anything bad about her:)
With you being an advanced rider in other disciplines, it could be all you need is some on-line time and videos to give you a boost:)
Best wishes and, as a 29 year owner of Tennessee Walkers for trail riding, thank you for taking the time to try and “get it right” :)
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If you’re an advanced rider you don’t need a “gaited horse trainer.” You ride a gaited horse as you ride any other (in tack that fits balanced in the center of the horse using classical cues and aids). There are some subtle difference as to how you might do some given task, but they are “small stuff” in the Big Picture.
One place you DO have pay attention is the place where the horse falls on the spectrum of gait. Gait is the result of the horse expressing it’s way of going through its conformation. There are some subtle differences in conformation, particularly in the very lateral horse. The following is one way to look for these differences in your horse.
Get a pencil and blank piece of paper and draw a line. At the center of the line make a mark, then mark the ends. On the left side label the mark “pace.” On the right, label the mark “trot.” In the center label the mark “centered gait.” As I’m sure you are aware, the true pace is a two beat, lateral gait with no moment of suspension. The trot is a two beat, diagonal gait with a moment of suspension. Between these extremes you will find a bunch of footfall timing with various names. A centered gait would be a normal walking sequence greatly accelerated. The true running walk is such a gait. Others will fall on each side of that gait and have many names, such as paso fino, paso largo, marcha picada, foxtrot, stepping pace, marcha batida, etc. A good way to get some help in this is video the horse moving in gait and post it. Or, if you find someone in the area with a good knowledge of gait (and not every gaited horse owner meets this description ;)) the you can see what the “native gait” of your horse is and then act accordingly.
And to complicate the matter just a bit more, with Walkers (and most horses that tend to the lateral side) it’s possible to influence gait significantly through trimming and shoeing practices.* So what you see may NOT be the “native gait” unless the horse is trimmed to anatomical correctness and either barefoot or shod in a standard shoe that is not designed to influence gait. If the farrier is not attempting to influence gait then the video will work. If they are, then them not to and when they have been reset to anatomical correctness give the horse a few days to settle in and then try a video.
This really isn’t “rocket science,” it’s mostly the application of sound horsemanship. Ride in the classical style, correctly, and you’ll get pretty much what the horse has to offer. If you want to refine that then maybe find a reputable Walker trainer and plan a “weekend away” with you and your horse at the trainer’s location. For an advanced rider it won’t take more than a day or so for you to get the idea of what you’re about. Then you can decide how much further you want to go.
Good luck in your program.
G.
*As well as saddle placement, rider posture, bit type, etc. If you’re riding in a classical position with proper tack placement and hand use these ought not to be an issue for you.
