Slow footed movement

[jonem004]

I’m going to expose my red-neck roots here. There is a quality of movement some horses have where they naturally have a long, slow stride. I’ve heard it described as “slow footed”. Is there another term for this? While it’s not as much of a focus in hunters as it is in some western and breed disciplines (this may be an inaccurate assumption, I know nothing about western horses) it does seem to be rewarded in the hack, and even o/f when a horse can lope down the line with this huge slow stride.

So is there another term for this? I feel ridiculous saying “slow footed” when I’m talking about young warmblood and sport horse prospects, but I don’t know what else to call it!

[Peggy]

Slow legged.

[dags]

I use quick-footed to describe jumpers, but not the inverse for hunters. They’re just slow across the ground, or big quiet canter, or perhaps lopey. Slow-legged would have me thinking it doesn’t jump very well up front, as even the hunters want a nice snap off the ground.

[GoodTimes]

I usually say something like big quiet canter/big slow canter, or that the horse easily walk the lines.

[Pokerface]

long strided with great rhythm, float across the ground, walk the lines.

Slow footed makes me think of a clumsy horse lol.

[jonem004]

I guess I’ve used slow legged as well. I feel better that this is a known descriptor.

[jonem004]

True, we do want them to snap those knees up fast. I was hoping there was some alternative term for this way of moving, but mostly I don’t want to sound like someone’s yokel relation by mistake. On purpose is different. I like to keep my options open.

[Peggy]

You can be more specific and say slow legged across the ground.

[jvanrens]

Slowlegged is how I’ve always heard it. Long, sweeping strides, not quick short ones.

[Moneypitt]

Sorry a bit off topic but the ‘slow legged’ got me thinking…

Am I the only person that finds slo-mo sales videos highly annoying? Sigh. I just find that annoying as all get out.

If you have to slo-mo video; it’s not a horse that would interest me. On the flat or over jumps. Just say no way…

That and what’s up with all those horses advertised as having a ginormous canter stride; whose stride obviously fits well in between the arena fence posts? Lol. Well compared to a 6’ sideways lope; it’s ginormous, I guess?

Then there is the Euro impression of hack winner movement and hunter prospect which honestly also has left me wondering. Huh?

**Not really shopping but often looking…

[EmilyM]

The slow motion drives me crazy too. If you have to edit a video electronically that much, I’m already suspicious.

[vxf111]

Can’t hack in slow mo so I don’t care what it looks like in slow mo. I hate it too

[lenapesadie]

On the other end of the scale, I had a Western Pleasure person offer me a ride on her horse that “has a lot of leg”. Evidently that means the horse trots and canters

[Willesdon]

“Daisy cutting”? A long, low stride with the flick of the toe?

[trubandloki]

@Willesdon

“Daisy cutting”? A long, low stride with the flick of the toe?

Daisy Cutter is the term I am used to for describing a hack winning hunter horse.

[TheJenners]

I think a slow-legged horse is often a daisy cutter, but the two aren’t mutually inclusive? To me a daisy cutter is the epitome of a hunter pony, the toe that juuuuuuust manages to not scrape the ground with the toe pop at the end. They aren’t always slow, just like the big slow canters on some bigger hunters don’t always (but usually) skim the ground at the trot.

[vxf111]

To me “slow legged” and “daisy cutter” are two different things. Not every slow legged good mover is a daisy cutter. A horse with a lot of suspension can still be a slow legged good mover but not a daisy cutter.

[Pokerface]

I don’t hear “Daisy Cutter” very often anymore since horses with more suspension became more popular. I typically think of western horses being “daisy cutter” or “slow legged”, but those aren’t terms I hear in the hunter world very much. FTR, I am located in the mid-atlantic area.

[trubandloki]

Thank you for clarifying the difference @TheJenners and @vxf111. I admit, it has been a very long time since I bought a horse.

[DMK]

Slow leg/slow footed had always been a horse who is soft and relaxed through his topline (and in his brain ), getting the maximum reach in the requested gait with the lowest frequency of footfalls and up in front of your leg on his own.

To me it’s the best starting place to build on for so many other requirements for so many disciplines; jumpers, reiners cutters, dressage, combined driving, etc. Not so much with hunters, it’s more the finished product there, not that there isn’t ten thousand other things to work on, but there’s no show requirement beyond that gait, and that gait is what you want to approach a fenced with.