In a message dated 10/14/2004 12:43:44 PM Pacific Standard Time, guest-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
But for any horse to go all the way across from a hard square pace to a hard square trot? Can this really happen? Anyway,God Save the Running Walk! I really don't think there is a safer gait in bad country>>>>
5 gaited Icelandic are very capable of hard pacing and trotting. I've shown a few 5 gaited horses and they are judged on walk, trot, tolt (rack), canter and flying pace (hard pace with a moment of suspension). It is not an unusual occurrence.
In my experience the easiest way to see if a horse is wired toward diagonal or lateral gaits is to look at the canter...the more laterally gaited, the more likely you will get a four beat or pacey canter (I'm talking in the pasture...untrained at canter).
