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Re: [RC] Gaited horses-downhll - heidiIf I could find a gaited Arab - now that would be a dream come true! I met a lady at DVE last year that had one. She really enjoy the horse - said it was the most comfortable and kind horse she'd ridden. Does anybody know of a particular bloodline that produces gaited Arabs, or is a freak thing? A fair number of the older bloodlines produce horses with the physical ability to gait to some degree. Some do it more naturally than others. Several of the Kellogg and Maynesboro horses were gaited. The historic stallion Bazleyd was actually double registered with one of the gaited registries--TWH, I think. *Raseyn was shown in 5-gaited classes, and a tendency to gait is strong in the Alyf lines. One of the top endurance horses who had a strong tendency to gait was AERC Hall of Famer RT Muffin--both of his grandsires (Muhuli and Rabiycar) had a tendency to gait. I had his dam late in her life, and bred her to my stallion Abu Ben Surrabu who gaits (*Raseyn and Rabiyas blood there--Rabiyas is behind both Rabiycar and Muhuli's sire Abu Farwa)--their daughter has a tendency to gait out in the pasture, as do both of the daughters we've raised from her. I'm looking forward to riding her at some point, for sure! Also, though, it has been my experience that horses who have the conformation and the fluidity of motion to be able to gait (instead of being stuck in a very regimented trot) will begin to dissociate the trot into a four-beat gait going down hills if they are encouraged to do so by a rider who understands how to do it. I can't really describe how to get a horse to do this, other than encouraging them with your seat to drop their rears and get underneath themselves. With horses for whom this doesn't just occur naturally on the downhills, one does start slowly, helping them to balance as they go--but when they "get it" they can flat fly. The one old slow coach that I ride is to my way of thinking not all that talented at it--yet, having been taught, I am amazed how often we find ourselves out in front of groups on the downhills and pulling away. Heidi =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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