ridecamp@endurance.net: Re: Gaited Horses

Re: Gaited Horses

Duncan Fletcher (dfletche@gte.net)
Tue, 11 Mar 1997 08:09:04 -0800

If you can find an Arab that naturally gaits (watch him move free in a
pasture) rather than trot it might work, otherwise the odds of getting a
good gait are very low. If you want a big horse, you don't breed to a pony.
It takes a lot of generations to get gait to breed true. In fact many of
the gaited breeds have real problems because of gait variations (sometimes
deliberately bred). TWH are frequently pacey (desired for big lick but not
for light shod). Icelandics are bred for 5 gaits and don't always do all 5
well. A lot of TWH blood was brought into the MFT breed. The Pasos and
Peruvians are generally more consistently gaited because they have been
bred consistently for even four beat gait to slightly uneven (stepping
pace) for many years, but contrary to breed hype, it still isn't quite
100%. The newer breeds (Spotted Saddle Horse, Rocky Mountain and its sister
breeds - Mountain Pleasure and Kentucky Mountain) are a mixed lot of other
gaited breeds (TWH, MFT, Paso, Peruvian, Icelandic, etc.) and grade horses
that could be shown to gait. The stud books are still partially open or
have been closed only for the last few years.

Duncan Fletcher
dfletche@gte.net

----------
> From: Lauren Horn <fourhorn@mail.fia.net>
> To: gerhardt@theriver.com
> Cc: ridecamp@endurance.net
> Subject: Gaited Horses
> Date: Monday, March 10, 1997 4:29 PM
>
> gerhardt wrote:
>
> I have
> > really wondered why more people are not flocking to the gaited horses
> > generally and Mountain Horses specifically, rather than keep on riding
> > horses that they have to stand in the saddle to get away from a body
> > pounding trot, instead of a horse that they can sit on in comfort for
both
> > themselves and the horse.
>
> > ----------
>
> A few people, including John DiPietra (noted endurance rider) have gone
> from arabs to the gaited breeds. John rides Missouri Fox Trotters and
> races them at a walk and canter. If I'm not mistaken he did very well at
> the 20 Mule Team.
> Has anyone crossed a gaited horse to an Arab? What are your chances to
> inherit the gait?
>
> Lauren

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