Sit back in the saddle a bit and push her in to the bit with a slight tension, yet let her nod her head abit Head up ! I can see she has it .I she shawed? If not how is she trimmed. They naturally ware down the heels. If you farrier is building up the heels like a quarter horse it will make her break gait. Let her wear like she would the way she moves. Common mistake. Takes a good farrier to know the difference. I have 3. The first one is 27 and it took3 years to get the trimming right.
well done! i know how hard it is to get a trotter to work well like that i had one and he couldnt trot/canter took me 3 years to teach him a 3 beat canter
Check out my video from this year. We have made progress and as you will see, she is smooth and covering ground. She was not, however relaxed because her buddy was back at the trailer yelling.
Interestingly enough, horses have to hollow their back in order to rack/gait--which can result in soreness and lack of muscle tone in their back. If you lower your hands and ask your horse to lower his head on command, he can learn to relax, while building muscle and a good top line. I have been also asking my horse to trot on the lunge to help with building muscle. Instead of hollowing out to avoid pain, the muscle can help support you and do lots of walking that way before requesting speed.
Not true. A horse has a hollow back when pacing or step pacing, but not when gaiting. The rack is like a flat walk except it's a tighter and doesn't have a head shake.
I want to commend you for working with your horse naturally and recognizing what she needs to get the correct fox trot out of her. Riders like you are rare! Way to go to get those natural gaits!
Thanks, that's a really nice compliment. I think she is doing better all the time. Not bad for an older gal set in her ways. I really do need to make a new video of her sometime.
I just bought Clinton ANderson's Gaited HOrse series and it has helped me SOOOO much with getting my horses soft & supple AND GAITING! Don't be afraid to get her hind end going underneath her and Clinton's DVD set would help you immensely as it has helped me with all of my gaited TWH & MFT's! :)
Very pretty mare. I would try moving your saddle back just a little to free up her shoulders and working with her headset. Her head is too high. I would alos try a different bit maybe a solid kimberwick.
Thanks for your comments. Actually, I think I was using a solid kimberwick, but had not been in it very long. We have had some breakthroughs since this video was taken. She is starting to flex at the poll and relax and when she does she give me some really nice movement. It's wonderful! I am hoping to have another better recording in the spring.
I ended up with a Reinsman gaited horse saddle. I trailered her over to the local tack shop ad we tried some different ones on her and came up iwht this one. Reinsman makes a good saddle typically. I enjoy it too! Never tried an Imus.
I've never tried a Reinsman. Thats nice that you can just trailer her over-- easiest way to do it! I love my Imus but I had to wait for a s ale, they are SO expensive, but very nice saddles also.
I see mostly trot-like gait. doesnt seem exactly like a trot, seems a bit... different? I am not familiar with foxtrotters though... but hey, so long as she isn't pacing! It looks like the trick to get her gaiting might be to slow her down. That was the trick to get my TWH out of a pace and into a runningwalk and rack.
Spottedsaddlehorse, yes, a trot is diagonal. pace is lateral. a stepping pace, runningwalk, flat walk, fox trot and rack are somewhere in between. "intermediate" gaits.
Most of them are lateral gaits, but fox trot is considered a diagonal gait. It is like a trot where the diagonal pair do not hit at the same time. The front hoof hits first and then the diagonal in back. In a class fox trot there should be a ka-chunk, ka-chunk, ka-chunk feel to it. I am new to fox trotters though, so I am no expert.
Sit back in the saddle a bit and push her in to the bit with a slight tension, yet let her nod her head abit Head up ! I can see she has it .I she shawed? If not how is she trimmed. They naturally ware down the heels. If you farrier is building up the heels like a quarter horse it will make her break gait. Let her wear like she would the way she moves. Common mistake. Takes a good farrier to know the difference. I have 3. The first one is 27 and it took3 years to get the trimming right.
wolfhybred 1 year ago
well done! i know how hard it is to get a trotter to work well like that i had one and he couldnt trot/canter took me 3 years to teach him a 3 beat canter
Cossy1065 2 years ago
She is a good horse overall and fun on the trail. You should check out her more recent videos. We have really made progress.
librarydragon830 2 years ago
atn1:36 was that the flat walk?
orangerocks3 2 years ago
@orangerocks3 No that was getting into a slow gait
1JonasLoveForever1 1 year ago
She Truly Beautiful, really like WOW :O
hullabalooh 2 years ago
Thanks for the compliments. She has gotten softer and better in her gait since this was taken. She is a mare of many gaits though.
librarydragon830 2 years ago
Pretty!
kristileah789 2 years ago
Thanks!
librarydragon830 2 years ago
Jeezum, mine does that as well, I only know her breeding to be part trotter hummmm food for thought.
lucerperson 3 years ago
u have a beautiful horse! GORGEOUS
orangerocks3 3 years ago
Thank you, Orangerocks3. I like her pretty well too. ;-)
librarydragon830 3 years ago
Check out my video from this year. We have made progress and as you will see, she is smooth and covering ground. She was not, however relaxed because her buddy was back at the trailer yelling.
librarydragon830 3 years ago
Interestingly enough, horses have to hollow their back in order to rack/gait--which can result in soreness and lack of muscle tone in their back. If you lower your hands and ask your horse to lower his head on command, he can learn to relax, while building muscle and a good top line. I have been also asking my horse to trot on the lunge to help with building muscle. Instead of hollowing out to avoid pain, the muscle can help support you and do lots of walking that way before requesting speed.
MVitulli99 3 years ago
Not all true; the gait where I feel my standie is raising his back the most, without me doing anything, is in the rack.
But many gaited horses are ridden with hollowed backs.
nanakla 3 years ago 2
Not true. A horse has a hollow back when pacing or step pacing, but not when gaiting. The rack is like a flat walk except it's a tighter and doesn't have a head shake.
TwoWebs 2 years ago
My 2 cents. Lower your hands - this will help her lower her head. When her head is up she hollows her back and that results in lateral pace.
flyingfens 3 years ago
I want to commend you for working with your horse naturally and recognizing what she needs to get the correct fox trot out of her. Riders like you are rare! Way to go to get those natural gaits!
katphoti 3 years ago
Thanks, that's a really nice compliment. I think she is doing better all the time. Not bad for an older gal set in her ways. I really do need to make a new video of her sometime.
librarydragon830 3 years ago
I just bought Clinton ANderson's Gaited HOrse series and it has helped me SOOOO much with getting my horses soft & supple AND GAITING! Don't be afraid to get her hind end going underneath her and Clinton's DVD set would help you immensely as it has helped me with all of my gaited TWH & MFT's! :)
montesbugsalive 3 years ago
nice if could keep it longer and faster
wolfhybred 3 years ago
Very pretty mare. I would try moving your saddle back just a little to free up her shoulders and working with her headset. Her head is too high. I would alos try a different bit maybe a solid kimberwick.
foxtrot57567 4 years ago
Thanks for your comments. Actually, I think I was using a solid kimberwick, but had not been in it very long. We have had some breakthroughs since this video was taken. She is starting to flex at the poll and relax and when she does she give me some really nice movement. It's wonderful! I am hoping to have another better recording in the spring.
librarydragon830 4 years ago
She is lovely no matter what gait she's doing!
catnipmouse 4 years ago
Very pretty horse, BTW! what kind of gaited saddle did you get? I just got the Brenda Imus 4-Beat saddle, its SOOOOOOOOOOO comfy!!!
TWHequestrian 4 years ago
I ended up with a Reinsman gaited horse saddle. I trailered her over to the local tack shop ad we tried some different ones on her and came up iwht this one. Reinsman makes a good saddle typically. I enjoy it too! Never tried an Imus.
librarydragon830 4 years ago
I've never tried a Reinsman. Thats nice that you can just trailer her over-- easiest way to do it! I love my Imus but I had to wait for a s ale, they are SO expensive, but very nice saddles also.
TWHequestrian 4 years ago
I see mostly trot-like gait. doesnt seem exactly like a trot, seems a bit... different? I am not familiar with foxtrotters though... but hey, so long as she isn't pacing! It looks like the trick to get her gaiting might be to slow her down. That was the trick to get my TWH out of a pace and into a runningwalk and rack.
Spottedsaddlehorse, yes, a trot is diagonal. pace is lateral. a stepping pace, runningwalk, flat walk, fox trot and rack are somewhere in between. "intermediate" gaits.
TWHequestrian 4 years ago
I thought a trot was a diagnal gait. I thought gaited horses did lateral gaits
spottedsaddlehorses 4 years ago
Most of them are lateral gaits, but fox trot is considered a diagonal gait. It is like a trot where the diagonal pair do not hit at the same time. The front hoof hits first and then the diagonal in back. In a class fox trot there should be a ka-chunk, ka-chunk, ka-chunk feel to it. I am new to fox trotters though, so I am no expert.
librarydragon830 4 years ago
spottedsaddlehorses,most gaited horses do travel lateral,however,the foxtrot is a diagonal gait.
crowleysridgegirl 4 years ago