Gaited Quarter Horse

This is my registered 8 y.o. American Quarter Horse, Tucker. He's gaited...after a long trail ride, I decided to try out Tuck's 'gait'. I let Leah hop on him so I could see it and video it. We're not sure exactly what it is, but I've been told it looks like the Indian Shuffle?

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• horse
• gaited
• quarter
• indian
• shuffle

[mgrayce]

Great video.. and yes there are horses who are gaited throughout every breed. You see, back in the 1700's when the US was being settled, gaited horses in all breeds out numbered NON gaited horses 3 to 1. So that means there is three times more gaited BLOOD in all breeds going forward. So even though it's uncommon to have a quarter horse who gaits... it's possible and today it IS special! I am Gaited Horse Expert for 20 years and experience has shown many breeds who gait, race, pace, etc.

[DoubleSCallsIt]

@mgrayce thanks for understanding! very interesting facts. i have now seen him do it in the pasture, of his own free will. so i am convinced it is 100% natural for him. i didn't create it. either he learned it or he was born with it. i need to get a newer, higher quality video up here...this is from years ago and his gait has improved.

[DoubleSCallsIt]

So far, I've heard of two other Quarter Horses that do this (or something similar). I think it is a rack. The judge at our show said he was "a cute little racker" and my instructor, who knows a ton about gaited horses, said that it's a rack. So I guess I should rename it "Racking Quarter Horse"? :)

[DoubleSCallsIt]

yeah, when we ride with gaited horses, he doesn't struggle to keep up, haha. That's neat about your own horse! 

[DoubleSCallsIt]

@cjhiRWIN : snazzy! thanks for that information!! i think he's quite cute myself :P

[crazyyjumpergurl]

That's really cool! I never knew that some Quarter Horses could do that!

[DoubleSCallsIt]

@crazyyjumpergurl it is cool! I love it. I feel like I have something special and different :) some people still don't believe me, though. I guess I'll just have to throw them on him so they can feel it, haha.

[susanmeanslily]

I had a registered qQuarter Horse mare that would single foot. I had never ridden or seen a gaited horse and didn't know what it was called. It was a "shuffle' and she could do it at all speeds. She also had a fast walk and was incredibly smooth at a trot and lope. Her name was "Shy," so I called it "The Shy Shuffle" before I found out what it was.

[mgrayce]

@DoubleSCallsIt -- what that is called is that horses have a DNA Marker (ever hear of a recessive gene) for gait. It can be in a horse's bloodline forever and not show up until "wham" ...there it is. It's just like having a family full of brown eyed people for 50 years and all of a sudden a blue eyed child is born into the family. Ironically, being gaited was first considered a genetic defect or birth defect. But people liked how the gait felt so much they started breeding for it.. :)

[Equestrian08]

This is quite odd I've never seen or heard of a gaited quarter horse, they are not naturally gaited....and I've never heard of an indian shuffle. It looks like some form of rack to me.

[bladeofbattousai]

That's cool! I didn't know quarter horses could do that. I bet that makes trail rides fun :)

There are gaited Morgans, and QH have Morgan in them, maybe that's where it came from. I have a slightly gaited Arab, she only does it when she really wants to go fast, and I won't let her, she'll get into this gait that's really fast and smooth as glass. I ride with Walkers and she blasts past them.

[Hartdoxies]

He is so cute. My Bar quarter horse had a very slow and smooth gate which was know as a trot back when I showed in the early 1970's. To me, the way a quarter horse moves today while trotting, looks uncomfortable for the horse and rider. I would say that your horse has some carry over characteristics,