# How To Stop A Horse Pacing



## Spirithorse (Jun 21, 2007)

In what situation(s) does he pace?


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## donovan (Jun 11, 2009)

Spirithorse said:


> In what situation(s) does he pace?


 he paces under saddle when i try to trot


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## Spirithorse (Jun 21, 2007)

I don't know much about that kind of thing, but look up David Lichman. He specializes in gaited horses and is a phenominal horseman.


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## Scoutrider (Jun 4, 2009)

My first horse was part gaited horse, and he could pace like a demon. I always had better luck getting him to trot if I posted. If I sat, I was a lot more likely to get the pace. Ground poles help, too, just make sure that they're correctly spaced for your horse's stride. I can't speak for all, but my guy did best if I kinda helped him keep rhythm by humming or singing (I still have an arsenal of tunes with rhythms that really matched his trot, lol). A quick command to upshift helped, too. If I started too gently and tried to ease him into the trot, I almost always got a stiff pace. A quick "goose" of my leg usually put him right into a trot.

It really depends on the horse and how ingrained the pacing is. My horse was over 15 when I got him, so he'd built up pacing muscles for a good while. You need to build the right muscles for trotting. I eventually got to where I had a walk, pace, trot, and canter on cue. My sister could never get a trot out of that horse, though, he would only ever pace for her, lol.

If you don't plan on showing, pacing really isn't a problem. It's a good bit smoother than a trot, and once you get used to sitting it isn't too bad to ride. Although, if you want to show anything outside of games or in hand classes, a horse with a solid trot might serve you better.

If your horse is anything like mine, you can look forward to a gorgeous rocking chair canter. My sis would canter him bareback and stirrupless all the time, she just loved to sit on that canter.

Best of luck!


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