# fast twh



## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

Go buy a walker for yourself!

Truly it's not easy to mix gaited with non gaited horses. If that group wont work to stay down at your speed you have a couple choices. Try your best to stay up, get a walker for yourself or go find another group to ride with.


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

ride faster, ride alone, ride with different people. pretty much it.


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## Lafitte (Jun 6, 2011)

Yeah I was thinking the same thing. Plus my horse doesn't it like it when they leave him but good point, their gaited and they walk a lot faster than my QH. I've actually started just working on riding out alone. But what do you say when the people invite you though?


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

Be willing to always give it a try but be ready to not go a second time. Be honest in your replies to their queries on why you go or don't go.


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## Lafitte (Jun 6, 2011)

Good point. But sometimes they just don't get it, they don't understand that you don't want to ride with them because they do walk faster + I don't like riding in big groups (over 3). Me and my horse feel tight and it isn't pleasant.


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## kim_angel (Oct 16, 2007)

My husband has a TWH and I have a QH. We have the same issue as you do.
He just doubles back every now and then or tries to get his horse to walk behind mine and slooow down!


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## alexis rose (Oct 1, 2012)

I have that problem with my Appaloosa. He walks faster than the Walking horses! I usually have to double back until he settles down and then he will walk behind somebody else. I am working on him walking slower but he is young and it is taking awhile. :-(


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## Cacowgirl (Feb 19, 2011)

Gaited horses are usually known as fast movers, Some QH's are very slow moving,so right off there's an issue. You have to be honest w/the other riders & let them know that it just isn't fun for you to be left behind, & that sometimes a large group is more than you want to handle on a particular day.


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## Tianimalz (Jan 6, 2009)

As the sole owner of a gaited horse in my current trail riding "band", I can say it's a bit tricky at first :lol: If the person on the gaited horse is willing, they CAN keep a horse reined in and at a more steady walk, it's possible with seat cues. That method does however tend to annoy my mare for too long, so sometimes I'll let her walk at her breakneck pace to get it out of her system, and then we rejoin the other non-gaited riders :lol: 


My second horse is an appy/paint, she has a slow as snail pace... but with a little conditioning we are training her to walk a little faster, and keeping Indie a little slower so we can walk together. It just takes a little time and effort and even then not all horses respond to it.

Good luck!!


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## DancingArabian (Jul 15, 2011)

I don't get it. If you (general you) won't rein in the horse why bother asking to ride out with people if you're just going to leave them behind?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

My horses CAN slow down and walk with anybody. It is truely what the rider is willing to ask of his horses.

I ride with all kinds of horses and people. And while I enjoy moving at a brisk pace. I have on many occassion slowed and just enjoyed the company that I was riding with.

Now with that said, Some horses just want to move out. I've got a Fractous Arab/Saddlebred that loves to cover ground. He is not gaited, But can out move any of my foxtrotter horses. His Jog is so fast he messes up my foxtrotters gaits. They are right on the verge of what they can do at a foxtrot and breaking over into a canter. I've learned that I often have to put him behind several other horses that are not as fast as he is. He is not happy about not being the leader, but has learned that sometimes thats his position. Again it all comes back to the rider rating his horses speed.

People who buy gaited horses usually want to ride at 5-6-7 mph. While folks on hard trotting horses are content to mosey along at 2-3 mph. If you are in the slower class and want to ride with the faster group. Teach your horse to walk out. I've seen many a Quarter horse that can do a faster walk or even a nice western jog and keep up with the gaited horses. If you don't enjoy riding your horse at those speeds and yoru gaited friends won't slow down, Then find new riding buddies.


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## goneriding (Jun 6, 2011)

A lot of my friends ride gaited. We ride QH's so we do a lot of trotting. It is what it is. I rode with this same group right before gun season, hubby was hunting, and took his horse which even though she is sixteen hands, she is very smooth. I posted most of the time but it required little effort on my part because she is so smooth. I did not get worn out. I had a blast!

They are trying to convert us to gaited......


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## bbsmfg3 (Aug 12, 2010)

There is only one reason the QH is slower, it was trained that way.

No reason on this green earth, why a QH walks slow, other than that's the way it was taught.

The QH can be trained to walk above a peanut crawl if it is asked to so. That's the only reason the gaited walk faster, they were trained that way.


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## huntfishnride (Jan 25, 2012)

Agree with many of the previous posts that much can be done with good training. I also think that it can be lots easier to get a horse that naturally fits with how you want to ride.

Even within the same breed horses move at different speeds. We had quarter horses for years and some walked dog slow and others walked out real nicely. Me and my cousins rode many, many miles on the slow but very calm and pleasant ones that bounced us to death trying to keep up with the smooth riding faster walking QH's that our dads/uncles were on. The horse I rode for years was the roughest trotting slowest walking son of a gun ever born. I believe I still have "brain shakes" because of him. Finally we just came to the conclusion that for the riding we did we likely horses that moved out and could cover country. As a whole that meant it was easier to find smooth riding gaited horses that matched up well than a bunch of exceptionally fast walking qh's. We slowly converted to TWH's and then with time found that we actually preferred MFT's in the rough, steep country we hunt and ride in. 

Even still some of our horses naturally move faster than others, but we have worked to get horses that match up well with those we ride with and limit the amount of effort required for an enjoyable ride.


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## Pattilou (Jul 8, 2010)

This is why I ride by myself most of the time. Even at a slow walk my SSH hind feet come about 12 inches over the front hoof print ( that's what makes him a great smooth gaited horse) that also what makes it uncomfortable to ride with other breeds of horses. 

I have a couple of friends with Arabs and one is 30 yr old and he can really keep up. And I don't mean to generalize at all, but the women I know that have QH ride REALLY SLOW ! We also have a gaited horse group here that does several rides a year and your horse has to be gaited to go . 

I know you should be able to make your horse go the speed you prefer, but sometimes its not worth the effort and I just want to enjoy the ride !


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## HorseCrazyTeen (Jul 29, 2012)

I have a TWH and I have to do the double back thing a lot when I am riding with other people. Usually one or two of them are QHs, too. We always whiz by! I am working on having her slow it down when I say so and it is improving, but she has a great big overstride so she will always naturally be faster. I mean, that's what they were bred for, right? To zip comfortably across huge plantations?

Now I've figured out that she will usually slow down if she is in the lead. It's like we are in a walking race until then though!


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## QOS (Dec 8, 2008)

I ride a QH and my buddy rides a TW. I taught my QH to jog behind the TW. We kick down the trail together all the time...sometimes I am leading, sometimes she is. Never have a problem going with gaited horses!


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## Silent one (Aug 22, 2011)

This is why we mostly ride our gaited horses with the gaited people and our non-gaited horses with other non-gaited horses. On occasion we will mix the two groups, but it is more difficult. My gaited horses will walk slow if you make them, but its not the most pleasant thing. They all have free-swinging long striding walks that are just generally faster. All my horses will flat walk on a loose rein, but the gaited horses just do it faster. For the gaited horses to be comfortable and stress free on the ride, the non-gaited horses generally have to trot to keep up. Just doesn't work well for us.


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## Lafitte (Jun 6, 2011)

It's not much fun for me to have to trot all the time just to keep up. I like to trot every now and then on the trail but I like to just walk and take in the scenery. Since I've started this post, I've been riding alone so I can enjoy myself more and I can go any gait I want and I feel more connected with my horse because it's just us.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

A trail horse should have a good ground covering walk but riders often don't realize a horse is capable of a faster walk. Ever notice how well it can quicken the pace coming home? Expect that when going out as well.


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## tim62988 (Aug 30, 2012)

i think it's easier to have a single TWH with a group of non-gaited. my mare is pretty good at falling into pace behind others.

if others say "hey tim why don't you lead for a bit" well that's their choice and then it's the wife and I out front. her POA doing it's jig & my mare just stretching out


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## thenrie (Sep 10, 2012)

I'm having a tough time teaching my QH to walk at a good clip. She likes to mosey and I like a good fast walk. Not meaning to hijack the thread, but I figure the OP might get something from this as well.

I saw something on the Internet from a trainer (can't recall her name), but she is pretty well-known. She takes a piece of stiff rope, like a piece of an old worn-out lariat, and makes a loop around the horse's rump, such that it hangs down to just about half-way down the gaskins. She ties a knot in the middle of it and attaches the ends to the rear cinch rings. As the horse walks, the knot hits the horse's gaskins, causing it to short-stride and step quicker. She has some goofy name like "hope rope" or something like that for it. I think I may give it a try. I am open to other suggestions, if anybody has any.


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## Dead Rabbit (Jul 14, 2012)

if i had to ride at a 2-3 mph pace, i wouldnt even ride.

i like to move along at a good pace. 

true story: my business partner has a walker/morgan mare. shes not gaited. he keeps her at a farm with a bunch of other folks with QHs. they went for a 6 hr ride one sat. and covered 12 miles.
the same wkend, i rode with another friend 20 miles in 3 hrs. we have walkers. it was hot summer time so we didnt push our horse. 
when i told him, what we did, he was floored. and claimed they stopped a few times, for a total of 30 mins. well so did we. he said, "ya'll were really moving out" my reply was, "thats what happens when you have a real horse"


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

It's kinda fun to look down at your GPS and see that you are floating along at 12 mph on a good gaited horse. But most of my horses are pretty lazy and like to walk out at 4 mph. Unless they are headed back to the trailer.

I have one Arab/Saddlebred gelding that my daughters like to ride. If I let them take the lead, the whole bunch of us move along at 6-8 mph. As my other horses don't want to get left behind and are willing to keep up.

This time of year, my horses are all haired up. If we ride that fast, they get pretty sweaty. Plus I've pulled alll their shoes and there is some ice and snow on the ground. So the 4 mph is OK for most rides.


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## Dead Rabbit (Jul 14, 2012)

last couple fridays (not today) we rode. it was warm here, esp. for this time of yr. my buddys walker is about 20 yrs old and has a heavy coat on her. she was all lathered up, dripping off her. i never saw her get that hot even in the hot summer time. this was only after a couple of miles. we cut the ride short both times cause of how hot she was. mine was ready for more. she didnt lather up at all, my mare is only 6 yrs old. his mare has a much thicker coat. perhaps age has something to do with it


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

Diet can have a lot to do with the kind of sweat a horse produces.

If you feed more grass, your horse will tend toward a more watery sweat that helps to cool the horse better.

If you feed more alfalfa, your horse will tend toward a heavier lather sweat that cakes and slows down the cooling.


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## Dead Rabbit (Jul 14, 2012)

i know his horse gets hardly any grass if any at all. all hay. and he feeds a sweet feed. lots of molassas too.

mine is on grass. and just a couple handfuls of pellets morning and evening.

thing is, his was on the same diet during the summertime.


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## thenrie (Sep 10, 2012)

I know I work up a sweat a lot faster, now that I'm 54 than when I was 25.:lol:


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

I don't know his horse, So I'm speaking in very general terms. 

But the high calcium content of alfalfa contributes to a heavy lathery type of sweat. It's one of the reasons endurance riders avoid feeding a diet mainly of alfalfa. It also causes the horse to pee more. Thus requiring the horse to drink more water to stay hydrated.

Now alfalfa is great during the endurance race when the horses need a recharge of calcium to help with the muscle trigger.

You can read more about equine nutrition for distance horses at:
Susan E. Garlinghouse, DVM horse management articles and lectures


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