# Conforming to the gaited crowd- for some reason it annoys me!



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Around where I am, gaited horses are not so common. When we do encounter one on the trails, our horses get very upset when the gaited horses start gaiting, so we are always asking them to please come to a walk when they are near our horses. So, I guess we are the wussies. Something about the way the gaited horses move comes off as "frantic" and gets our horses worried and frantic themselves.


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## DancingArabian (Jul 15, 2011)

The trotting might make the gaited horses feel frantic. Remember that while YOU know you're just trotting to catch up, the horses don't know that. They just know that the slow guy is suddenly starting to speed up and they think OMG WHY IS HE GOING FAST? MONSTER!

Could you schedule your riding so that you can plan around the group rides and adjust the exercise schedules of your horses accordingly?


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## mildot (Oct 18, 2011)

I would do my own ride and let others get in a froth about their problem.

Maybe turn the tables and you set a fast trot/medium canter pace.


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## Cacowgirl (Feb 19, 2011)

My gaited horse CAN walk & keep back w/the others, & my Arab has a very ground-covering walk-so for me it's not really an issue. I don't want to ride alone any more so I make the adjustments & keep my horses as calm as I can.


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## pintophile (May 18, 2011)

This is why riding alone is so much simpler :lol:


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## gunslinger (Sep 17, 2011)

I ride a walking horse, my wife rides a quarter horse. I stop and wait on her, and I don't mind at all.

I like the Cadillac ride....and of course, she loves her quarter horse, so we manage to co-exist.


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

Mum's QH gaits... he is the oddest horse, he walks, ambles (honest to goodness, it's just like a running walk), trots, paces and canters. I hate riding with them though because I'm ALWAYS trotting to catch up, and I can't set a faster pace because her horse freaks out and gets all panicked and unco. Which then makes my bipolar idiot all panicked and out of control, and it snowballs into a big problem.

I have considered trying to get my hands on a gaited horse specifically for trails so that I can ride trails with my mother, because I adore her and it's our mother-daughter time, but gaited horses are really uncommon here (I have heard of ONE) and I can't afford to import. Plus I couldn't afford to keep 3 horses, 2 is more than enough!


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

As a gaited horse owner, let me give you my perspective.

First of all I like to ride, not sit and wait. While I can sit and wait, that can be done at home without the expense of owning a horse. AKA it's annoying to me, I'll do it occassionally but not often and is one reason why I rarely ride with non gaited horses.

Second. When you come trotting up from behind the horses will often break gait and get jiggy for a couple of steps. Yes I get them right back into gait again but having this happen every few minutes gets extremely annoying. But this is not only a gaited vs non gaited issue for me. Any rider that can't maintain a constant speed irritates the beejeebus out of me. Unfortunately the wife is one of these but I have to live with her, you I don't have to. This is the second reason I rarely ride with non gaited horses but with this one I also don't ride with gaited horses whose riders don't maintain speed.


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

Darrin some horses are not capable of keeping up with some other horses. My horse for example, CANNOT walk as fast as my friend's 16.3hh Thoroughbred. He also CANNOT maintain a trot slow enough to keep pace with the same mare. He can do a western pleasure type jog for a few strides, but he is not physically capable of maintaining that jog for any decent amount of time.

The same applies between my non-gaited Anglo Arab and Mum's gaited QH.

Perhaps if your horse is getting jiggy when a horse trots up from behind, you should train it NOT to get jiggy? It's easy enough to do. Just get someone to trot up behind you constantly until your horse stops reacting. Your horse is training you when you allow a reaction to what other horses do. Your horse should be focused on you and it shouldn't matter what other horses do around it.

Yes, I have the same issue with my horse, he doesn't cope with horses overtaking him and trotting or cantering off ahead. I don't avoid the issue, nor should I. Indeed I embrace it, I view it as a challenge and all part of the fun!

You being a gaited person I can understand how you don't necessarily get that non-gaited horses don't have in-between gaits so that they can go at a speed between their maximum walk speed and their minimum trot speed, but it's attitudes like yours where it's always the other person's fault when your horse breaks gait (and not a training thing) that really irritate me. You wouldn't ride with me, because my horse doesn't gait. I wouldn't ride with you, because I don't like being blamed for things that I can't do anything about.

For the record, I have a friend who gets REALLY annoyed if I trot when she's walking. This is the same friend who has the big TB my horse physically cannot keep up with. I told her to deal with it, because there's nothing I can do that will make my horse walk faster. He can't give any more than what his body will let him. I offer you the same. My opinion is that you should train your horse better to cope with perfectly normal things like a horse trotting up behind it! All issues with jigging are training issues, not "oh it's just him" - the problem is that the horse is allowed to do it and it stops the trotting up behind so the horse learns that the jigging is a way to get what it wants - which is of course for no other horses to trot up behind it!

Yes, some gaited horses are hot. My horse can be hot too. It doesn't mean they can't be trained.


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## mildot (Oct 18, 2011)

blue eyed pony said:


> Darrin some horses are not capable of keeping up with some other horses. My horse for example, CANNOT walk as fast as my friend's 16.3hh Thoroughbred. He also CANNOT maintain a trot slow enough to keep pace with the same mare. He can do a western pleasure type jog for a few strides, but he is not physically capable of maintaining that jog for any decent amount of time.
> 
> The same applies between my non-gaited Anglo Arab and Mum's gaited QH.
> 
> ...


I have to agree 100% with this.

Control your horse's behavior so that others' behaviors cease to be an issue.

My horse balks at leaving a group or being left behind. Well, I want to be able to do both. So occasionally I set up a situation where she has to deal with it. When she starts to get upset she gets enough leg and enough whip to get over it and do what I want.


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

I hate to sit and wait also, I also dont like playing catchup. I learned something last year that made my riding so much more enjoyable, it's called. "Dont wait on me and dont expect me to wait on you I am just gonna do my own thing, see you at lunch,." 
I just dont worry about it. but yeh if you wanna trot and my horse goes nuts thats my problem not yours. Im gonna do what I wanna do, just not gonna wait on you though, please dont wait on me. and FOR THE LOVE OF GOD dont ask me if I am ok every 2 minutes if I am not right with the group. 

The only thing I hate is when people with horses like yours trot to the front, then stop or go really slow. See that often. horses that have to be in the front. but when they get there they drop down to crawl speed.


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

Oh Darrin, you are like some of the gaited owners I know!



blue eyed pony said:


> You being a gaited person I can understand how you don't necessarily get that non-gaited horses don't have in-between gaits so that they can go at a speed between their maximum walk speed and their minimum trot speed, but it's attitudes like yours where it's always the other person's fault when your horse breaks gait (and not a training thing) that really irritate me. You wouldn't ride with me, because my horse doesn't gait. I wouldn't ride with you, because I don't like being blamed for things that I can't do anything about.


This is exactly what I was trying to say in a nutshell. My Mustang doesn't have an inbetween gait for the flat walk. If the gaited horses do an intermediate gait, fine, we trot. But we don't have a flat walk gear nor do I want to try to train for one. I love my guy just the way he is. He is very consistent in his gaits, he will walk politely or trot politely. But he doesn't have an inbetween speed. 

I don't like to get blamed for someone else's horse being a ditz when mine is being well behaved. 

Also, as an owner of each type of horse I don't mind the sit and wait. Even before I had a gaited horse I had an Arabian that could out-walk many horses so I guess I have been doing the sit-and-wait for years. :lol: 

I don't ride to be in a race. It's not relaxing to be in a rush all the time. I ride for enjoyment, not to be stressed about if I am fast enough for the other rider all time. Why are they always in a rush? (Oh yeah, I get it, it's because they can't get their horse to slow down!)

I guess I just have a problem with the attitude some gaited horse riders have (um, sorry Darrin, this means you!) that my horse must conform to your horse. Maybe your horse should conform to mine once in a while. :lol:

Also, I agree that this is where riding alone comes in as a good thing once in a while. You can take your horse out and just have fun at their natural speeds while not having to worry or babysit other riders. It's kind of ironic that the same gaited horse folks that are speed demons at the walk are afraid to canter because their horses will freak out. 

I like to canter once in a while when the footing is suitable and I can't do that riding with gaited horse folks- even if I am on a gaited horse! They never seem to willingly ride that gear. So that is one thing I find kind of interesting, my non-gaited friends are willing to canter with me while the gaited friends won't. (But to give them a bit of a break, one lady is in her 70's and the others are kind of newbie-ish.) So I canter with my non-gaited friends or alone.

I love, love, love my Fox Trotter! She is a blast and a half! I must admit she is more fun to ride than the Mustang. But the Mustang is Mr. Perfect and the best horse I have ever owned. So they each have their strong suits. If I had a chance at another affordable gaited horse I would jump on it. But that doesn't mean if I found a nice non-gaited horse I would not jump on it as well. I love pretty well all horse breeds. I just love horses in general. 

I guess I just get the feeling the gaited horse owners think their horses are the "best" and everyone else is below them. And I hate that attitude. I know my friend with QH's thinks they are the best breed out there, but she doesn't make me feel like my horses are inferior, know what I mean? The gaited horse people seem to think a "regular" horse is below them and if it doesn't conform to their standards then it is not worth riding with. :evil:

Hey guys, I hope I haven't offended anyone. This is more of a vent than anything. These are thoughts I have on the matter and wanted to discuss them. But I am not taking it super seriously. We will either ride together or we won't, no biggie.


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

Joe4d said:


> I hate to sit and wait also, I also dont like playing catchup. *I learned something last year that made my riding so much more enjoyable, it's called. "Dont wait on me and dont expect me to wait on you I am just gonna do my own thing, see you at lunch,." *
> I just dont worry about it. but yeh if you wanna trot and my horse goes nuts thats my problem not yours. Im gonna do what I wanna do, just not gonna wait on you though, please dont wait on me. and FOR THE LOVE OF GOD dont ask me if I am ok every 2 minutes if I am not right with the group.


This is good advice! We don't practice it often because when we ride together we are usually wanting to ride/talk together but if there is a bigger group of us, the gaited usually pair up and the non-gaited pair up. So everyone is kind of doing their own ride with similar horses.

*The only thing I hate is when people with horses like yours trot to the front, then stop or go really slow. See that often. horses that have to be in the front. but when they get there they drop down to crawl speed.

*Those horses are herd bound and the rider isn't really calling the shots. They trot up because their horse doesn't want to be left behind. Then when the horse gets in front they are afraid to leave the herd so they crawl. So I would say that is the sign of an insecure horse and the rider is just trying to appease them and not really calling the shots.


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

It's the attitude that I'm not impressed with too, THR! Wow. "If you can't keep a steady pace on your horse, don't ride with me." Apparently it hasn't occurred to some people that perhaps THEY should keep pace with the horse that doesn't have in-between gaits. Either a little faster, or a little slower, so that the horse that doesn't have in-between gaits can keep pace with them.


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## FireFlies (Jul 26, 2009)

I lean towards the side that says get your gaited horse under control if you have non-gaited horses trotting/cantering around you. This shouldn't even be a gaited/non-gaited debate. If you can't control your horse from spazzing out around other horses when they do NORMAL things-like trotting- then that's your own fault for not training the horse to listen. 
I ride a 15.1 MFT gelding and a non-gaited 14.2 Morgan mare with my friend who rides a 15.3 Morgan gelding. When I'm on the MFT and gaiting, my friend usually is trotting or sometimes she'll go into a canter which I usually follow suit. If I don't want to canter then I simply pull the MFT back and keep him gaiting while she canters ahead. I know eventually she'll slow down and we'll catch back up again. 
When I ride the 14.3 Morgan mare with her 15.3 Morgan Gelding however, I usually slow canter while she trots because their strides are so different. This mare is quite buddy sour and so usually our trails consist of working that out of her so I will purposefully let my friend run ahead and work the mare and make her walk back. Most of the time I just call to my friend that I'll be a while so she doesn't turn a bend and think I've fallen off onto a tree or something  
Really, you should take care of and control your own horse no matter what anyone else is doing and just enjoy the trail at your own pace. The only reason you should be sweating staying at the same speed is if you want to have a conversation with someone while riding and by the sound of how you gaited and non-gaited people think of each other, I don't think that'll be a problem anyway ;P
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## mishap (Oct 21, 2010)

I have a twh and what I find is that it is not necessarily the speed but the attitude of other gaited horse riders. By that I mean "I ride a gaited horse so deal with it". If you all want to ride together then pick a speed all can live with and stick with it. That being said I don't enjoy riding with alot of people because I enjoy dogs and horses alot more than dealing with a bunch of whinning people.


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

Guess I should elaborate a bit. I'm not blaming you or your horse if your non-gaited horse and my gaited horse can't find a gait we both can maintain and be comfortable with. What I am saying is I just wont ride with you. 

I do blame the rider and not the horse if a constant speed is not maintained. If your horse has to switch between two gaits to keep up with me, see above. Believe me I know a lot of gaited horse riders that can't maintain a constant speed, I don't like riding with them either.

You see I ride for my entertainment and pleasure, not yours. I do give people several chances before they are not asked to go along again. Of course there are exceptions for new people, green riders, green horses, etc.

One more thing, this isn't a gaited rider attitude of mine either it's just my attitude. If I rode appy's I wouldn't be trying to ride with TWH riders and asking them to wait up for me.


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

i ride gaited horses exclusively, trot up beside me, walk along side walk behind, ride with me, or not doesnt matter, I'll talk to you or meet you at lunch. I'm gonna putz along, Im gonna do some cantering, might even do a wide open gallop. But if your horse cant keep up, or goes nuts cause I am passing sorry that aint my problem. Any more than it is your problem if my horse freeks out at something normal you are doing. LIke I said above, I'll ride with anyone anyhow. But I am pretty much gonna ride the pace I want. Im not waiting and please dont wait on me, not being rude or anything. Just want to enjoy my day just like everyone else. 
I have gone on a few club rides with nervous nelly riders. That constantly want to tell everyone else around them what to do or not do on their horses. Yeh um I dont think so. Get your horse under control. 

Now dont get me wrong I have gone out with nervous riders/green horses specifically to help train and get said horse under control. Those days I am all about helping that person/horse team calm down and get used to riding. A good experienced trail horse can be great to lead a green one along.


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## Tianimalz (Jan 6, 2009)

Why don't more people just walk instead of gaiting all the time...? I guess I don't get it :? If I'm riding with someone, its because I want to enjoy their company, so of course I'm not going to allow my mare to just rack the whole way down the trail, I'll collect her into a nice walk right along the QH's and enjoy talking to the other riders.

If ya wanna go racking/or whatever you and your horse does xD, then go alone or with other gaited horses.... sounded simple to me personally.


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

Tianimalz said:


> Why don't more people just walk instead of gaiting all the time...? I guess I don't get it :? If I'm riding with someone, its because I want to enjoy their company, so of course I'm not going to allow my mare to just rack the whole way down the trail, I'll collect her into a nice walk right along the QH's and enjoy talking to the other riders.
> 
> If ya wanna go racking/or whatever you and your horse does xD, then go alone or with other gaited horses.... sounded simple to me personally.


Because some horses just don't match up well at any speed. I've got one walker that I can slow down enough to ride with 80% of the horses out there (so long as they are not doing a wester pleasure walk!). My other one just physically can't go that slow, at a dog walk he's still doing 3mph, only time he goes slower is when grazing. Most people are doing in the 2-3mph range on their horses while trail riding which means he is only ridden with horses that have a faster walk. 

What I do notice is people saying on these boards, you can train your horse to walk at any speed from .1mph to infinity(or some such). If your horses wont go that slow they are obviously ill trained. Such lovely statements from some. That being the case, please train your horses to at least walk up to 5mph over long distance so we can comfortably ride together.


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## Tianimalz (Jan 6, 2009)

Darrin said:


> Because some horses just don't match up well at any speed. I've got one walker that I can slow down enough to ride with 80% of the horses out there (so long as they are not doing a wester pleasure walk!). My other one just physically can't go that slow, at a dog walk he's still doing 3mph, only time he goes slower is when grazing. Most people are doing in the 2-3mph range on their horses while trail riding which means he is only ridden with horses that have a faster walk.
> 
> What I do notice is people saying on these boards, you can train your horse to walk at any speed from .1mph to infinity(or some such). If your horses wont go that slow they are obviously ill trained. Such lovely statements from some. That being the case, please train your horses to at least walk up to 5mph over long distance so we can comfortably ride together.


No ill manners intended, but my mare naturally walks much faster than the other horses too. I ride about an hour by myself before joining up with anyone, in that time I make her mind her manners and work any snot out of her, get her in tune with me and then keep her at a quiet walk. Most horses I believe you CAN have walk slower, its not impossible just tricky. I've had all types of gaited horses from Walkers to Paso's walking calmly enough to be put on a trail chain. 

Besides, some of the horses we ride with are older, and it would be unfair to ask them to keep up with a young and spunky 6 year old Racker :lol:


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

If I ride for an hour by myself to get my horse calmed down then I'm already 5 miles down the trail and just getting warmed up. Oh, I absolutely hate covering the same bit of trail twice in one day so I'm not likely to come back and get you. I might pick a point to stop and let my horse graze for a while so you can catch up.


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## chandra1313 (Jul 12, 2011)

Good point Blue Eyed Pony ;-)


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## Tianimalz (Jan 6, 2009)

Well, Darrin, I hope you have other people who can deal with that then  Otherwise you might be a bit lonely on the trail.


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

I rarely ride with someone who doesn't have a walker because I don't particularly like the blend of gaited and non gaited horses. I also ride with like minded people or by myself so don't find it an issue at all. 

You see, I will not and do not ask people to conform to my way of riding and expect the same in return.


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## shandasue (Nov 22, 2011)

what do yall think about this? i have a 6yo mare thats very spunky and when we ride im ushally working on things with her. she will speed up when another horse does but somtimes i just wanna ride and not deal with it so i tell kayla that if she rides with me not to gallop, or dont ride with me, but she does it anyway and it really ****es me off, it also does because she doesn't care about her horses. she will run them all day when there outta shape. And when she wants to me go riding bareback with her, she knows i only walk when i ride that mare bareback because shes hard to stay balanced on and shes hard to stop somtimes when she gets excited, and kayla wants to do nuthing but run. if thats what she wants to do dont ask me to ride! oh and nether of are horses are gaited. i think im reasonable
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

Sounds like someone I wouldn't ride with and yes, you are being reasonable.


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## shandasue (Nov 22, 2011)

_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## shandasue (Nov 22, 2011)

yea, needless to say i ride alone alot
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

This thread is all about why I will rarely ride with anyone anymore. I'm with whoever said they wanted to ride for pleasure and to not have to listen to whiney nervous nellies about what they should be doing so that nellie's horse won't go ******s crazy. That's also the same Nellie who finds out I ride a stallion on occasion and flips out and says she won't ride with a stallion......OK! Not a problem for ME......

So, now I just go do my own thing. If I meet friends on the trail, I say Hay how are ya? and move along. I also hate 30 min confabs in the middle of the trail while everyone else clogs up the one trail and makes 50 people wait on them to quit gossiping. 

Riding out by yourself is just ever so peaceful. No one complaining about you're too fast, too slow, your horse balked at opening that gate, or their horse balked and now you have to bail them out, or they're horse doesn't cross water.....etc etc etc. I can socialize when we all meet back up at base camp or go for an afternoon swim in the lake.


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

I had a friend who rode the Bryce Canyon area each spring. I had mention to him that I wanted to join them this spring and go on the ride. He had been elusive in telling me when the ride was going to be.

One day he called up an said we are leaving in an hour. As it turned out he needed me to come. He had a lady coming with him and the other fellow who was coming had baled and for the sake of his mariage, he never traveled with another woman without having 1-2 other individuals in his truck to witness that everthing stayed proper.

I whinned about the late invite and he told me that others in the group had not wanted me invited because my foxtrotter we such a fast walker. And that the others had felt that I had dragged them and their horses along at a faster speed on previous rides. That my horse caused their to misbehave and made them all miserable. So I went along and made sure that I brought up the rear all weekend as we rode the area.

On the way home this fellow apologized to me. He said that my horse was the most well behaved horse in the group. That the folks who had voiced the concerns had the horses needing some discipline and training. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride, evening being at the back of the group. I got to see some new trails and explored an area that I had wanted to see for some time.

I learned several things. One that I don't have to let my horse walk out at the speed he chooses. I can slow him to any speed that I as his rider think he should travel at. I know where we are going, he doesn't. I know if we are going 50 miles and need to conserve energy or gong 5 miles and it will be a no effort ride. The horse needs to listen to me, Since I have the knowledge he doesn't. If I choose to ride slow to talk with friends, The horses doesn't know that todays ride isn't a 50 miler and I'm trying to conserve energy. He just has to obey my directions.

I usually ride with my daughters, Being the dad, an experience outdoorsman, and the best horseman of the group, I usually do take the lead. I've always been the leader, from school, work and church. But I learned that with other groups, often times others want a turn being in the front. There is nothing wrong with holding back and letting somebody else be the leader at times. Especially in this case where their horses became the problem and I could sit in the rear and just let my horse cross what ever the front 10-12 horses had already delt with. With my daughters it allows them to develop their skills and leadership abilities. With other horsemen, maybe it's just sharing responsibilities and being a more enjoyable person to be around.

I've learned that my Foxtrotters can dog walk with the best quarter horses, If I ask them to. If I want to fit in with a group and enjoy conversation, I just need to rate the gait of my horse. Nothing wrong with that and my horses can slow down. If I want to burn down the trail. There are places for that. When trails fork I sometimes take the longer fork, and let my horse boogy until the trails re-join. My horses gets to speed up, he learns he can be seperated from the herd and everything will be ok later.

The point is I worry about my horse and the horses of any person who I have responsibility for ( children, friends or guest) and I let the others in the group worry about their horses.


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## Jolly Badger (Oct 26, 2009)

As a gaited horse owner, I don't mind "slowing it down" a bit - in fact, I enjoy riding trails that aren't necessarily good for gaiting (narrow, with lots of boulders and roots and other things for the horse to scamper and slide on). I find that it gets my horse to slow down, think more about where he's putting his feet, etc.

But I do like to "move out" when the situation and the trail permits. We don't go like hell is on our heels, I like to keep to a comfortable, controlled, swift gait. . .and yes, I can still talk to the person riding beside me when our horses are moving at that speed.

I know some people (even some with gaited horses) who never go past a dog walk and get ticked off if anyone else gaits because it gets their horses "rattled." Solution: I don't ride with them very often, because I get tired of hearing them grumble about going "too fast."


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## mildot (Oct 18, 2011)

This non-gaited (QH) rider doesn't mind cruising. As long as the footing is good, let's make hay while the sun shines. 

You gait as fast as you like. My horse has several trot and canter speeds that I can choose from.


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## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

Darrin said:


> I also ride with like minded people or by myself so don't find it an issue at all.



I think this is key to me. I don't so much care what pattern your horse moves its legs in as much as what pace do you intend to ride that day (assuming you even have such an intention, and if you don't, I likely don't want to ride with you).

I have ridden with all sorts of breeds, but the person riding is the key.


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## prairiewindlady (Sep 20, 2011)

I haven't ridden with gaited horses before but my sister and I frequently go trail riding together and more often than not she rides my 16.2h TB cross. She is a TB person and is used to moving out and going fast...whereas I always take one of my mustangs (who are 14 and 14.2 hands). Nonetheless we have never had a problem riding together. Sometimes she will stop and wait for us, but rarely. Most of the time we periodically trot to catch up (but don't pass). My TB is a gentleman and completely disregards this (he will continue at the same pace whether we are falling behind or catching up). Sure, it might be easier to ride 2 horses who were/are more similarly paced, but she has her preferences and I have mine...we ride whoever we want and make it work


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

Wow, this thread has really gotten a lot of responses!


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## Jolly Badger (Oct 26, 2009)

trailhorserider said:


> Wow, this thread has really gotten a lot of responses!


Yep, it's interesting to hear from "both sides" when it comes to gaited and non-gaited. Even among gaited riders, there are differences of opinion and riding style and I don't necessarily agree with all of them. 

Find people you like to ride with, and ride with them.


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

Horses can learn to go along slowly. When my daughter was little, we bought her an ancient Shetland pony named Cookie. The thing that I liked about Cookie is that she was very slow and careful with my 4 year old daughter. I rode a very hot, speedy little Arab at the time. He learned to go slow enough for Cookie to keep up. At first it annoyed him. Eventually he figured out that if my daughter was riding, he had to go slow.
Here they are:
My son, age 6.
Daughter, age 4.
Cookie, age 30. That pony was worth her weight in gold by the way.


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

Yep my daughters started on a pony a lot like that.
Problem was that little pony trotted so hard to keep up with my 16h geldings that my daughter always complained of side aches. It got to where she didn't want to ride, So I bought a small MFT mare (14.2H) Figured my kids would just have to learn to mount and dismount a little taller horse in order to gte a smoother ride and not get the sideaches.










Of course, (Unknown by me) that mare was bred and next spring I had my 1st experience with a foal and my journey with Foxtrotters began, I'm still riding that unexpected colt as my main gelding now.


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

I moved her up to a bigger pony in a few years. Then she took over my Arab gelding that I mentioned in my last post.


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## Spotted Image (Aug 10, 2011)

I have a lot of experince mixing types of horses. My family raised Tennessee Walkers, but myself I like to barrel race. My newest mare, only rode her with an fast paced Walker so far, didn’t do bad. I do a lot of trotting, but her sitting trot kept up the the walk pretty well. I will do my best to help the walkers out, as I rode an walker until I was 14, not I’m 19. I will trot two lenghs behind, not to effect the walk so much, and I also will not trot around the young horses they re teaching to gait. An trot can make an young horse start trotting and not gaiting, but the older horses I figure the rider should make the horse gait. I will often times warn the rider infront of me, I’m going to trot to catch up. Also my new mare has an walk, where if she is in the lead the Walkers have no problem with. When they get in faster gait, I will ask for an expereince horse and rider to lead, so I can get in front and lope it out or I will fall behind and trot. We work together on our speeds. It might help, we have a lot of little kids, green horses and mostly family. There is another non-gaited or two on the trails with us sometimes. 
What gets me is I’m told because my horse isn’t gaited, it isn’t worth much. My new I guide using mostly my legs, she went places our walker didn’t want to, she spooked when my walker didn’t, I side pass, stop on an dime, have 3 speeds of an trot, but I just only have one speed of an walk. While them walkers don’t have as much training. What about how my Appaloosa can be left behind and not mind but the walkers can’t. That’s the problem I have riding with gaited horses. That rant came from someone actually my farrier, who told me he would get me a free walker (trail broke), just so I didn’t have an worthless horse. 
But gaited and non-gaited horses can ride together, if both parties are willing to work together. And not always, but it seems looks of times the non-gaited horses are better trained.


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## sandy2u1 (May 7, 2008)

I have a gaited horse and love it. He is perfectly capable of just walking or doing his running walk that will keep up with a trotting horse. He will even canter :shock:, lol.

I realize there are some gaits that some horse owners think is inappropriate for the gaited horse. I'm not trying to disrespect that at all. However, I can't help but notice that when you watch your horses out in the pasture, you will see plenty of walking....even from your gaited horses.

What I can't figure out is, why is it not o.k. for you to ask your gaited horse for a normal walk when he is under saddle. He does it naturally out in the pasture. 

My gaited horse has a lovely running walk. It feels as smooth as glass. However, If we are hitting the trails with QH's, he can walk perfectly fine. He was born doing it.


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## calicokatt (Mar 5, 2012)

I ride a Morgan mare (usually, unless one of our other horses is having an attitude and needs an 'attitude adjustment') that can out-walk all of our other horses (including our TWH, our Icelandic, and both of our Arabians. My mom, on the other hand, rides a QH with the slowest walk I have ever seen, I swear if he moved any slower he'd be going backwards! I let my horse walk at her pace when I'm in front, and he trots to catch up every so often. It doesn't cause a problem because I don't let it cause a problem. A couple of our other horses have had issues with him trotting up behind (my mom doesn't let him ride up when she trots to play catch up). What I have found works well is to have her let me know before she is ready to catch up, and I turn the horse I'm on around, and proceed to back down the trail while she trots towards me to catch up. It doesn't take long at all for the horse I'm on to realize that its easier to keep walking forward calmly than to have to turn around and go backward.... 
That said, when my mom broke her shoulder blade after a fall on one of our rides and we had to ride out of the woods to get to the hospital, my very speedy mare was able (though honestly not particularly happy about it) to walk so slowly that my mother (gritting her teeth through the pain) had to ask us to speed up a bit so her horse could keep its calm walk on our way out. 
If I want a speedy ride, I go with people who are cool with a speedy ride. If I am content with a slower ride, I ride with people who like slower rides. I will NEVER blame someone else for my own horse's behavior, no matter what stupid thing they do, or how their horse behaves. My horse's behavior is between me and my horse....


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

sandy2u1 said:


> I have a gaited horse and love it. He is perfectly capable of just walking or doing his running walk that will keep up with a trotting horse. He will even canter :shock:, lol.
> 
> I realize there are some gaits that some horse owners think is inappropriate for the gaited horse. I'm not trying to disrespect that at all. However, I can't help but notice that when you watch your horses out in the pasture, you will see plenty of walking....even from your gaited horses.
> 
> ...


Actually, one of my walkers doesn't walk even in the pastures. His grazing speed is one step, eat, one step, eat, etc without picking up his head. That is of course to slow for trail riding. The second he picks up his head to move it's a flatwalk. The only time you will see him not gaiting is when racing another horse, even then he'll running walk until he needs the extra bit of speed (he really hates losing). This is the one that I say is just not all that rideable with most non gaited horses.

Yeah, my other one does slowly walk while eating. He also racks, paces, runs, and sometimes gaits while out in the pasture. He can be ridden at a slow enough speed for most horses except those darn peanut rolling western pleasure horses.


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## GreySorrel (Mar 5, 2012)

I am an old timer trail rider, I grew up in Nevada. My dad rode an American Saddlebred gelding, and I an Appendix QH. When we rode we rarely talked, both too busy watching the scenery, wild life, and enjoying what was around us that God put down, if I am going too fast on the trail, who is to say I might miss something that if I was going at a nice pace, may of been able to enjoy. Trail riding is just that, to enjoy which is around me. 

He also taught me to NEVER go faster than your slowest person in your group and to never leave anyone behind. It is common courtesy that I try to extend at all times. My life is fast paced enough, the last place I want it is when I am out doing something I find pleasurable. 

I went on a "trail ride" here in VA a few years back on my 16H QH gelding and a large group of people. The ride was suppose to be about 6 or so miles, we trotted and cantered 98% of that ride, I have a ruptured disc in my lower back as well as arthritis in my hips and knees, I also do not enjoy cantering across a field I have never been in before and possibly hit a hole or rut and hurt my horse. We got to where we were suppose to stop for a light meal, got a late start back and it started to get dark. One girl in the group had a barefoot mare that lamed herself trying to keep up with the idiot who was leading us, yes, idiot. When I pulled up Terry to ask her if she needed help he told me to leave her, she knew how to get home, she was a neighbor of his then he went cantering off on his TB. I looked at her, knew she had no cell phone, I did, so I made the decision to turn back. I got off Terry, and we walked the 3 and a half miles back together. She later thanked me as she said it kept her mare calm, it kept her calm and when we got back to idiots house, they were all drinking beer and laughing at us for how slow and pokey we were....it was full dark by then. And yes, we did cross a few road's as well. 

It's okay that others want to go fast, I just don't care to see the attitudes that are displayed and if your horse acts up oh well or deal with it. I had a group of walker folks pull that on me here, left me and my horse was dancing and jigging the rest of the way home as he could hear them but not see them. Was I ****ed? Sure was as I asked them politely to please slow down, I don't particularly care to trot for miles and it was not smooth, they invited US to go with them, so show a bit of courtesy. If I wanted to speed down the trails I would of chosen a different breed than what I have. And yea, was on a reformed "peanut pusher" western pleasure horse too...where is the eye roll when I need it.


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

I agree with you GreySorrel, when I invite someone along with a slow horse and I'm "leading" the group I make sure we all stay together. If I'm not "leading" I'll still drop back to the slow person because it is the polite and safe thing to do. I've only ever left someone behind a couple of times and that was because they and their horse knew what they were doing and told me to go ahead.

What I don't do is go on rides like this very often because they are not fun for me. Yes it's a selfish attitude but like I said earlier I own hayburners for my enjoyment, not anyone elses.

As for being speedy, well I went from riding dirt bikes to walkers. Found it was great that I could actually see the country I was riding through instead of nothing but the trail right in front of me. So how fast a walker can go had absolutely nothing to do with why I picked them as my breed to ride. The decision was based purely on how my butt felt after riding.


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## GreySorrel (Mar 5, 2012)

If I offended you Darren I am sorry and hope you accept my apology. I do understand after your last post what you meant...


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

GreySorrel, I am not offended by anything anybody says. If I were to be sending out invitations to a trail ride, you would be at the top of my list. I like to ride without fear of being killed. I usually end up going off on my own tangent when I get into the crowds that want to turn it into a steeple chase. Gaited horses riders don't hold the monopoly on this kind of riding. I got in with some Thoroughbred folks that wanted to turn a quiet ride in the country into a 10 mile race. Not fun for me.


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## sandy2u1 (May 7, 2008)

I totally agree with you, Grey! I think everyone should take on a certain amount of responsibility when riding off with a group. I feel that you should never leave anyone behind. When you start riding horses outside of fences and panels, anything can happen. I am a firm believer that if you ride out as a group, then you stick together and leave nobody behind. 

If you are unhappy with the pace of your riding group, then don't ride with then again.


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

I'm sure that a lot of people have a lot of fun on those large group outings. Here in middle Georgia, there are large groups that go out, ride fast and furious rides, get together to camp, get drunk, and otherwise have a grand old time. I don't participate. It is just not my kind of fun. I only ride with family or close friends. It is not that I don't like to go fast. I do. I just don't want to fight a jiggy Arab all day. My horse is cool, calm, and collected as long as we stay slow and then all go fast for little areas that we all agree on. By my friends know that if they run up her rear she is going to get upset. She is getting better, but I don't really like the company of those wild drinking cowboys anyway. Rather than camping and drinking, I prefer to come home and spend time with my husband.


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## mildot (Oct 18, 2011)

Spotted Image said:


> What gets me is I’m told because my horse isn’t gaited, it isn’t worth much.


I wonder if the people who told you that know that there are probably those who ride normal horses who think the same of gaited horses.



Spotted Image said:


> ........my farrier, who told me he would get me a free walker (trail broke), just so I didn’t have an worthless horse.


A farrier who considered my horse to be worthless would not be my farrier any longer. No one who considers a horse to be worthless could possibly be trusted to care for it.


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## QOS (Dec 8, 2008)

One of my best riding buddies rides a Tennessee Walker. She likes to gait out and Biscuit's jog more than keeps up with it - we work together to get the speed that is good for both of us. I trained Biscuit to collect up behind her at a jog!!!! 

I ride with a group of folks for the most part, aren't riding like crazy fools. I don't do crazy idiots. I do try to respect other riders and their mounts and expect the same. If not, I don't ride with them. I don't want to be a drag to anyone and sometimes I have been a little scared...LOL I am getting over my fears for the most part but no, I wouldn't want someone blowing by me at a gallop:evil: and I wouldn't do that to anyone either. 

Gaited and non-gaited can ride together just fine. I have rode with a gaited group that were CRAZY - their horses were CRAZY and we haven't really rode with them since. Last year we rode in Louisiana with a group of about 30 and about half or more were gaited. They were the best behaved horses/riders I have EVER rode with. My horses don't get cranked up by gaiting horses so it is all good.

I am out there to have a good time - going this weekend with my friends that will be riding an Arabian and the TW and me on The Biscuit a QH. We always have a great time together.

Celeste, that little pony is darling and your kids are precious!!!


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

mildot said:


> I wonder if the people who told you that know that there are probably those who ride normal horses who think the same of gaited horses.
> 
> 
> A farrier who considered my horse to be worthless would not be my farrier any longer. No one who considers a horse to be worthless could possibly be trusted to care for it.


I've heard people say this kind of crap as well. I heard a man say that "They call them quarter horses, but they aren't worth a quarter."
I guess there are elitists in every crowd.

My farrier told me that he used to ride an appaloosa and one of his clients told him that the only reason he rode it was because he was too poor to ride a real horse and too proud to ride a cow. She, however, was only teasing the man. He is one of those people that seem to thrive on getting picked at. He likes the attention. 

To me, this thread is not about gaited horses or non-gaited horses. It is about nice people and rude people.


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

Celeste said:


> I've heard people say this kind of crap as well. I heard a man say that "They call them quarter horses, but they aren't worth a quarter."
> I guess there are elitists in every crowd.
> 
> My farrier told me that he used to ride an appaloosa and one of his clients told him that the only reason he rode it was because he was too poor to ride a real horse and too proud to ride a cow. She, however, was only teasing the man. He is one of those people that seem to thrive on getting picked at. He likes the attention.
> ...


 
I'm one of those that like to tease people about their chosen breeds and/or disciplines but don't mean it. Wouldn't be surprised if a few took it seriously.


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## mildot (Oct 18, 2011)

Darrin said:


> I'm one of those that like to tease people about their chosen breeds and/or disciplines but don't mean it. Wouldn't be surprised if a few took it seriously.


That's a joke you play only on people you know well, as I'm sure you do.


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## Jolly Badger (Oct 26, 2009)

There are a lot of stereotypes about the different breeds/types of horses. . .a lot of which are popping up even in this thread. 

For example, saying that "gaited horses can't be left behind without going crazy" is as nonsensical as saying there's no such thing as a barn-sour or buddy-sour stock horse. 

Anyone with any amount of horse experience knows you just can't make such broad statements.

There will always be good-natured teasing about breeds, too. It goes with the territory. If you can't take the occasional joke (or even snide remark) about your horse, you're in the wrong sport. We're trail riders, remember? If another person's opinion was _that_ important to us, we'd be in the show ring.:lol: 

I used to ride with a guy who always called my horse an "ugly mule" - which really made no sense because my horse's ears are tiny and adorable.:lol: 

But, he's just a "plain" little black horse, not particularly big, no unique markings, and he tends to bleach out quite a bit in the summer. And he's been a fantastic little trail horse for me. I wouldn't sell or trade him for anything.

One time, while I was getting my horse settled after a ride, the guy (who was sitting on a picnic table nearby) said something about not being able to understand why a woman would want to be seen riding such an ugly mule.

I just walked past and replied "I'd rather be seen riding an 'ugly mule' than talking to a jackass on a picnic table." It was all good-natured banter, though.


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

It is not my opinion that all gaited horses are crazy. It is my opinion that if you gait past my crazy Arab, she will go all jiggy. She has a theme song.


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## sandy2u1 (May 7, 2008)

I think this thread says more about riding buddies and horse training more than anything. It makes me see so clearly that the only thing we can be in control of while out on the trail is us and our horses..and who we choose to ride out with. 

Personally, I like to ride with people that can go at any gait, but that don't act like a bunch of fools. I don't want to ride with a slug that you are always having to wait for. I don't want to ride with people that ride at an unusually fast pace the whole time and that require my myself and my horse to do more than we are capable of doing. 

I also have the same expectations for me and my horse. He can walk, trot (well, running walk that keeps up) and can canter. I expect my trail partners to be the same. If I find someone that can't do that, then I may make a mistake and ride with then once, but I won't make it a second time.


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## dee (Jul 30, 2009)

I've ridden on several trails over the years. Each time, there has been a mix of gaited and nongaited horses. I just poke along at my own pace, most of the time, and I've never lacked for company.

The last trail ride I went on was the first in several years, and the first time I took Dancer out. It was also Dancer's very first trail ride, as her previous owner just rode her in their five acre pasture. The group was led by a group of Paso Fino riders that set a pretty fast pace. Dancer had no trouble keeping up - she just jogged up to the group if she got left behind...at first, anyway. At one point, she dropped into a lovely gait - don't know for sure what it was, but pretty sure she was single footing - at least that's what others said it was. 

It would have been a lot better, I think, if the group hadn't kept stopping to let everyone try the obstacles on the trail. It's not that I minded trying out the obstacles - the only one that Dancer balked at was the teeter totter - the stairs, wooden bridge (deliberatly designed to be extremely LOUD!) the water crossing (dry due to the drought, fortunately) she didn't even slow down for. Dancer just got impatient waiting for all the others to try to get their horses to get across the obstacles - some had more success than others.

By the time the ride was half over (and Dancer, being WAY out of condition and carrying more than TWICE the weight of the other horses was pooped), the group had pretty much sorted itself out and everyone had acceptable riding companions.

There is some good natured jabbing about gaited and non-gaited horses, but MOST of the riders recognized good horses, period, whether they were gaited or not. Glad my girl was considered one of the good horses. The jury is still out on whether she is actually gaited or not...maybe she was just faking!


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## Cacowgirl (Feb 19, 2011)

A QH that singlefoots isn't too uncommon-my mare would do it when I rode w/my friend on herTWH-I loved it!


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## Jacksmama (Jan 27, 2010)

I'm the only gaiter in my crowd, the rest are on QH/Paints. Jack does have a ground eating walk when in the lead, most of the time I just stick to the rear and enjoy a leisurely pace and the beautiful scenery. We try to take turns leading, we all have 6 yr olds and are always working on improving them. When we DO lead I am typically 30-40 ft ahead, my trail buddies aren't bothered by it at all if I decide I want to gait a bit or take a nice canter, but it's trail manners in my opinion not to run up on someone or by them. I might say hey let me lead I want to move out, THEN hit the accelerator. 

I get the jibes about my horse being a "fancy" pony and am often told how limited he is because he's gaited. QH's are the ultimate, they can do barrels/poles/reining etc...etc... I agree that QHs are awesome animals and I don't think gaited is better or worse, but ya know what? I don't run barrels, poles or rein, so I am going to travel in comfort


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## dee (Jul 30, 2009)

I don't think Dancer is QH - though she may have some in her somewhere. She's just not built like any of the QHs I've seen - she is _very_ short backed and high withered...


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## mildot (Oct 18, 2011)

dee said:


> I don't think Dancer is QH - though she may have some in her somewhere. She's just not built like any of the QHs I've seen - she is _very_ short backed and high withered...


It's not unheard of for Quarter Horses to be built like that, particularly if they Appendices with a lot of TB blood.


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## Wallee (Mar 7, 2012)

Usually when I ride with someone on my TWH I lead and the others follow on their non gaited horses and I will just stop ever so often to let the Qh crowd catch up. Never seemed to bother me or them. I prefer the lead and the ones following shouldnt have a problem if their horses are properly trained.


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## westk1 (Apr 18, 2012)

For me, there is no excuse for people who allow their gaited horses to get agitated on the trail by non gaited horses and vice versa. Trial riding is meant to be enjoyed by multiple riders and any variety of mounts. Even if you don't have a gait / non-gait issue, something else can arise like a kicking horse, moody mare, or spooky mount. The point is...if you're going to trail ride, you need to work on exposing your horse to as much stimulus as possible so that they themselves can learn to relax.
I can understand that its hard for gaited and non gaited riders to ride together because of the different pace, and its perfectly fine if you prefer to only ride with horses of the same gait - however - this can be limiting, and you are probably missing out on not only new experiences, but new friendships as well. Friendship in the horse community is vast and can lead to a lot of wonderful experiences. Ultimately to get the most out of trial riding, we must all learn to expose our horses to as much as possible.


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## Jacksmama (Jan 27, 2010)

Well said West!


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## BoldComic (Feb 26, 2012)

My dad has a fox trotter and has joined a fox trotter club. My mom rides an OTTB. They are happy to have her along with them even though her mare has to trot a lot to keep up. They told my dad before he signed up that she was welcome to come on any and all rides. Their horses aren't bothered by her in the least. I too agree with Wests comments.


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## QOS (Dec 8, 2008)

I made a 10 mile ride Saturday with my buddy riding a TW. Sometimes I led and we trotted and then sometimes she led and was gaiting out. Biscuit did sometimes have to trot to catch up with his faster walk but so what? We had a terrific time and she is a blast to ride with. 

As West said, the trails are for everyone - I want Biscuit to be able to ride with whomever I put him with!


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## mildot (Oct 18, 2011)

If a gaited horse gaits (run-walk or whatever) at a certain speed and a non-gaited horse has to trot to keep up, which one expends more energy assuming both are similarly conditioned and of similar size/weight?


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

I suspect that the gaited horse actually works harder. The rider of the trotter works harder though.


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

mildot said:


> If a gaited horse gaits (run-walk or whatever) at a certain speed and a non-gaited horse has to trot to keep up, which one expends more energy assuming both are similarly conditioned and of similar size/weight?


It depends, a naturally gaited walker isn't working hard at all so it is easier than a trotting horse I suspect. Walkers that have to be trained to walk are working so in that case I suspect they work harder than a horse that is trotting. If in shape, a walker can keep it up all day long just like most in shape non gaited horses can trot all day long. The real difference is how the rider feels at the end of that day and there a gaited horse really has the edge.

FYI, flat walk and running walk are exactly the same gait difference is in speed.


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## mildot (Oct 18, 2011)

Darrin said:


> It depends, a naturally gaited walker isn't working hard at all so it is easier than a trotting horse I suspect..


Both horses have to move their mass at the same speed. That's going to take the same energy output. Since the trot is a natural gait, I'm going to say that both types of horses are working just as hard.




Darrin said:


> The real difference is how the rider feels at the end of that day and there a gaited horse really has the edge.


If you know how to post and your horse has impulsion, posting takes little effort. The motion of the saddle does most of the work for you. Besides, I like the fact that posting is exercise.


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## bbsmfg3 (Aug 12, 2010)

It tickles me to hear all of the non gaited say their horse can not walk as fast as the gaited horses. That is just plain not true. Any horse can be taught to walk faster, and yes, just as fast as the gaited. The doggie walk, QH crawl, is because that is what they have been taught. They can also be taught to walk out at the walking speed of gaited horses.

If your riding with gaited folks that gait out, then your non gaited need to be taught a trot, or better yet, a slow canter, that will keep pace with the gaited horses.

We rode Arabs for years and never had any problem matching the speeds of the gaited horses. The folks that dally along and make others wait, need to teach their horses gaits that will match the speeds of the horses they are riding with.


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## mildot (Oct 18, 2011)

bbsmfg3 said:


> It tickles me to hear all of the non gaited say their horse can not walk as fast as the gaited horses. That is just plain not true. Any horse can be taught to walk faster, and yes, just as fast as the gaited. The doggie walk, QH crawl, is because that is what they have been taught. They can also be taught to walk out at the walking speed of gaited horses.
> 
> If your riding with gaited folks that gait out, then your non gaited need to be taught a trot, or better yet, a slow canter, that will keep pace with the gaited horses.
> 
> We rode Arabs for years and never had any problem matching the speeds of the gaited horses. The folks that dally along and make others wait, need to teach their horses gaits that will match the speeds of the horses they are riding with.


+1

It sounds like a lot of people are just plumb afraid of speed.


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## bbsmfg3 (Aug 12, 2010)

I don't know if it's afraid of speed as much as it is not wanting to train for something different.


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

I know a lot of people who w/t/c in the arena but absolutely refuse to go faster on a trail. Basically, once they leave their comfort zone it's to scary to do anything more than a walk. In their defense, a lot of them have been injured while trail riding due to green rider/green horse wrecks.


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## mildot (Oct 18, 2011)

Darrin said:


> I know a lot of people who w/t/c in the arena but absolutely refuse to go faster on a trail.


Their loss.......:?


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## Jolly Badger (Oct 26, 2009)

mildot said:


> +1
> 
> It sounds like a lot of people are just plumb afraid of speed.


I think you're probably right about that.

Our TWHs _can _adjust their walk to go the same as what would be considered a non-gaited horse's "working walk." 

Just moving along, a slight "bob" to the head, but not burning it up by any stretch of the imagination. It's an alert, responsive, controlled, forward-moving walk. . .the kind where your horse is ready to move into a trot or canter without having to be woken up first.:lol:

The problem is that many people I've run into on the trail seem to think the only "walk" their horse _can_ or _should_ do is that death-march speed and they never ask for anything more. Maybe they never learned how to make adjustments, to get their horse to "walk out" a little bit more and take a bigger stride. I really don't know.

I haven't always ridden gaited horses. But even on non-gaited horses, the sleep-walk is just. . .well. . .boring. Really slow, and really boring. That's the kind of walk I might do if I was cooling a horse out after working it in an arena. But on a trail ride, I'd expect at least a working-walk speed.


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## Kawonu (Apr 24, 2011)

Jeebuz people. My friend has two TWH and I have a Paint. He keeps up with both of them (unless they get giddy) quite well. Granted he has a bit of a faster walk than most trail horses, but that isn't the point. The point is - gaited horses are perfectly capable of _walking_. Therefore, non-gaited horses can usually keep up unless they're trained to take the trail at a slower speed, or just can't/won't walk faster. 

I also wish to state that I completely agree with the rider needing to train his/her horse to not have a meltdown just because someone is trotting up behind 'em. I'm working on that with my boy now, and we've progressed pretty well. He went from having a one-horse-rodeo to head tossing and side stepping at best... unless he's feeling fresh.


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