# Best gaited horse for endurance?



## trailhorserider

Arabians and Arabian crosses rule the endurance scene from what I understand. 

I think people have had some luck with gaited horses and Thoroughbreds/TB crosses as well.


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## trailhorserider

Oops, I guess I missed the GAITED part, lol! 

I would *guess* most of the North American gaited breeds would have a fair shot at endurance but I don't know that first hand. I know they are used extensively for trail riding and competitive trail riding.

Sorry for the blunder on my part.


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## Brighteyes

You're best bet is going to be a TWH or a fox trotter.

Some TWH have a leaner build and are pretty athletic. A horse that does a true, easy running walk is best. That gait is very energy efficent. 

Fox trotters seem to do well in distance as well. The fox trot is also a very good gait for the long run.


Make sure you avoid a horse that has a lot of action and short, flashy steps. Action is a waste of energy. A lot of horses that do a true rack don't do well because that gait takes so much out of them. (Saddle rackers not so much, depending again on their action.)


You may want a horse with multiple gears. There are advanges and disadvantages, but with more than one gait, you can switch from one to another when your horse gets tired. Uses different muscle groups. Several friends of mine have gaited horses that walk/step pace/rack/trot/canter, or horses that fox trot and hard trot.


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## arrowsaway

Walking horses were bred specifically for their ability to perform their gaits under saddle all day long. I would highly recommend them... but I suppose I am a bit biased.


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## Wallee

I am curently working my TWH for endurance and I think she is going to do well. I have ridden her for 8 hours in a day and she isnt tired at all!


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## Joe4d

shawneefarms breeds 100 mile winners mostly the newer style thin bodied walkers. Mine started that way and is getting big shoulder muscles. He is 15 hands and I am 220, so far we have done 25's. He can hold 8 mph for 24 miles non stop, we will be doing our first 50 in may. My friend just came in 15th out of 85 at the foxcatcher 50 in Md on a small bodied TWH.


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## traildancer

Joe--are you talking about Keith? I have read his posts about his rides.

Jillybean--I think the site is Shawnee Sunrise Farm and Keith and his wife do endurance rides (50s and 100s) on Walkers and Fox Trotters. He's a very descriptive writer and tells a good story. Check him out.


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## lilruffian

I've heard that Tennessee Walkers can be pretty good at endurance


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## Joe4d

shawnee sunrise, thats it, saw the adds in endurance news.


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## phantomhorse13

Joe4d said:


> shawneefarms breeds 100 mile winners mostly the newer style thin bodied walkers. Mine started that way and is getting big shoulder muscles. He is 15 hands and I am 220, so far we have done 25's. He can hold 8 mph for 24 miles non stop, we will be doing our first 50 in may. My friend just came in 15th out of 85 at the foxcatcher 50 in Md on a small bodied TWH.



You mean Roberta!! I rode with her for some of the day!










That is Mr Smokey just ahead of us! He is a great boy.


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## cowgirl928

I envy you East coast people and your abundant amount of rides and exciting terrain! all we have is grass. and OH LOOK! ...more grass. if you're lucky, you may see a bush. but it's not likely  lol


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## Keith Kibler

*Gaited horses in endurance*

Howdy, This is Keith Kibler of Shawnee Sunrise Farm. Sandy, my super wife are leaving in the morning for a 100 mile endurance ride in the Ozarks. She will be my crew and I will compete on Kate, a 8 year old twh mare. I googled gaited endurance and found this thread so I joined here. 
Any gaited horse that is sound and reasonably conditioned can certainly do Limited Distance and most can probably do endurance at the 50 mile distance.
To try and top ten or do 100s is another thing and it is certainly possible but it takes the right horse and thoughtful conditioning and management during the competition.
I am on the aerc membership committee and I view my responsibility there as helping gaited riders who want to try endurance.
We have made lots of mistakes in 67 ride starts ( not counting this weekend) and will share whatever we know or have messed up on with any of you.
Rack on
Keith Kibler


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## BennysLace

A KY Mountain placed 7th I believe in Tevis this year, also a Rocky Mtn. competed. There are some videos of a lady and her TWH competing. I also know someone who competes on a Foxtrotter. Any horse can do endurance I even think a Fjord competed Tevis. Also know of a halflinger that has competed. I'm personally wanting to do some endurance myself and yes looking at gaited horses, with my back and hips I need something smoother although I will always have a special place in my heart for Arabians, I will probably stick with gaited horses.


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## Keith Kibler

*Gaited horses in endurance*

My wife and I own, train and have owned several mfts and twhs that have competed well at endurance. Although we have done both LD and 100s, most of our competitions have been at 50 miles. So far, our program has had 76 race starts, and 69 completions. TWhs are now the second most used horse in endurance after arabians and part arabians. It is a distant second but still second. A properly trained and well gaited mft or twh that running walks or racks, or even performs a proper foxtrot would be very comfortable for Ld, endurance or even 100s depending upon the horse and the level of training.
The right gaited horse, with the right training can not only do endurance but do it very well. 
Keith Kibler
Shawnee Sunrise Farm
Marion IL


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## Joe4d

well I was getting discouraged and about to give up, rode today and things started clicking together. My sugestion is to play with gaits and speeds. TWH A, has a nice relaxed super smooth canter. He does well with a canter/ walk/ canter / walk cycle. TWH B, has terrible canter, just found out today, she does much better with a steady medium speed. Canter her and her HR spikes and doesnt come down.


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## Keith Kibler

*twhs*

Each horse is different and has different "sweet spots" of efficiency. If you want to get started in endurance and need help, I am on the aerc membership committee for that purpose. (of course, I am the gaited rider on the committee) you can contact me directly at kwkiblerATfrontier.com

Keith Kibler
Shawnee Sunrise Farm


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## phantomhorse13

Keith, one of these days you need to come out East and ride! I would love to finally put a face to the name (and the stories I love reading on the New100Milers list). Is the Old Dominion or Vermont 100 on your bucket list at some point?


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## Joe4d

dont know if that last post was directed at me, I am Joe Ford, we chat frequently. BAck on for broxton, had a good training day today


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## Keith Kibler

Hey Joe
I thought it might be you but was not sure from your handle here! Good to hear from you. Don't get discouraged. If this was easy, everyone would do it instead of riding around an arena.
I realized something a while back. You have two choices in this sport, and either one is valid. You can either do everything completely safe and get miles and never take any chances. Most likely, you will have a great completion rate. It will be wonderful, but to me, boring.
OR
You can take risks of using more than one horse, bringing along new ones, trying to do the same ride on the same horse quicker and eventually in some circumstances you will have what looks like "failure". As long as this "failure" is not dangerous to the horse, this is part of the learning curve. I really strive to keep a completion rate above the arabian rate so this is a thin line to walk.
As far as the comment on reading our posts and coming east, THANK YOU VERY MUCH! The truth is i want my wife and I to get to even more rides than we do, but it is very expensive for us. Most rides are at least 1000 miles round trip and I have to be away from my business and keep paying the staff at the same time. My second business is training gaited horses for endurance and then offering them for sale. I dont mean 'prospects" but horses with actual aerc records. So, when we travel , I have to pay someone to tend them.
Hope to get east, but for now it is the midwest and south.
How about you guys?


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## Joe4d

I have been to 47 countries, but only 15 states, I wanna use endurance as an excuse to see more of the country. Once I get a horse I have real confidence in will look at some longer trips, culminating on Tevis.


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## phantomhorse13

When I win the lottery, I want to travel the rest of the country doing rides. I was lucky this year to be able to fly to Cali and do a couple rides on a friend's horse, but otherwise have ridden exclusively in the East due to time and financial constraints.

Def got some other 100s on my bucket list (Tevis, Big Horn, etc). If only that pesky money didn't get in the way. :lol:


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## flyinghighleo

What about a Paso ?


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## Joe4d

there are some groups getting into endurance Paso's. The problem is they have been bred for show and itty bitty baby steps for so long you really have to know your bloodlines and what to look for in a Paso to pick one out that would be suitable.


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