The Horse Forum banner
Status
Not open for further replies.

Foxtrot or Running Walk?

12K views 63 replies 20 participants last post by  planta 
#1 ·
Is this Foxtrotter actually doing a fox trot or a running walk/flat walk?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXtbbBfQVS8

Unfortunately he sold right before I called. This is what I'm seeing when I try out Foxtrotters: they have a smooth fast walk, but any faster and they're trotting. I suppose technically they're doing a fox trot, but because of the show ring it's now as bouncy as a trot, so it seems like sellers are calling the flat walk a fox trot.

Hope that made sense! :D
 
#47 ·
#51 ·
Yeah, I admire them regularly but they cost an arm and two legs. :lol: I think the OP has a bigger budget than I do though!

Here's what's ironic, they had a son of my mare listed a couple years back and they wanted (I think) around $8,000 for him. I KNOW he was younger and better broke than my mare, but gee, I got "mom" for $500 (from a private seller, not Miller Ranch). So it's kind of funny one of her babies was so expensive.

She was basically used as a broodmare and she's a bit barn sour (but does ride out alone) but she's so much fun out on the trails I feel like I stole her! Gaited horses are so awesome, I wish they were more common and affordable in Arizona. Sigh!
 
#52 ·
Hmm. I had not heard that. I always considered the front end walking and the back end trotting. So if anything, the front end shuffles a little and the back end has more animation. But you could be right, I am not an expert my any means.

Really, it's a trot with slightly "off" timing. I *think* the front leg lands slightly before it's rear diagonal mate. (But I didn't look it up and could be mistaken).
 
#53 ·
Thanks for everyone's responses. The last one could gait, but they said he had a running away problem and just watching him spooking and the trainer struggle to control him, he's too much for an older rider. At 14 years old there isn't much of a chance of changing his behavior. Summer is coming and I'm looking into a trip SE.

I see 1-2 horses a month and inquire whenever a new one comes up for sale. At this point I really don't expect much, I just view this trips as a chance to visit distance friends or excursions into the CA countryside. So far I've seen a zonkey, a couple of bison living with cows, and I've discovered that we have many wineries in So. Cal. :)
 
#57 ·
I have same problem with rescue TWH :)
I found on youtube stuff by Ivy S. and it works! I like her approach. You can buy her instatnt videos or DVD here:
Gaited Horse Products

Right now I ordered second volume so we can work on going from pacey to good gait.
I also have MFT mare and when she is upset (that we go for a ride when she would rather stay at home) she breaks in pace. I am going then thru different obstacles on the way-ditches, pieces of board , driveway entries and it breaks her pace into normal foxtrot.
 
#58 ·
Thank you! I am going to look at ordering that. My mare seems to only do it when she's upset or feeling hot, or when I try to get her to circle/yield to the right. Other times, she is perfect. I don't have any experience with gaited horses other than leasing a Paso Fino for a summer while my show horse was on maternity leave like 10 years ago when I was a teenager.
 
#59 · (Edited)
I have whole two years of experience ;). I am living in quarter horse state :) and people here in Amarillo don't have lot of experience with gaited horses either. My trainer of horse riding couldn't identify what kind of gaits Babe was using.
Is hard to find specific sources about MFT but try to get this (I ordered few days ago on eBay for 5$
The Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Its History, Versatility and Gaits VHS training

There are other sources of knowledge on DVD on gaited breeds:
Jennifer Bauer-Gaited Horsemanship-Riding the gaited horse and part 2-Lungeing the gaited horses
Larry Whitesell-in hand training for the gaited horses; Under saddle work: riding the gaited horses; Ride a better gaited horses
David Lichman-Gaited horses, naturally! How Parelli natural horsemanship applies to gaited horses, part 1 and 2 (someone is selling them on eBAy right now)
Anita Howe-sells her books and DVD about gaited horses on eBay. I got one about intermediate gaits but ..somehow can't get more than trhu few pages.
Brenda Imus-DVD and books-very general and in my opinion not worth, unless you just need basics of basics.
Clinton Anderson-Gaited horsemanship-concentrates more on general problem with horses, not specifically gaits. But if you have spare money, worth to have. I started watching some time ago, since he demonstrates progress with two TWH mares; one going forward, running out, and one one lazy. I watched about the first one, because her behavior was exactly what I was dealing with in Babe; not listening to reins, not stopping, speeding up.
There is good book about basics of gaited horse plus with chapters about specific gaits, how they look ;
https://www.amazon.com/methods-trai...1479664553&sr=1-2&keywords=easy+gaited+horses

Good luck with your MFT and with pleasure I can share my experiences on priv :)
 
#61 ·
Thanks so much for posting this. Watching this video was a light-bulb moment for me! See I have a QH/Foxtrotter cross gelding and he automatically hard trots. To get him to foxtrot, I have to slow him down and lift up his head. And with a little luck I get a lovely foxtrot.

Now my friend has a Foxtrotter gelding and he both foxtrots and racks. When I was riding him a while back, she kept telling me to lower my hands to get him to foxtrot. And so I came away from that ride a bit confused because with my own horse I raise the head to get a foxtrot, not lower it.

Well, the video gave me a light-bulb because it explained that a trotty horse gaits better by raising the head, and a lateral horse gaits better by lowering the head. Eureka, I think I get it now! Both techniques are right, we just have horses that lean to different ends of the gait spectrum!
 
#63 ·
The more lateral the horse the higher will be headset, to the point that some horses travel ventroflexed. This is not good for long term back health.

The more diagonal the horse the lower will be the headset and the more bascule the horse will show. This is not positive "smoothness."

With every horse there is a "sweet spot" where the horse is not traveling inverted but is delivering a comfortable gait. With some horses this is going to be a "spot." With some it will be a "range." Each horse will differ in some measure even within a consistent breed. If the breed is inconsistent then each horse will be inconsistent and this imposes a greater responsibility on the human to understand what's going on.

Sadly, few videos really ever discuss this and can lead the viewer to think that as long as headset means comfort (for the rider) then all's right with the world. It may not be, however.

With centered gaits you are dealing with distance gaits, not speed gaits. With gaits more to the sides of the gait spectrum you can get significantly more speed but, in the case of lateral gaits, at a cost to the horse. The diagonal gaits cost the horse less but the rider more. So, again, you've got to have some idea what you are about as you move the horse about on the gait scale.

G.
 
#64 · (Edited)
Then I will add few more positions, that can be useful. :)

Horsemanship for Gait with Rick Brighton (Rick Brighton Gaited Horsemanship - Gaited Horse DVD).
Contains groundwork techniques, under saddle techniques, improving the gait: pace and trot.

Understanding your gaited trail horse by Gary Lane, plus his books. DVDs are much cheaper from his page-I ve seen one of them on Amazon for over 100$-what on the Lane's page costs 25
Book and DVD sales

Worth to have it, not directly related to gaited horses, but general:
Speed control: walk, trot, canter, stopping and standing. John Lyons 'Controlling your horse's speed'

I got lately book from eBay, 'Breeding, training and judging four beat gaited horses' by Kay Chiappetta and Lucio S. De Andrade. I was hoping to get something about TWH i MFTs, but book concentrates on less known breeds (Mangalarga Marchador, Campolina, Piquira, Campeiro, Paso Fino, Peruvian Paso), some about Mountain Horses with two pages about MFT. Neverless, interesting to read for about 10$ :)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top