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I am new to Gaited horses and need some advice pls :)

5K views 15 replies 7 participants last post by  mysticdragon72 
#1 ·
Hello y'all! I am new to gaited horses but have quite a bit of experience with non-gaited horses... I need some advice from someone with more knowledge than I have.

You see we bought our SSH mare back in Feb of this year and I have been posting about her in various other forums on these boards but since she was in foal when we bought her and has since been nursing her filly we haven't ridden her at all. There are photos of my mare and her filly in her introduction thread that I posted if you're interested.

What I'd like to know is without any knowledge of her previous training what would y'all suggest I do for our first ride? Are there any special cues that a gaited horse is typically trained with or are they usually trained similar to a non-gaited horse? I don't want to confuse her but since I have absolutely no idea how she was trained or what she rides like I need some advice LOL and some prayers that if I do confuse her she doesn't try to get me off her back!

We were told by her previous owner that she is trained to ride and drive but unfortunately the previous owner also has no clue on how she was trained or what specific cues, if any, were used. I plan on working her in the round pen to gain some respect and to get her back in riding shape after weaning her foal so I'll have a basis to go from and it won't be like I'm starting with a horse I don't know.

Also, any specific requirements as far as saddle fit and bit/bridle preference I should start with? I have a western style saddle but haven't had it on her to check the fit yet and we don't have any other kind of tack at this point either so we're starting from scratch.

TIA for any and all advice... and thanks for reading. :)
ttfn
MD.
 
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#2 ·
It sounds like you've got a whole bunch of stuff all rolled into one question post, and it might be best to break these out inot indivdual things. For example. How to wean.
What ground excersizes to do to see what sort of training she still has.
How to fit a saddle to her (with photos of the saddle on her back and such)

To start with , whether she is gaited or not should make absolutle no difference in her basic training. That is something you will want to investigate with her on the ground while doing round pen work or on a lead line. Does she lead well? Does she lead up well? I mean not drag behind if you move off briskly. Does she stop when you do or go ahead of you? Can you back her up with the lead line, without pushing her phsyically? Can you move the hind end and the shoulder over, seperately?
Does she go forward in the round pen when you ask, turn when you ask , things like this. YOu kind of sound her out. But don't overdo it all at once.

The saddle fit is a tough one because is she is very undermuscled now, the saddle might not fit so well. If worse comes to worse, if you have a saddle that is a little bit too wide for her in her undermuscled state, you can use heavy pads to fill it out until she muscles up to fill it out herself.

When you have time. post some pics of her with the saddle on.
YOU can work on the leadline manners right now, and in fact , should be doing those EVERY time you lead her anywhere.

Keep posting your questions, but you will get more detail and meaningful replies if you keep them focussed.
 
#3 ·
I guess I should of broken my questions down into a couple of threads but I also should have read some of my previous posts before hitting "submit thread" on this one because I had already asked about how to fit a saddle on a gaited horse before... sorry about that! ;)

ttfn
 
#4 ·
Please dont put a western QH saddle on her, her shoulders and withers are made different. make sure there is clearance for her withers and shoulders.
I wouldnt worry about cues,train her to the cues you use. wont take long. My horse would horse was trained to the kissing sounds, all fine and dandy but I am completely unable to make them, I cant whistle either.
Gaited horses are also sometimes trained to constant bit pressure as people worry about there head being held just right or seem thp think there head needs support. I dunno I may just be stupid.
It did take me a bit to teach him to neck rein, and that a loose rein "Hip HIp" meant to step out is gait, not to HI HO SILVER AWAY.
I like my guy because he has a steady walk, and a nice smooth faster than a walk slower than a trot trail gait. I'm not to concerned about perfect head position or steps. I guess it depends on what you want the horse to do.
 
#5 · (Edited)
I would suspect she may be a bit pacey until she has a chance to develop her muscles. I think you're just going to have to ride her to see.

My SSH, when I first got her, was in much the same condition as yours, right off a foul and on the heavy side. After she acclimated to her new home she quickly stole my heart.

I keep her unshod and ride her with front boots. If I don't ride her regularly she has a tendency to be pacey, but the more I ride her the smoother she gets.

Conditioning seems to be the most important thing IMO. Work on getting her in shape first before you expect to much.

Like you, I didn't know any of her cues, and had to figure it out. She neck rains, spins on a dime, and is just a wonderful horse to pleasure ride.

As far as saddles, I ride a mid ninteys National Bridle Tennessean, made by Crates. It's a fits her perfectly.

Also like yours, she has somewhat similar breeding with many crosses of Midnight sun and Merry Go Boy, many of the old foundation horses.
 
#6 ·
I guess since I don't know anything about her training I'll just treat her like I would any other horse. I was just curious if there was anything I should take into consideration that I might not expect due to her being gaited is all....

... Speaking of being gaited.. here is a very short video of her being ridden by her previous owner. I hope this is a better clip than the other one I posted so that y'all can tell me what gait she is doing?



On a totally different note... I am going to be calling up a professional saddle fitter to come out and help me get a properly fitting saddle. Another lady at the barn we're boarding at is wanting the same services so maybe we can split the costs? I dunno.

ttfn
MD.
 
#7 ·
First, if you lunge her, don't lunge her in the tight circles you are used to with a trotting horse. Gaited horses shoulders have a bigger, more sweeping motion and need more room:)

Second, she is beautiful! It's really hard to say from that video but she almost looks a bit off on the left front; it could only mean she might have stepped down on a stone coming around the turn.

She also appears to move her head side-to-side; again hard to tell. If that is the case, she will rack or step pace; neither of which are bad as far as I'm concerned but many don't agree with that and try to force these natural rackers to perform a running walk.

I have two that do the running walk and one that step paces. The step pacer is every bit as smooth as the other two.

Bits: Use whatever SHE is comfortable with - even bitless if she's ecstatic with that.

Two of my Walkers wear very low port curbs with swivel shanks (I prefer swivel shanks), the third has always worn a hackamore.

The TWH I lost in a freak pasture accident wore a Dr. Cook's Bitless and he loved loved loved that bridle.

Saddle: I honestly would not spend money on a professional fitter until she gets back in condition as I promise you, just like any horse, the saddle won't fit in six months or a year.

Walking Horses can wear any type of saddle that fits them properly, including saddles made for other breeds. The TWH that I lost wore my Arab's saddle, until he filled out, because he was short-backed. I then bought him a wide AmTech synthetic endurance saddle.

The key thing to saddle fitting with a gaited horse is to allow the shoulders plenty of freedom of movement for those huge sweeping motions they make. And, if the horse is short-backed, they are not happy if the the saddle is too long.

At any rate, I would wait a bit before buying her a custom saddle:)

Do you have current still shots of her from the side and even one showing a clear view of her back?

As others have said, basic training is basic training<--- they all whinny the same:D

Everyone has a different opinion but the way I was taught years ago, was to keep my hands low, the reins a little loose and sit back on my pockets when I wanted my horse to gait.

Keeping them in their gait is a little like power braking your car; pulling back on the reins slightly while lightly nudging them ahead with your lower legs at the same time. Hope that made sense.

Unless you're planning to show, getting the gist of riding her is not as big a deal as some people like to make it. Don't over analyze once you figure out what her cues are; just go trail riding and enjoy smelling the roses at something a lot smoother than a trot:D:D

While she might be rusty from not being ridden if she insists on trotting, have a chiropractor look at her and have her hoof length checked. As long as she has papers to prove she is 110% gaited, there is no such thing as a gaited horse that won't gait. They can get ruined right into trotting all the time or they can have something wrong with them.

One thing I have noticed with my Walking Horses is that when something structural is wrong with them, the first thing they do is trot a lot. Unless they're behind my Arab in the pasture and they will mimic him.

One of my Walkers will trot in the pasture when his back toes get too long.

The one I lost in the accident suddenly couldn't hold his gait under saddle and would rather trot. His Atlas bone and sacrum were both out of place. Once the Chiro worked on him and he got some rest time, he was a gaitin' fool/

Hope this helps some
 
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#9 ·
mysticdragon72, I was asking these questions just a few years ago, even though I've owned several gaited and 1/2-bred gaited before my 2 KMHSA's that I currently own.
I got busy reading and online questioning bc I wanted to train my 5 yo KMHSA correctly.
First, the gaits are inherited and dominant. Many 1/2 breds gait as well as full blooded.
Secondly, different breeds will ride differently, but it is COMMON for every gaited horse to trot in the pasture. Wish I had a nickel for every time mine have done so. I do NOT want mine to trot under saddle, however.
Third, consider the "running walk" or the "amble" or (fill in the name of the gait) to be the "trot" for you horse, and cue as if you asking for a trot. They canter or "lope" just like the non-gaited horse does, and they need the correct cue for that, too.
Fourth, these horses need to taught collection DESPITE the comfort of their natural gait. You can use your favorite method, or, if you don't have one, you can dressage them.
Finally, gaited horses really like to zoom along in their speciallized gait. DH and I are training ours to slow down. It's perfectly fine to do this. We both hope that by our next summer's riding vacations our 2 KMHSA's will do a nice, mosey-type walk, at least for the first mile out! **fingers crossed**
 
#10 ·
The word "gaited" is an adjective that modifies the noun "horse." So ride the noun not the adjective. :)

Here is the best manual ever written for riding the gaited horse (or any other one for that matter):

Horsemanship,Volume I - Horses - Books

It's $13.95 plus shipping. Add the DVDs and you've got a basic horsemanship library that you can't beat at any price.

At the National Cavalry Competition this year my wife went 2/19 in Novice Military Horsemanship and I went 3/18 in Intermediate. All the competition was trotting. We each lost 5 points for using a mounting block ('cause we're both getting long in the tooth :wink: ).

Here are three photos from the event:

https://picasaweb.google.com/113399063660097850579/October172011#5664556296442350818

https://picasaweb.google.com/113399063660097850579/October172011#5664556250963067586

https://picasaweb.google.com/113399063660097850579/October17201102#5664556947612483154

I also competed in Mounted Pistol. I had to scratch from Mounted Saber and Combat Horsemanship for other reasons. Don't go over fences anymore due to age. :cry:

We've been riding IAW the Ft. Riley manual for almost 8 years, now. It's just a very effective way to ride a horse, any horse. It won't do if you want to rope or bulldog or do competition dressage or win gait championships, but if you want to ride effectively on a daily basis on the trail or cross country or over fences (including foxhunting) it's the best there is (for both you and the horse). :)

G.

P.S. The Manual has two parts. Part I is Education of the Rider and Part II is Education of the Horse. They are closely tied in procedure and terminology so that if you want to learn to do something, like a turn on the haunches, Part I tells the rider what to do and Part II tells the rider what to train the horse to do in exactly the same terms and manner. A huge amount of the training literature fails to do this. It is one of the greatest strengths of the program.
 
#11 ·
The word "gaited" is an adjective that modifies the noun "horse." So ride the noun not the adjective. :)
HA, ha, YOU obvious English Major!! AARRRGGHHH, I am surrounded by them--2 of my DD's are English Majors and correct me ALL of the time!!! LOL
BTW, DH and I are retired from 26 years of CW Reenacting--we're just doing living history programs, now. We never did competitions, just fought with sabre and (black powder) pistol--never got around to purchasing CW carbines, though we own 2 Indian War models. Every horse was trained to gunfire and every horse would stand next to cannons exploding. My favorite events were 3 outstanding ones:
1)1994, Red River Campaign, Nagatouches, LA to Pleasant Hill, LA
Marched 12-15 miles/day, camped where we stopped, up at 5:30AM, broke each camp an hour later--WHAT A BLAST of hardcore!!
2)1997, National Perryville, KY
It's held on the original battlegrounds, so you really could track the battles.
3)1998, National Gettysburg.
23,000 Reenactors attended. We had a full-sized (>15,000) Pickett's Charge. It was so big and so much fun.
Yes, the 1990's were good times...good times...
This was the PEAK of the hobby. It's dropped off since then, partly bc WWII Reenacting lured many away.
Bought my great mare at the 2008, National Gettysburg Event.
 
#12 ·
Two of my Walkers wear very low port curbs with swivel shanks (I prefer swivel shanks), the third has always worn a hackamore.


As does mine.


Everyone has a different opinion but the way I was taught years ago, was to keep my hands low, the reins a little loose and sit back on my pockets when I wanted my horse to gait.

Keeping them in their gait is a little like power braking your car; pulling back on the reins slightly while lightly nudging them ahead with your lower legs at the same time. Hope that made sense.

Yes, same here, I gently squeeze my legs while holding back on the reins.
 
#13 ·
WOW! Thanks to everyone who replied with such detailed advice! :-D I knew I could count on y'all for helping me out.

I have decided NOT to get the saddle fitting done even before I read the replies here but only due to the fact that they are pushing buying a custom saddle made by them rather than emphasizing the importance of a good fitting saddle no matter what kind... I don't want to deal with a sales person when it comes to my horse's comfort!

I do have some photos of Sahara from the side showing her back but I don't know if you can see what you're wanting to in the photos. If you want better photos or want me to focus on a certain area then just let me know and I'll do my best to get the pics you need to see.





As you can see in these photos she is turned out in a small paddock and neither momma nor filly has been in a pasture since the day Sandy was born. We are going to look at a pasture for rent tomorrow afternoon though so hopefully we'll finally get them out on some grass before the snow flies!

I've never seen her trot actually, only gait. But because of my inexperience in recognizing the gaits I couldn't tell you what they are just from watching her.

The lady we bought her from told us she used a plantation saddle and an "Imus gaited bit".

I did notice that in that video she seemed to be favoring her left front as well and actually she has always favored that leg when turned out even. We have her on a joint supplement and she is no longer favoring that leg so hopefully the supplement has taken care of the issue. Since we don't know her history, medical or otherwise, we don't know if she had an injury in the past that might cause her some residual pain but I figure it can't hurt to give her the joint supplements anyways. I will be paying close attention to that leg for any lameness that shows during or after us working her as well.

Anyways, I want to apologize to anyone who feels I didn't address their reply but please know that all the replies and advice are read and I do take in everything that was said, so thanks!

ttfn
MD
 
#14 ·
She REALLY is pretty and at a good weight going into winter:)

She looks like she has just enough withers to be fairly easy to fit a saddle to her.

She does look short-backed so I would be careful of the length of the saddle.

If you have ridden English at all, borrowing a dressage saddle might work for now. Dressage saddles have deeper seats and would be more secure for trail riding.

Endurance saddles are very light. Most endurance saddles are built with an Arab in mind so they can work well for any short-backed horse.

This is my TWH that was really short-backed. The saddle that's on him is 23" from end-to-end to give you an idea of what I am talking about. I don't think your mare could wear a "full size" saddle and still have the freedom of shoulder and hip movement she needs. That is also a Dr. Cook's Bitless bridle, which Sultan loved. Reins don't match because I wasn't spending an extra $80 for reins for trail riding - lol


Also, when it comes to trimming her, don't let anyone tell you she needs longer toes to gait. That a big crock full of B.S. When my Walkers wore shoes they were trimmed according to their needs, just like any other horse - no keg shoes either.

If you keep her barefoot, short toes and low heels will also help any lameness issues she might have on the left side.

Have you checked her hoof really well for any signs of thrush or fungal issues? Sometimes the frogs can look dry, not have a smell to them and still have fungal issues deep in the sulci.

If the frog isn't completely closed back at the heel, she may have some infection way down deep. If that's ok, I might spend the money the saddle maker wanted you to give them on some X-rays for that leg to be sure of what you are or are not dealing with. The joint meds are a great idea at any rate:)

Watch her on spring grass. Tennessee Walkers (which the modern day Spotted Saddles Horses have in their gene pool) are on the predisposed list for metabolic issues. My 12 yo is insulin resistant and my 24 yo has Equine Metabolic Syndrome. They have worn grazing muzzles all but a few days since last spring -- even in that awful heat when the "feels like" hit 112 degrees but it paid off because they still got to be horses and roam around 22 acres without any ill effects.

If she starts to blow up on grass next spring, you will have to muzzle her.

Ok, I'm done:)
 
#15 ·
Concur that "endurance" saddles are an option for the short backed horse.

So are military saddles (like the British UP, the German Armeesattel, and the U.S. McClellan or Phillips Officer's Saddle). A fellow I know has a lovely Whitman Park Saddle (built circa 1916) for sale. Military saddles tend to have "hard seats" and some riders don't like that.

There are several makers of "trooper" saddles. These are modern versions of the UP. There are several good makers out there (Tucker springs to mind).

You can also look at the Buena Vista saddle or Plantation Saddle. Check out Steele Saddle.

I'd be very careful with "dressage" saddles. They come from a wide variety of design philosophies, even within the same company. The Stubben Tristan is a moderately deep saddle but the Stubben Maestro has a very deep seat. I rode a three hour trail ride in a Tristan once and had very unkind thoughts about the Stubben company afterwards!!!! It was not fun. I've sat in a Maestro and that saddle will put you into what the designer thought was the perfect dressage position. If you disagree with the designer then get a different saddle because you won't be able to change your seat. IMO neither will provide the overall support you want in a "trail" saddle.

The Stubben Scout (their police/military saddle) will give you a deep, secure, comfortable seat without inhibing your ability to move if you need to move. My wife rides a Stubben Siegfried VSD/DL and it does the same thing. There may be other "general purpose designs" that would also work.

I don't get paid by Stubben but I do like the products. :wink:

There are several very good quality English-style "all pupose" saddles that would do as trail saddles.

Concur that you should wait until the horse stabilizes in weight and condition to think about a "permanant" saddle solution. In the interim (for work in the arena and on easy trails) shop around for a good quality, "mature" saddle. As long as the billets are in good shape and tree is sound you should be able to buy it for a reasonable price and sell it for about the same money (assuming no condition change).

Good luck in your project.

G.
 
#16 ·
I have posted a couple of pics of Sahara when she was still in foal and had a better topline. You can see her back better and just how wide her back is. Although I'm sure her being in foal would affect her width LOL







I don't have any photos of her back itself without her head and butt being in the way LOL

ttfn
MD
 
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