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contest riding gaited horses?

2K views 8 replies 6 participants last post by  amberly 
#1 ·
Does anyone here do any contest riding with your gaited horse? What events? For fun or serious competition? Did you do your own training?
 
#6 ·
I had a blast this last year trying new things with my TWH: endurance, team penning, cow sorting, mounted orienteering, schooling dressage shows, and trail riding. My horse's favorite were the endurance and working with cows.








 
#7 ·
Hooves w da fur
Love the pics of that run! I bet she would be fun to race.

Jklitzke
What a wonderfun variation of events! I did breed shows in my youth with my current gelding's grandmother. But since I've raised him I'm constantly looking for new fun things for us to try. So far I've learned there's a world of knowledge in riding we have yet to learn.

My kids have been interested in adding dressage to their four h class list. They use my walker gelding and icelandic pony. Last summer they were learning the basics of barrels and poles. We had a lot of fun. We rode in several parades. The horses have been in the buggy eand each made a couple mile trip. We're still learning how to drive safely. If you've never had the pleasure of taking a buggy ride with a learning horse...Oh what fun! Once again so much more to learn.

I grew up hearing "walking horses just DONT DO that" stuff. Ie anything outside of walk, run walk, canter and in a circle. I remember when I got my first horse for myself and purchased a western saddle my mother about had a heart attack. My biggest facination back then was reining. Nobody I found who rode/trained reiners would help us learn because I had the 'wrong' horse. If I expressed my interests to anyone with a walker I got a look of shock and questioned why would I WANT to do such a thing? I would mess her up for sure. So I set out on my own but knowing nothing and having nobody to offer advice we didn't get far. But I learned a lot and what I did learn made me a better rider and her a better horse.

When I was a kid I wasn't allowed to show my mothers mare with the four H club. Now I have 2 boys in four h. Both use gaited horses. On top of that our four H club hosted 5 walking horses and my icelandic pony at the fair last year...that's just our club. My how times change! Everyone seems so open and willing to help the kids learn and they aren't restricted from classes or have to have segregated classes just for their horses. It drives me to have the boys continue to learn and expand their knowledge. What an opportunity!

I started this post to see if there was anyone else also breaking those boundries and proving gaited horses are just as capable of doing anything a horse can do. Plus I was looking to hopefully find people with more knowlege than I to seek out for advice...because as I said after 30 years I'm still learning!
 

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#9 ·
With our horse we just mainly ride for fun, but we also do barrels every now and then. Man, he is the fastest horse I have eve been on!! If I went his full speed around the barrels I would be on the ground before we clear the first barrel.

he can also pull a cart, but we don't do it competitively or anything
 
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