Re: [RC] trotting and gaited horses - Truman Prevatt
My mare was extremely smooth in a trot and canter. She was balanced and
would round nicely going down the trail - probably why she liked to
trot. She also loved to jump - would go out of her way to hot over a
log. I had her over three feet and the instructor I was using took her
over four feet. She was very agile and sure footed. The old War Eagle
ride had a 15 mile trail that was a slalom course through very tight
trees and she just flew. Although she was 16-1 she could do that course
better than 99% of the 14-2 Arabs out there. She was very quick on her
feet and very responsive to leg aids and was joy to ride.
She had a very fast walk. I never saw an Arab that could keep up in a
walk they all had to jog (or in many cases jig) to keep up. She had a
nice extremely long low trot and and very smooth canter. If I "bumped
her up a little" as the walking horse people say, she would transition
into a nice running walk. However she could go faster at a lower heart
rate at a trot than the RW. She would fly downhill. We caught many a
people going down hill and we
had many a people just give up because they became "chicken" going down
hill as fast as she could.
She was a lighter build than a lot of walking hroses (probably becasue
of the MGB breeding in her). She was often mistaken for a TB and
sometimes when she was spitting fire with the tail in the air and neck
arched a saddlebred. Probably because of the build she developed very
rapid recoveries. In her prime she could gallop in and by the time I
got her tack off she would be down. Boy was she fast. She could gallop
as fast as most TBs. The only horse that we have ever had that could
out run her was her mother. They both left our Arabs in the dust and we
have one Arab off the track that had a good record on the track.
She had several top 10's a couple seconds a first and a BC. She did a
50 in 3:40 (second place) and won BC (best vet score also). Her resting
heart rate is 26. Her mother (who we also had) was sub 30 and her son's
and daughters are also sub 30 so it seems runs in the family. That
probably had a lot to do with the recoveries. It did, however, take her
about a year longer to get to her prime but hey getting there is half
the fun.
She did 6 one day 100 mile rides - the ROC being one. I sure hated to
do it but had to retire her in '96 for breeding since the old clock was
getting to the point that if I pushed in any longer she might have
trouble breeding.
She was an opinionated hell bitch. I had to ride her in a pelham with
double reins or else she would pull my shoulders out of their sockets.
My wife would not ride her since she would not pay one word of
attention to anything Kathy told her. One year I had to spend 3 weeks
in Denver in Nov. I did a 55 the Saturday before I left - turned her
loose 10 miles out galloped the whole way passed 6 ot 7 horses and blew
the doors of two more racing to the finish and came in 4th or 5th. I
climbed on airplane Monday. I asked Kathy to ride her a little so she
was "too fresh."
Get back Wednesday before Thanksgiving, load up the trailer and head up
to JD's Thursday. I rode her Friday and knew I was in for trouble on
Saturday. She galloped sideways the first 10 miles of that 100. She did
the first 50 faster than she had ever done a 50 prior to that time and
it wasn't my idea. I was a passenger pure and simple. We ended up
getting lost on the second 50 probably did at least 110 miles and spend
who knows how much time in the dark trying to figher where we were. We
finished and boy what a ride.
That mare will probably be the best horse (of any breed) I will end up
ever riding. He daugher is getting ready to start some riding soon so
just maybe - at least my fingers are crossed.
Truman
Karen Sullivan wrote:
I
have asked a few of the top gaited endurance riders about any horses
they know that have completed 50 milers complexity in gait
consistently. I am doing research on this as the whole gaited horse in
endurance is a pet project of mine.
*Will
be very interesting to hear your results. I have talked to Truman about
this also, and a fellow who had done Tevis on TWH some years ago. The
imput I got was that you have to be extremely careful in selecting a
TWH, as some are extremely athletic and surefooted.....and some are not!
Downhill they can make up time provided they don't get pacey.
A pacey horse downhill is extremely dangerous..it can fall down way too
easily.
*Going uphill is just as bad.....how I got one good scar on my
face, when a foxtrotter I briefly owned came crashing down to the
ground going up a very steep, narrow hill the Arabs just cruised
up....put me off gaited horses for a bit!
I LOVE gaited horses...they are fun to ride,
*My Arab/TWH was a great mare, smooth and tons of endurance.
She was pretty heavy bodied and her recoveries were not as good at the
pure Arabs...but she could go all day, was extremely smooth and
surefooted. I think gaited crossed on Arab is something not enough
breeders are doing.....
Karen
Mel
-- We imitate our masters only because we are not yet masters
ourselves,
and only
We
imitate our masters
only because we are not yet masters ourselves, and only
because
in doing so we
learn the truth about what cannot be imitated.
