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Soli Sorokin wrote:

> I got my first gaited horse almost a year ago, and have been making
> the rounds locally to learn all I can about them.  I now own two, plus
> the arab. Most folks around here in Tennessee ride gaited horses, and
> perfectly good horses that aren't gaited get given away for
> nothing....anyhow...
>
> Gaited horses can and do trot, but the prevailing "wisdom" seems to be
> to not allow them to do so, as it is believed that allowing this makes
> it harder to keep them in the smooth gait. I know that different
> muscle sets are used for the trot (a square gait) and most of the
> smooth gaits, (which I believe are lateral).
>  
If you look at the history of the breed - old Roan Allan would come in 
the show ring at the Tennessee State Fair in Nashville, win the three 
gaited class (walk, trot and canter) against the saddle horses (now know 
as three gaited Saddlebreds), come back in win the five gaited class 
(walk, trot, show rack, fast rack and canter) against the five gaited 
saddle horses and turn around and win the walking horse class. His son 
Midnight Son could do the same.

Those that say not to trot them should get a copy of "Echos in 
Hoofbeats" and learn the history of the breed.

> Now, my own thoughts on the matter are, if we can train a horse to
> walk, trot, canter, gallop, and stop when we ask it to, why can't we
> train a few extra gaits (if the horse has them), also?  As someone who
> doesn't mind a trot (it helps keep me in shape, to a degree), I like
> the idea of having both options available to me and the horse.
>
> That said, my TWH colt almost never trots. He doesn't want to, it's
> just not natural to him....it's all rack, pace, and running walk with
> him. My new TWH mare, on the other hand, trots, paces, performs the
> running walk and rack. She seems to do all of them with equal ease,
> although when in her paddock she mostly trots or does the running
> walk. I'd like to get her to a point in her training that she will do
> each when asked...she's only 4 so we have some time.
>
> ~S
>  

--

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm 
not sure about the former."  Albert Einstein





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