The vets a the 94 Old Dominion also had a lot of fun "poking fun" at the
gaited horse at the trot out. At the initial check, I asked how she looked
and the vet said "sound in all four gaits she did. The key with gaited
horses is - are they even. If they are even they are sound, if they are
not even then there may be a problem. Not being even just looks different
for most gaited horse gaits than it does on a trotting horse, but most
experienced vets should be able to tell the difference.
But at CTR's in FL, most people on gaited horses do have problems with the
vets and judges.
Truman
>I have seen several vets new to endurance put the comment "gaited" on a
>horses vet card, and not even watch him travel. When I questioned one vet
>about this, he told me, honestly, that he couldn't tell if a gaited horse
>was lame or not. A good friend of mine rides a gaited arab/saddlebred,
>and vets always look at him funny until she tells them he is gaited.
>Then they always say "ohhhh". But yes, I think that many vets just do not
>see enough gaited horses to know what they are seeing.
>
>APPY TRAILS
>
>SAMM C. BARTEE
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The race is not always to the swift, but to those that keep running.
Truman and Mystic "The Horse from HELL" Storm
prevatt@lds.loral.com - Sarasota, Florida
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