SHOULD I LET MY GAITED HORSE TROT? Many young gaited horses trot or pace occasionly or all the time in the pasture, and it doesn't affect their ability to gait. I have gaited and non gaited horses in the same pasture and think that it's a myth that gaited horses immitate the trotting when pastured with non gaited horses, it's more that the faster speed of  other horses trotting encourage them to trot also, since many gaited horses gait slower than they trot, especially without training. Once they get their "gaiting" muscles built, they often use gait more and more when running free, unless they get excited over something or in a hurry. It's also a  matter of practise and coordination  for them to break up the two beat and keep a four beat at a faster speed than the walk, and the question is how to best deal with this when starting a gaited horse under saddle. The old school insists on starting your gaited horses without trotting if at all possible.  That means no longeing, and riding for many weeks at a walk only, gradually pushing for a faster walk as the horses gets stronger, and from there to a slow 4 beat for a few steps and back to a walk.  The old school often supports the idea of pulling the horse's head up for the gaiting steps, to help him lift his shoulders, unfortunately sometimes resulting in a swayed back and bulging underside of the neck, and hind legs that trail behind rather than carry the weight. Modern techniques, developed and refined mostly in Europe where Islandic Horses make up the majority of gaited horses, are different, and that's what I use with great success for my trail and ranch horses, however I have no experience with showing in gaited classes. The basic training with this method is is no different than with other horses, they are started with a snaffle bit and are even encouraged to stretch their neck down on the longe line with side reins to strengthen their back muscles before riding, and to learn to accept pressure from the reins. So they do some trotting, and some do some pacing, it's a matter of finding their balance and confidence. I also ground drive my horses from the halter, never with the bit, first in the pen and then down the trail. When I start riding a young horse, I use a snaffle bit and let them trot if they volunteer, or gently push them into it if they haven't after the first 8 rides (20 minutes each)or so.  After another few rides with a bit of trotting they learn to navigate turns at the trot and they start to relax, and then I start to shift back and forth between walk and slow trot, which makes most of them gait nicely for a few steps.  Whenever they trot I work on bending exercises with their necks at the trot, keep on a bit more leg pressure, make turns etc., and when they gait I strictly leave them alone and keep my hands and legs really soft, to make it pleasant.  Some of the horses with a longer stride won't gait so easy at the slow speeds, I work them between fast trot and canter to get a few steps of "non trot", called valhop, where they trot behind and canter in the front. Soon they gait good at a fast speed and we work on slowing down in gait from there, while the others slowly get to learn to reach out more in gait, until they extend as easy in gait as they do in trot.  Trotting gives them the chance to learn to balance over uneven ground or around turns at a faster speed, to extend their strides and build muscles, but I would not recommend to practise it beyond that, the goal is to help them find the comfort in gait.  Same with the canter, I do a bit of it on each ride after the first 10 rides or so, but not too much.  A great tool to help with gait are gentle up or down hill stretches, most horses that trot with ease will gait easier downhill, and need to be walked uphill at first; the ones that tend to pace will often find their gait on a gentle uphill trail, but must be walked downhill with lots of stops and back - ups, until the day comes where both types of horses can stay in gait on a gentle slope up or down hill.  Anytime the horse gets pacey, even at the walk, going downhill, I stop and back up a few steps.  Backing is a diagonal movement like trot, and it builds muscles in the hind quarters, and teaches the horse to shift his weight over his haunches, especially when backing uphill. Soon I back the horse up fairly steep slopes for a few steps, like backing out of a ditch. I find a couple or more places to practise backing up on the trail every time I ride, and also do quite a bit of it when I ride in the arena, after 30 rides or so I go from gait to back up, small turn,  to gait, like the spokes of a wagonwheel.  It also helps horses who are hesitant stepping down into places on the trail, once they feel that they can back out of anything, no matter how steep, they don't feel trapped when starting down a steep bank where they don't trust the bottom, like a creek bank. To gait proper the horse needs to become strong in his loins and keep his weight over the haunches.  Neck position is not important, what is important is that the horse keeps his shoulders up, and learns to balance his body independent of his neck position. Shifting up and down in speed a lot helps, and so does backing up and riding proper turns.

THINGS NOT TO DO (in my personal opinion, the following could possibly have a negative affect on the emotional or physical well being of the gaited horse) Much of the advice given below deals with the young and just started horse, but it might also give you an insight to some problems you face with your horse. 1. Long rides without breaks on the young gaited horse tire the back and promote poor posture as the horse lifts his neck and head in an attempt to take weight off the front legs. 2. Very rough, slippery, deep or uneven ground are not good for gaiting at speed until the horse has found rhythm and balance and has become strong.This applies for a young horse or one that has not been ridden for a long time. When the horse moves in gait, he has more weight on one foot at a time compared to a trotting horse, increasing the chance of injury or tenderness. The legs need to be strenghtened first. 3. Getting the young horse over excited is very easy to do, and has negative effects. He needs to gradually become acustomed to the country around him and the things that are expected of him. Strong nerves are built with patience and gradual introduction, rather than with flooding the hrose with stimulus until his mind shuts down, giving the handler a false impression of calmness. A young horse that is getting too excited will calm down if the rider dismounts and distracts him with familiar exercises from the ground. Aftermore training, familiar exercises under saddle will reestablish a calm mind. Whatever it takes, the horse needs to regain his self control as quick as possible and should never be allowed to become hysterical. A horse that is moving in gait needs to be focussing on the rythm and coordination of his four legs. If he is becoming upset or very distracted, the rider needs to slow down promptly to avoid trotting, pacing or extra "hop steps" that the horse might take to get the feet organized. All of these are bad habits that can become hard to break. The same applies for asking the horse to move in gait through deep mud or snow, many horses will want to change into a 2 beat gait simply because it takes less effort. This is where it comes in handy if the horse has been taught to walk quietly. 5. Speedcontrol. Like any athlete, he might injure himself if moving out fast without warm up and stretching, and all of the excitement issues above apply. Ideally, he should be calm and under control and start out slow. If he is too rammy, I distract him with small, precise exercises like slow and exact circles at the walk with many stops and back ups, until he calms down. I don't leave the barn area until the he is listening and becomes polite. If the gaited horse has not been taught to walk, I recommend to focus on alternately letting him move out and slowing him right down every 10 seconds or so. If the rider holds an excited horse back constantly, the horse will likely start fighting the restraint and become even tenser. I don't recommend pulling an excited horse around in circles in fast gait for reasons mentioned below, except in an emergency. Some riders like to take advantage of the horse's desire to hurry home to have motivation for him to put out in gait and find a fast rythm. I find that the horse should walk the last 1/2 mile to cool off, and because we often have to go home extremely slow behind cattle, I insist that the horses learn to walk home without fidgeting. Gaiting with quick, impatient steps is no different than any other horse jigging on the trail, regardless how slow his ground speed is. It indicates that the horse is frantic, and is the start of getting out of control. Precise and slow circles, change of direction, riding to the barn and leaving 10 times in a row, endless stop and back ups, — I do whatever does the trick that day, without pulling on the reins a lot (that just makes jigging worse). Some horses calm down if they are stopped and made stand for a while facing away from home. I also avoid getting off at the barn, I ride past it for a ways and then get off and lead him back. 6.Fast and poorly ridden circles can have a negative effect. If the horse hasn't learned to bend proper, he might swing his butt out in a circle and then risks stepping with his inside hind foot on his outside frontfoot. Because one foot at a time sets down, there is more strain and torque on the horse's legs during turns, than when done by a horse at the trot, which is exactly why some gaited horse's try to take the strain off by trotting. Also when moving in 4 beat gait, the horse has for a moment both legs on the same side off the ground (lateral phase), making it more difficult to keep his balance during a turn. Making correct circles in gait, with the hindfeet stepping exactly into the tracks of the frontfeet like a train on a track, without loosing cadence or showing signs of anxiety, with the weight balanced over the hindquarters and without leaning into the turn or swinging the butt over (both put extra weigth on the front legs), takes training and practice. When done correctly, the circle becomes a great tool for slowing an excited horse, getting the horse's attention, breaking up a pacey gait, softening the horse's neck and getting him to tuck his nose, and teaching him to adjust the length of stride of each individual leg until he is in pefect balance.

FEEDING Grain affects the horse's disposition!!!!!!!!! Recent studies show that grain has the same effect on many horses as candy has on hyperactive children. It raises the bloodsugar quick and then drops it suddenly, causing child or horse to become nervous, irritable, stubborn, distracted and unmanagable, with real deficits in the ability to concentrate and focus. Horses descended from Spanish stock are usually very easy keeping and might even founder on rich pasture, and usually are plenty fat and have a lot of energy without getting any grain. The ones that are thin because they are too restless, often spend even more time pacing the fence if fed grain, --- finding a buddy or keeping it confined for a while might be a better solution. Exceptions: Of course there are many reasons to feed grain, depending on the type of horse, the work it does, and what else he eats. We do feed our weanlings grain for the first winter, and also a protein supplement and all the grass hay they can eat. From then on they stay in excellent shape with grass and grass hay only, even the pregnant mares. Our biggest concern is usually to keep them all from getting too fat. But horses love grain more than anything else and we always feed them about 1/3 gallon after we catch them, to make up for the fact that they had to leave their buddies and go to work. Important: Horses need to build up certain bacteria in their gut to digest grain. This takes several days. The bacteria dies off quickly if the horse misses it's grain for more than a day, so you have to build it up slowly again. An adult horse has usually no trouble with 1/3 gallon, even if he didn't have any for a long time. If your horse gets into the grain bin and eats a bunch, he could easily colic, founder and die!

MOTIVATION ----The horse needs motivation. We have to apply enough pressure to cause the horse to think of ways to get relief from it, and then release all pressures immediately for a moment as a reward. With practise the timing of the release improves and the amount of pressure that need to be applied lessens, and the horse's response becomes smooth, quick and calm. We need to assess ourhorse's response carefully, too much pressure causes a jerky reaction and excitement, rather than a smooth and willing response, not enough pressure causes the horse to become dull and bored. Horses keep life interesting by challenging each other's responses with often great amounts of pressure and threats, and they don't mind that at all, as long as they are promptly rewarded for doing the right thing. A good rule of thumb is to always start with barely a hint of pressure and then immediately increase it in increments until the horse responds, followed by an immediate release. Timing of the release is of great importance, very easily can the horse find ways to cause us to release the pressure at the wrong time, like before he has done the right thing. If we don't release the pressure the moment the horse has tried to do the right thing, he has no way of knowing what we wanted him to do! ---The horse needs to understand our signals. It's up to the rider to set up a situation where it becomes easy for the horse to do what we want him to do so he can associate our signal with the right response. The release from pressure is what guides him in the guessing game. After he has given the right response to our signal several times, it's time to practise it patiently until it becomes automatic to the horse. Then we can see whether he will still remember it when he is more distracted or moving at a faster speed.

BUILDING A GREAT RELATIONSHIP No matter how many times people tell you that "gaited horses are totally different" from others, many of the same principles apply. The horse is by nature a herd animal with well developed social behavior, happy to cooperate with other horses or humans that are considered herd members. At the same time the horse feels safest in his herd and needs to gradually build confidence away from them, only with his human leader. Most horses have no desire to climb the rank ladder, as long as humans or horses above him treat him well and are trustworthy superiors in his eyes. ----The horse needs to respect the rider or handler as his leader, it's against his nature to take direction by anyone below his rank. ---The horse becomes insecure if he gets confused about his rank, and feels that he has to challenge the issue so that he can be comfortable again. ----Humans often accidently cause confusion about the rank issue in the horse's mind, by doing little things that indicate to the horse that we consider us below him. An example is moving around him when he stands in our path rather than making him move. Another is to dump the grain or feed and walk away when the horse approaches, yielding the feeding spot to him. Stay and scatch him before you leave. -----In the horse world causing the other to move his feet translates into trustworthy authority. It's easy to look for opportunities to cause the horse to move back and forth, right and left, sideways or backwards etc. many times each time we handle the horse or get ready to ride, just to clear the issue. The horse's responses to these requests should become confident, swift, and smooth. ---We must not make the wrong thing easy by retreating or giving up when the horse reacts negative to a request --- we must make the right thing easy and pleasant and the wrong behavior or response difficult and unpleasant ---- that works much better than punishment.It doesn't mean to get in a fight, it's best just to keep casually persisiting, without getting angry. If the handler gives up at the wrong time when attempting to get the horse to respond proper ( calmly moving his feet with energy), because the horse was belligerent and pushy, refused to budge, or overreacted and fussed, ------then the horse has learned how he should act to cause the handler or rider to leave him alone. The horse is training the human! Note: This has nothing to do with: "never let the horse win"! You can always change your approach or request if you can't get the right response, or settle for a smaller result. Example: If he won't step into the trailer you can practise to walk up smoothly right up to it and put the head inside, making life miserable for him everywhere else, and leaving him alone when he holds his head in the trailer.. ---The horse that is afraid of everything around him often lacks trust and respect for his leader, who is trying so hard to reassure him that all is well. Imagine you are the commanding officer in the Army and your young recruit endangers the whole unit by imagining the enemy waiting in ambush all the time. You wouldn't take him to every tree to show him that nobody is hiding behind it, instead you would demand that he shows self control and ignores what frightens him, and soon he would trust your judgement, follow your example of alert calmness and manage his own fears better.

RIDING THE GAITED HORSE When people buy a gaited horse for ranch work or trail riding, they want to be able to mount, and ride off, enjoying a ride smooth as silk! With a little "know - how", this can be achieved! Just because the gaited horse can be so smooth to ride, does not mean that he will always give us that desired smoothness, sometimes even a gaited horse just won't let you "sit", he'll bounce you around instead. In order o get that smooth ride, several things have to be just right, and you and your horse have to work in harmony together. Pacey gait feels like a rolling motion from side to side, trotty gait gets bumpy. IMPORTANT PRINCIPLES: The gaited horse has to move 4 legs individually in perfect rythm and timing, and each leg has to cover an exact distance to make it possible. This can be affected by: 1. Hooves: They need to be trimmed and/ or shod with precision. Angles affect the moment of break over, and the angles of the front and back feet need to be in just the right relationship to each other. (See # 8., Riding up or down hill) 2. Saddlefit: As a rule, on a gaited horse the rider's weight needs to be further back than for other riding disciplines, to free the shoulders. Because quick sprints or jumps, which require the weight closer to whithers, are usually not part of the daily routine, there seems to be no problem with just sliding the saddle back. The saddle itself should have the deepest part of the seat towards the rear, and lot's of room in front for the neck and shoulders to lift freely. 3. Rider's balance: It's important to keep the weight over the horse's hindlegs and off the front legs. Therefore gaited horses are usually ridden with the rider sitting upright on his pockets, with his seat bones tucked forward. It is important not to cue for more speed by leaning forward, instead only the arms should reach towards the horse's mouth to indicate the wish to speed upby letting the horse stretch his neck a little. 4. Rider's legs: Rider's of gaited horses can often be seen with their legs way forward. When the horse lowers his croup, lifts his shoulders , reaches with his front legs and drives deeply under himself, the rider's legs just seem to narturally swing gently forward. As the horse slows down, they should in my opinion return back to behind the cinch and hang there gently against the horse's side. In the position with the legs forward, the rider is at a disadvantage for controlling his horse, and slightly off balance for unexpected movements. 5. Bit and reins: The horse must be unafraid of his bit, and willing to take some pressureon it. It doesn't sound nice to say that the horse balances on the bit, but it's like stringing a bow, in order to get the full power the string holds the ends in while the bow gets pushed out. With the horse, the rider gently holds the reins, and the horse puts more pressure on the reins as he rounds his back and starts driving with more power. If the rider releases the reins at this point, the built - up pressure is lost and all falls apart. But the rider is not trying to get more brilliance in gait by pulling on the reins! It's easy to see that the rider must give the horse a break every so often and let him stretch his neck and release the tension from the neck muscles, either at a slow gait or flat walk! This also releases his back and encourages him to round it under you. If you do this in gait, you might find his gait becoming more trotty, because of the added weight on the front legs. With some practise most horses learn to stay in gait quite nicely on a loose rein at slower speeds, without getting trotty, because they larn to keep their shoulders up. If the horse has a lot of up and down movement of the head and neck, like Tennessee Walkers, the rider must keep the rein pressure steady by letting his arms swing back and forth, or the rein will go from slack to tight every step! Many riders feel that they can keep their weight off the horse's front end better if they hold their hands fairly high, because stretched out, low hands and arms tend to make some riders lean forward. 6. Leg aids: The horse can't move freely in gait if the rider's legs are clamped on. Instead the rider should massage the horse's side alternately right and left to encourage him to step forward more with his hind legs. 7. In gait the horse needs to move like on a railroad track, without leaning or swinging his butt over. This requires a watchful rider. As soon as the horse turn's his head to the side to gawk at something, it should be straightened with tension on the opposite rein. At the same time the rider's leg on that side should prevent the horse's butt from swinging out. When the horse's head swings to the left, his butt will swingto the right, causing him to take uneven steps behind. 8. Riding in gait on up or down hill slopes affects the length of stride in the front and back in relation to each other. Uphill puts more weight on the front legs and causes them to be put down quickly, making the gait trotty, or a pacey gait just right. Downhill put the weight on the rear legs, causing them to set down quickly, making the gait pacey, or a trotty horse just right. The rider can use this to his advantage and use slight up - or down hill slopes to practise getting the timing of the gait just right. It's best to stick to walking on the slope that causes the horse to fall into a pacey or trotty gait, until he learns to hold his timing and rythm regardless of terrain. 9. Moving under a rider in gait takes concentration and strength for the horse, and he needs to gradually get in shape. On each ride he won't let you sit real well until he starts to relax and warm up. It's important to start out slow to avoid tension and injury. 10. Preferably on every ride, give the horse opportunity to find his gait by going on smooth and level ground that is not too soft, at a constant speed without turning for longer periods of time, on a gentle rein. Many trainers feel that the horse enjoys listening to his footfall on hard ground, as he strives to get his rythm down pat. 11. If the horse starts to get pacey, it often helps to give him more slack in the reins and ride him forward crisply without asking anything else for a while, or riding on an uphill slope. Too much pressure on the bit or anxiety about the bit can promote pacing. Sometimes a large, well ridden circle can also help break up the pace, but a fast, small, and hurried circle in gait increases the chance of the horse striking his outside front foot with an inside hind foot, something that can happen more easily with a gaited horse that moves each foot independently, than with a horse at a trot, who moves those diagonal legs together. 12. A horse that is trotty often needs to be picked up and collected more, he needs to lighten his front end and use his hind quarters more. Exercises that help him lower his croup and reach further with his hind legs help (riding downhill), also going from a back up crispy into gait can work well. 13. Help the horse to engage his hindquarters by changing gently but firmly from slow to fast, stop to gait, walk to canter, and all of these back down to a walk, stop or back up. What's important is that the horse practises shifting his balance over his hind quarters, and giving his head to the bit by tucking his nose, and responding to the rider's legs by moving his own legs underneath himself and pushing off with more energy. Backing uphill, up a bank or out of a ditch, can be a great strength builder, when done correctly, without the horse rooting his nose in the air. 14. Rein yields, leg yields and exercises like shoulder - in and reverse arcs (at a walk first) all loosen the shoulders and cause the hind legs to reach further, lengthening the horse's stride, and getting him to carry more weight on his hindlegs. 15. Practise the flat walk. Many gaited horses are happier gaiting than walking, but walking is excellent, it encourages the horse to relax and stretch his neck, to lengthen his stride rather than get quicker, and helps him get even in 4 beat gait. 16. Recognize that a horse that fidgets when saddled, mounted or asked to stand still with a rider, might possibly be physically uncomfortable. Gaiting requires strong back muscles and good posture, and if a horse is out of shape and asked to gait too long or fast, or if he moves under his rider with his back dished in and the underside of his neck bulging out, he can very easy get a sore back and become difficult to saddle and mount, rush under saddle to get away from the pain, or even stumble because he carries too much weight on his front legs. That's why it is so important for the gaited horse to learn to walk on a loose rein to stretch and release his back muscles every so often. The ability to move collected, with his nose tucked in, and a round back in gait, with the weight on the hindquarters, must be gradually increased. Even if the horse is mostly used for trail riding, good horsemanship and effort in riding to keep the horse's proper posture must not be neglected. 17. Wake him up! The horse might find his way into an animated, balanced 4 beat gait if he is a little excited, like going past something that worries him a bit, or following behind a fast moving horse. In a state of slight excitement the horse will often lift his shoulders and reach with his front legs, and at the same time drive deeply with his hindlegs underneath himself. It's as if he found a new gear in gait! 4 beat gaits except walk demand a lot of energy, they cannot be performed well on a sluggish horse. 18. Establish a work out pattern for each ride. The horse should be warmed up slowly. If a horse is very tense and hyper at the beginning of a ride it helps to keep him walking in small circles until he is warmed up and calm. After that he should be asked to concentrate and really put out for a while, so he sweats and breathes hard, for at least about 30 minutes or more. After that he should be allowed to cool offand stretch for a while, so he is all mellow and relaxed when you get off. On long rides he can go slow and steady, but he needs opportunities to stretch his neck and back. If you can't get him to do it any other way, get off and walk him on foot for a few minutes every hour. 19. Think of each ride as a combination of aerobic exercises and strength building for your horse, during which you are his coach, and also as a lessonfor the horse in controlling emotions, and learning to dance happily and trusting with a gentle partner that leads the way (the rider). The fun will come with it! This makes for a happy, easy to manage horse that will gait smoothly.

BITS : Because the SNAFFLE BIT is not suitable for "getting the head up", many feel that it should not be used on gaited horses. Traditionally Paso Finos were started in a bosal (noseband) and went from there to a shanked bit. We find it works well enough to collect a horse and center it's weight over the hindquarters and lighten it's front end with a snaffle, but it does take a lot of training. The real advantage of the snaffle bit is that it won't frighten the horse, making him tense and nervous, and it is great for helping him become supple through turns, and to teach him lateral movements like leg yields etc. Once the horse we train has learned all of the above, we put him in a shank bit and also teach him to neck rein, to make it easy for his new owners to achieve quickly what we spent a long time to teach. In our opinion, the results are well worth it, because the horse truly knows how to respond and give to the bit, how to slow down with a light touch, and he won't be afraid of the bit. Ridden with a SHANK BIT, the horse will now take the correct posture as soon as the rider's hands make contact with his mouth through the reins.