>>>> Theres not a biglick walking horse on the planet that wasnt bred to be pacey so when they add the weight and the big shoes they square right up. As a result all the offspring with WGC bloodlines have so much pace in there its almost impossible to find one that will do the signature gait of the breed barefooted.
Holly's five-generation pedigree shown on her papers shows five World Grand Champions, including Carbon Copy, who was her grandfather. Holly is multi-gaited, with an easy trot and a real running walk - she often foxtrots in the pasture and I'm sure she could saddle rack, and probably has. But, Holly is almost 21 (22? I'd need to look at her papers) and she's about the youngest horse you'll find so closely related to some of the "old" TWH World Grand Champions like Merry Go Boy and Midnight Sun. So, even though she's closely related to a good many WGC, they were some of the WGC's prior to the worst of the big lick stuff. Holly has only had shoes for about 6 months total of her 21-22 years, the last time about 10 years ago when she had laminitis. She was never padded or shod in heavy shoes. I was quite pleased to see that most (all?) of the TWH at the Liz Graves clinic last fall, 5-6 of them I think, could and would do a running walk. Just a few years ago, the breed was all pace, or so it seemed, but the breed has enjoyed a resurgence as a pleasure/trail horse. So, yes, when people really THINK about what they are breeding for, the gaits CAN be consistent. But, when people go chasing show fads, all bets are off... Karen Thomas [EMAIL PROTECTED]
