On 1/23/07, Karen Thomas <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > 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.
and this brings up anpther interesting aspect Karen. My Fox does a gorgeous runningwalk. But when nervous, tense, high headed under too much rein pressure he immediately goes into a gorgeous smooth saddlerack. So if I didnt know better, I would just think he saddle racks. At the field trial I went to with around 300 horses I didnt see one horse do a RW. not one. I did capture a nice foxtrot on film :) But all those horses were ridden in harsh bits and tie downs and behind the vertical. Lord only knows how many running walkers were there but you'd never know it cause none were allowed to relax and extend the neck in a manner necessary to do a RW. So it isnt just breeding and devices, its riding too, and not even knowing what a real gait IS or feels like and how to LET a horse do what comes natural. As someone on the gaitedhorse list said recently, a horse ridden like that begins to get an endorphin high off the pain and will seek that, the rein pressure, the behind the vertical position and thats the saddest of all... Janice -- yipie tie yie yo
