> > tivar always looks just like stjarni to me, and given what i've heard > about conformation's contribution to gaits, it wouldn't surprise me in > the least if tivar had the potential to do a whole lot of various > gaits... > > --vicka >
so many many things contribute to gait. even if a horse has conformation for something a rider's weight, position, can change so much... I have been lucky with gait because i really dont know how to make a horse do anything so I just have to take what i get warts and all. And my worst gaited horse is my best trail horse, the best horse in the world really, a search and rescue posse horse, parade horse, anything horse. and my best gaited horse i would not trust in any large group. he is too hot and exciteable. When I got Tivar it was with the understanding that he would never do any gait but trot and maybe a fox walk at best. But now riding him, something about me and him together makes him want to do the foxwalk as his default gait and it is a gait that is really nice for me on the trail! Not so fast its unsafe and not so slow i feel like i am on a quarterhorse... it worked out great :) I have one horse that i have been told by several has a "show quality running walk barefooted" and I mean his gait is to die for. But I cant explain it, he is so enormous, 17hh and about 1300 pounds I can hardly get on him and he is green green even tho he is 10 years old. After an initial period of working thru some really REALLY huge probs with him, rearing mainly, bollting for the paddock too, I had some breakthrus with him and we worked through things and I have ridden him on a lot of nice quiet rides but i always feel a little unsettled on him. For one he is so green and i dont know exactly WHAT he might do in a situation if completely freaked. So i find myself just not riding him. I really should sell him to someone who will get highest and best use of him but now my husband has decided he is his horse and they are both green so on rides with him i am a nervous wreck but oh well what else is new haha Janice -- yipie tie yie yo
