>>>> Wait,, this is starting to sound like the emperor's new clothes!! : ))
How many gaits do the Paso Finos and Peruvian Paso recognize and name? We aren't even beginning to name that many on this list. That doesn't mean that they don't exist though! Animals, including humans and horses, are very much a part of the analog world - virtually everything about them, and us, come in infinite combinations, and that would include gaits. When we define a few gaits, that still leaves big gray areas between the gaits, and frankly, I suspect that most gaited horses tend to gait in the gray areas rather than in the narrowly defined "true gait" definitions. I'm NOT saying that we have to name all of these gray areas - that would be impossible - but we should admit that they exist, simply because no two horses, any breed, are exactly alike, and that is something we should celebrate, not try to "fix". Personally, I think separating pace, step-pace, saddle rack, rack, running walk, foxtrot, and trot are pretty daunting tasks - but with a little thought, it's really not THAT complicated. Realistically though, those are just some "benchmarks" along the infinite gait line that runs from pace to trot. And since I have so many horses - all unique - it's been worth it for me to learn, especially since I breed, and have worked with a few rehabs. Knowing these few names helps me discuss the unique traits of each horse with anyone who I go to for gait help. If there is any "emperor's new clothes" going on about this, it would be when people naively believe that complex, very-much-analog, creatures (like Icelandic Horses) neatly and precisely fall into one of two categories: "five-gaited" or "four-gaited." And that one of those gaits will ALWAYS be "tolt." I got his off http://www.thegaitedhorse.com/mangalarga.htm : "The gait of the Mangalarga Marchador is its hallmark. Unlike many gaited breeds, where a "cookie cutter" approach is used to judge gait quality, the Marchador horse can present with any one of three broad gait categories: the "marcha picada" (a lateral gait, ranging from a somewhat pacy running walk to a pace similar to the Icelandic flying pace); the "marcha batida" (a diagonal gait similar to the foxtrot or Peruvian trocha) and the "center march" (very close to the classic running walk of the Tennessee Walkers of the 1930s or early '40s)." Note the part about the "broad gait categories". I sure wish more Icelandic owners would accept that ALL gaited horses gaits fall into "broad categories". Lee Ziegler always talked about the "gait continuum" and how one gait morphs into another. Gaits are gaits, regardless of the breed... I'm sorry, Robyn, but I found that rather naive, and snitty. If you don't want to study the gaits, fine, but please have a little respect for those of us who are trying to learn. Karen Thomas, NC
