>>> Gat was changing her gaits quite quickly, so when she has one I want to isolate do I just praise her? What do I do when she changes? Ignore it and just praise everytime she gets into the one I'm isolating?
Hey, don't get the idea that I have any precise road map for how to do this - I don't! I can only tell you what I've tried to do, knowing I started on this on-my-own too. (There were local "gaited trainers" when I got Holly, but I was terrified to try them, afraid I wouldn't recognize the early stages of Big Lick...) You know Gat better than any of us, and you can SEE her. We can't. Actually, I think you're on the right track with the above, mostly praising what's good and ignoring the bad, maybe gradually, as she seems to make the connection as to what you want, saying "No" gently when it's not what you want. Just not too sharply nor too soon maybe...? Somewhere, listening to myself on video, I got in the habit of saying "thank you" when the horse does what I'd like. I didn't even realize I was doing it, but hey, they seem to respond! And, while I'm a "tack minimalist", I DO think it's easier with these multi-gaited ones to use a bit during any "gait isolation phase" (I like that better than saying "gait training"). You can eventually, hopefully not too far down the road, get a signal to the horse with the TINIEST touch on the rein, maybe just using your little finger. A bit conveys your intentions with more precision than does a sidepull. I'm all for using the least tack possible, but if a bit helps for some things, then use it for those things. It doesn't have to be all-or-nothing. Karen Thomas, NC
