To me, it's a problem if the horse shifts so rapidly that it's a constant battle to hold my balance. That's bone jarring, even if some of the gaits offered in the process are comfortable.
Our daughter Abby bought the STB Twist as an endurance prospect. She hadn't ridden since she rode the family pony as a child, so she was essentially a beginner rider. I had a hard time remembering Twist's name when we first had him - kept wanting to call him Lurch. He paced at the track and was not really trotting very well at the time she owned him. I could NOT understand why she couldn't learn to post. She's an intelligent athletic youg woman and she just wasn't "getting" it. Twist got hurt, had a long lay up, really proved he wouldn't ever be much of an endurance horse. He just doesn't enjoy the work. So, I bought him to give him a home and learned why she was having trouble posting. For one thing, his trot is so huge and ungainly that he tosses the ride clear up over his shoulder. Second, he throws in a couple of hard pace steps every now and then. He is hard to ride. Now Abby says that anyone who could learn to ride Twist effectively could go on to ride any horse. He's a real sweetheart, though, and nice to drive in harness. Nancy
