On Wed, Jan 02, 2008 at 01:33:13PM -0600, Janice McDonald wrote: > I'm sorry, I don't care what anybody says, there is absolitely no way > on earth of knowing a horse will gait under saddle until you ride it > and it gaits. I don't care if its parents gait, both of them, for > generations, all the way up the tree. There is no way of knowing. > and even if it is well gaited someone can buy it, take it home, put a > different saddle on it, or heck even use the same tack, but ride a > little differently etc and the horse will change gaits.
i just wanted to post that not only do i agree with this, i've sent pictures showing it to the list! stjarni did a nice four-beat tolt for me when i first tried him. after i bought him, he became pacier and pacier for awhile -- i think i sent in a photo at the time that those who are better than i at gait-labelling called "stepping pace". i took some more lessons (with an icelandic trainer, though no changes in tack), sent in more pictures, and the full spectrum of stjarni's gaits -- basically real trot, real pace, and every gradation in between -- became clear. i think taking the lessons made all the difference in the world. i got good feedback on what stjarni was doing with all those legs and how it sounded and felt. then i was able to make sense of it, and work out ways to communicate with him what i wanted and when. (though he still falls back to a four-beat tolt and will not trot in some cases of high excitement, such as a dressage test, alas ;) --vicka
