>>>> Come on Karen, I try NEVER to reply on gait photos, newbie that I am to >>>> all things gaited.
That's ok, Nancy. I'm not asking that people be "right" all the time - or even most of the time. I don't even care about the subtle differences for the most part - for instance, if the horse is doing a close-to-mid-range foxtrot versus a true running walk. I doubt we really can tell EVERY subtle nuance with mere pictures and You-Tube resolution. Case in point would be your Tosca - her gaits look soo close to pure-four-beat and so smooth, so early in her training that you can tell it's very natural for her. I could care less if you choose to use all of her gaitedness, or pick a couple of her gaits to encourage. If only ALL gaited horses were as easy-gaited as she is - we wouldn't need these discussions! :) >>>> Didn't Wanda say Solon tends to the lateral? So, in these photos, he's >>>> diagonal. I can't tell in the snow if he's trotting or fox trotting. Yes, he's diagonal. In the still shots, I think you can see that the front of his diagonal pairs touches the ground before the rear of that pair. That defines foxtrot - or maybe in this case, the speed defines it as foxwalk at the first of the video. I really don't care to get that nitpicky for the purposes of these discussions - I don't think many of us are preparing ourselves to judge gaits in a show where that degree needs to be differentiated. But, if you look, you can see that the four feet touch ground at independent times, and later in the videos I think it moves to a truer two-beat trot. That's the sort of thing I'd like people - breeders in particular - to become aware of. >>> There was a discussion on the gaited endurance list recently about >>> encouraging gait by working in loose footing (sand, tilled field). Does >>> snow do the same thing, enhancing gait? I would expect that snow would affect the footfalls. But, as for working horses on loose footing to encourage gait - excuse the pun because I'm not trying to be funny, but I think that's treading on dangerous ground. That's what a lot of the "old timers did." I guess what matters is how you define "loose footing." If you're talking about 2, maybe 3 inches of sand in an arena, maybe that's ok. But gosh, I know that some old timers used to work TWH on deeply plowed ground - maybe plowed to 12" or more. I've seen some sandy arenas where the sand is probably a foot deep. That's horrible to me - very stressful to the joints and muscles. Footing is cited as a major contributor to much lameness, like bone spavin. Extremes in footing - too hard, too loose, or too slippery - are not good. After all, at the beach, you see most runners running on the moderately packed sand near the water's edge - not in the deep, loose sand of the dunes. Actually too, I think the old "work 'em on plowed ground" advice was generally aimed at cleaning pace to something more four-beat...does anyone know that for sure? Does working on deep footing encourage a trotty horse to gait, or to move on into a clean trot? I'm thinking the latter....? I guess I'm of the general opinion that using footing to do MUCH gait training is simply resorting to another mechanical means. >>> Frankly, I usually listen to footfalls when I'm riding. There's a musical >>> rhythm to the gaits. I do too - when I can. But, if there are several horses riding together the sounds get blended, or if you're riding on fallen, rotted leaves or on grass like we do (both of which are pretty decent footings) there's not a lot of sound, even if there's only one horse moving. That's the kind of footing that we do most of our training on. And the faster you go, the harder is it for anyone - no matter how keen their ears - to tell is the beat is truly even. And...the sounds of a step pace will be the same as the sounds from a foxtrot - both are uneven, four-beat gaits. Karen Thomas, NC No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.19.2/1221 - Release Date: 1/12/2008 2:04 PM
