>>>I think Ofeig does the flat walk (only if the video camera is in house)
That's funny! I know that feeling. It seems that most of the time, my horses do one of about three gaits at liberty - the graze, the nap, or the stand. The young ones do a few others most of the time - the walk, the gallop and the nurse, along with the nap and the stand. Believe me, it helps to get in the habit of carrying a small digital camera around your neck or in your pocket, so you can grab little videos whenever you can. Even then, though, often the camera angle isn't right, or the horses are too far away, or too many are moving at once to isolate the feet, or the horse is changing speeds, running through 2-3 gaits within a few strides. I think it helps to first pick a smaller goal in discerning the gaits. Maybe, first just concentrate on seeing if the horse is doing a close-to-pure pace, or a close-to-pure trot. If it's close to the middle, don't fret - just be happy! Learn to look for the body-language clues - those aren't always dependable, but they are good CLUES. Once you get that down pat, try getting pickier. All of this is clearly defined in Lee Ziegler's book. Believe me, I think it's MUCH easier - FOR ME - to discern the gaits from the saddle, no contest. But, if your horse isn't yet old enough to be ridden, that's not much help. I thought Melnir was trotty when I first got him. I didn't breed him for almost two years, to be absolutely sure he was what I wanted in a stallion. It almost knocked my socks off the first time I rode him, based on what I'd "seen" in the field. He freely offered a smooth gait (flat walk, I'm sure), and would hold it until asked for the next bump up in speed, then came a smooth foxtrot (sometimes close to running walk) and then he'd finally trot - ridden on a loose rein, with no special saddle placement, and barefoot. I got obsessive about taking pics of him at liberty, and it just blew my mind to see that what my naked eyes were seeing as "trot" was actually frequently broken enough to easily fall into "soft gait" range. In fact, I sent one such at liberty picture to the late, great Lee Ziegler, who defined that one as "tolt" - of the saddle rack variety. I knew then that I really had to work on training my eye. I had a lot of experience with non-gaited horses (QH, App, Arabs, etc.) so I thought trot was the one gait I had down pat. Oops... :) I know rely mostly on two methods to be sure of the gaits my horses are doing. I use the conformation analysis techniques that Lee Ziegler and Liz Graves developed and teach. It won't give you a 100% accurate prediction every time, but it's darned close most of the time, and it works somewhat on younger horses, at least when they are getting closer to maturity. Liz has a video that you can buy on her website. And, I rely on how the gait feels from the saddle - and granted, I've had the luxury of riding with Liz three times, so she can confirm what I'm feeling, and I also have a couple of friends who are wonderful ground spotters. I still use videos and still pictures for confirmation of what I'm feeling, but for me, the feel from the saddle is by far the most reliable way I've found...for the way I learn. Karen Thomas, NC No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.19.11/1244 - Release Date: 1/25/2008 7:44 PM
