>>>> Therefore, the judge should be able to define the horses action by his >>>> conformation >>>> alone. There wouldn't be a need to chase terrified babies around....
And even if they don't understand conformation basics, a minimally trained two-year-old should be able to trot-out for inspection with the owner leading him. And in Renee's case, she says her baby knows the Parelli games, so she should be able to "circle" to show movement. As for evaluating gaits, I wouldn't bank on what I saw when horses are chased around, especially young horses. An excited horse will be constantly changing gaits, probably changing directions too, making it hard to isolate one gait from another, especially to the naked eye. Did they video and freeze-frame, Renee? And we all know that young horses go through phases where their gaits morph and change. Even QH horse newborns often show pace. When Runa was two-three-ish, I worried that she was too pacey. Now, under saddle, what gait does she offer first when asked to speed up from walk? Foxtrot. When she was younger, I saw her pace in the field WAY more than I was comfortable with, but now she TROTS at liberty a lot, and I've done absoutely nothing to change that. She just grew into her body and time and maturity made her change. I know she's conformed to rack/tolt too, but I'm not going to ask for it any time soon, not until she has her trail-horse-basics well understood and in place. Renee's colt probably DOES have the full range of gaits - that happens in this breed. But I'm not impressed with a system that uses that sort of handling to show gaits on young horses. I don't want to ride a chased-around, excited horse, so I could care less what gaits my horses exhibit in situations I won't be putting them in. Karen Thomas, NC
