|
|
|
|
|
WHAT IS GAIT AND WHAT PRODUCES A GAITED
HORSE?
By Eldon
Eadie
Ask a hundred
different people and you will likely get a hundred different answers: Some will
say that gait is mainly overstride, head nod, and evenly timed hoofbeats.
Others will say that it is termino (winging), brio (fire), and the inability to
trot. Some will say that a horse has to be loose moving in order to gait.
Others will say that a horse has to be tight. Some will say that it is
mainly the result of training, others will emphasize conformation, or bone
structure, or breeding (genetics), or disposition, or shoeing, or hoof angle,
or the type of bit used, or the degree of collection, or the conditioning of
the horse, or the attitude of the rider, or the skill of the rider, or the
brand of scootin' juice (soring), or the type of action devices used, or the
number of World Grand Champions on its pedigree.
The one common denominator between all breeds of gaited horses and all
types within those breeds is that gait is the ability of the horse to maintain
an evenly timed hoofbeat at an increase of speed. Whether you call it the tolt
or the running walk is irrelevant. Gait is the programming in the horse's
brain that makes it possible to hold an evenly timed footfall at an increase of
speed. All of the above factors contribute to the quality of gait in
different ways. Each breed has a different standard with different
definitions of gait that emphasize various aspects of gait, but in all cases a
horse that breaks with an increase of speed, in a clear sharp transition from a
walk to a trot or pace, is un-gaited. A horse that holds an even timed
footfall (or drifts slightly) is gaited. Take a look at your average
Quarter Horse or Thoroughbred. With an increase of speed the horse will
shift gears in a very distinct transition from a walk to a trot. When you
see this type of activity in a gaited breed, you are not looking at gait.
Even if the horse shifts in a
clear transition to the pace, it is still not showing gait. Most well gaited horses are capable of this kind of
clear transition at times but what you want to see is a slow drift from a walk
to a middle gait somewhere between a trot and a pace or better yet, no drift at
all. A strong gaited horse will just continue to walk with any increase
in speed. It may not be winging (termino) or it may not be nodding, but if it
is doing an even gait at speed, without action devices or scootin' juice, it is
strong gaited.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
This brings us to the two main aspects of gait. One is the
programming of the brain of the horse. This aspect is mainly determined
by genetics but can be influenced very significantly by training and some of
the other factors mentioned above. This aspect gives the horse the ability to
maintain an even gait at speed.
The other aspect of
gait is the bone structure of the horse (conformation). This aspect is
also mainly determined by genetics but can be very significantly enhanced by
action devices and other methods. It is the conformation of the horse
that gives it the headnod and overstride that is very much a part of the
running walk.
If you are breeding natural gaited horses, you
need to be very careful about both aspects of gait. You need the natural
ability to maintain an even gait at speed and you need good conformation of
movement (bone structure). If you are breeding performance horses (big
lick), you only need to worry about conformation. The natural ability to
hold an even gait does not matter. Some people seem to think that the
performance horse is solely produced by artificial means; that all you have to
do is use the right methods and you are on your way to the WGC circle.
This is not true. All, and I repeat, ALL, world grand champions have good
conformation of movement in various ways. Without it, they do not
make.
In the walking horse business we have a large
number of very good people dealing with training, etc. of these horses and they
are far ahead of me in these areas. In this series of articles I will say
very little about these topics although I do not discount their
significance. The one thing that I have never seen dealt with in any
detail is the genetics of breeding for gait. How do we actually put
together the perfect horse?
|
|
|
|
|
|
