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Basic Training
To Trot or Not
Training
Are
Gaited Horses Easier To Ride Than Non-Gaited Ones?
The answer
is a clear 'yes and no'!
Yes, if the horse is set in his gait and is unproblematic to get into gait. Then it can be easier, particularly for a green rider. The biggest problem when learning to ride is usually sitting the trot or even staying on a trotting horse - a problem that doesn't come up when riding a four-beat. However, if the rider interferes too much, the horse might 'loose' his gait. So even here, basic riding skills are necessary. It's also easy if the goal is for example a smooth trail riding horse and the rider doesn't care which four-beat the horse performs - or how many different four-beat variations in say 100m.
But if the horse is not set in his gait(s) and the aim is to find and maintain one specific gait, the answer is a definite no. On a non-gaited horse, the rider only needs to speed up the walk and sooner or later the horse will trot. It won't be a nice transition, but it will be trot and nothing but trot. On a gaited horse, speeding up the walk can result in a running walk, or a stepping pace, or a trocha, or a rack, or a trot - or probably another 10 variations in between! To find and maintain one four-beat without the horse changing into another four-beat (or trot or pace) every couple of meters requires a bit of knowledge and 'gait feel'.
Yes, if the horse is set in his gait and is unproblematic to get into gait. Then it can be easier, particularly for a green rider. The biggest problem when learning to ride is usually sitting the trot or even staying on a trotting horse - a problem that doesn't come up when riding a four-beat. However, if the rider interferes too much, the horse might 'loose' his gait. So even here, basic riding skills are necessary. It's also easy if the goal is for example a smooth trail riding horse and the rider doesn't care which four-beat the horse performs - or how many different four-beat variations in say 100m.
But if the horse is not set in his gait(s) and the aim is to find and maintain one specific gait, the answer is a definite no. On a non-gaited horse, the rider only needs to speed up the walk and sooner or later the horse will trot. It won't be a nice transition, but it will be trot and nothing but trot. On a gaited horse, speeding up the walk can result in a running walk, or a stepping pace, or a trocha, or a rack, or a trot - or probably another 10 variations in between! To find and maintain one four-beat without the horse changing into another four-beat (or trot or pace) every couple of meters requires a bit of knowledge and 'gait feel'.
Basic Training
Starting a
gaited horse under saddle doesn't differ a lot from starting a three
gaited horse under saddle. Preparatory groundwork and introduction to
the basic aids are as important for gaited horses as they are for
any other breed. Any four-beat under saddle requires a fair amount of
strength, coordination and understanding of the basic aids, therefore
young horses should not be asked for a four-beat too early. However,
a lot of gaited horses will offer gait straight away - just sit back
and enjoy!
To Trot or Not
The
question whether to trot or not to trot will always create controversy
amongst gaited horse riders and trainers. Some trainers, especially of
Tennessee
Walkers and Pasos, will not allow a gaited horse to trot, others
may even tell you not to canter. What sense does is make to have a four
or
five gaited horse
when it should only be ridden in walk and gait??? Anyone who has
ever seen
Icelandics in gait competitions knows that there is no reason why a
gaited horse can't do five gaits equally well - with the appropriate
amount of training, of course. And one look at Eyjolfur Isolfsson's homepage will show you, that
they can learn the Spanish walk, too!
As you might have guessed from the above, I believe that a gaited horse should be ridden in all gaits. How much of which gait and when depends very much on the individual horse and the stage of training. Of course, if your goal is to improve the four-beat of a trotty horse, letting it trot for extended periods of time - or sometimes at all - would be the wrong thing to do. However, once the horse is set in his four-beat, it's time to slowly re-introduce the trot into the training program, with the aim to get four-beat and trot on cue.
The main advantage of trot is its positive effect on muscle development while keeping the back supple. Since in trot two diagonally opposed legs are brought forward at the same time, the back and belly muscles work alternately. When for example the right diagonal is brought forward, the muscles pulling the right fore forward are contracted, while the ones for the left fore are relaxed. Same picture with the hind legs: the muscles pulling the left hind forward (remember, our horse is moving the right diagonal) are contracted while the ones for the right hind, which is brought back at this stage, are relaxed. This alternate action - the same group of muscles relaxing on one side of the horse while contracting on the other - strengthens the muscles while keeping the back and the spine flexible. Furthermore, while some of the four-beat gaits are ventroflexed (i.e. the horse hollows its back), proper trot is a level to dorsiflexed gait, depending on the degree of collection. In trot the horse should bascule his back and carry the rider's weight with his muscles, taking the load off the spine. Besides, young horses usually relax and find their breathing rhythm easier in trot than in gait. All very good reasons for asking a gaited horse to trot!
I also believe that a gaited horse - or any horse - should be ridden in various 'disciplines'. No human athlete will train only the discipline they compete in - most of them go to the gym or for a swim on a regular basis. So why do we expect our horses to show peak performance on a lop-sided training schedule? Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that for example every dressage horse has to be able to jump 1.5m minimum. But a little jump once in a while, a light canter through the woods or even just chasing a gymnastics ball across the arena will do wonders for a horse's mental and muscular development.
As you might have guessed from the above, I believe that a gaited horse should be ridden in all gaits. How much of which gait and when depends very much on the individual horse and the stage of training. Of course, if your goal is to improve the four-beat of a trotty horse, letting it trot for extended periods of time - or sometimes at all - would be the wrong thing to do. However, once the horse is set in his four-beat, it's time to slowly re-introduce the trot into the training program, with the aim to get four-beat and trot on cue.
The main advantage of trot is its positive effect on muscle development while keeping the back supple. Since in trot two diagonally opposed legs are brought forward at the same time, the back and belly muscles work alternately. When for example the right diagonal is brought forward, the muscles pulling the right fore forward are contracted, while the ones for the left fore are relaxed. Same picture with the hind legs: the muscles pulling the left hind forward (remember, our horse is moving the right diagonal) are contracted while the ones for the right hind, which is brought back at this stage, are relaxed. This alternate action - the same group of muscles relaxing on one side of the horse while contracting on the other - strengthens the muscles while keeping the back and the spine flexible. Furthermore, while some of the four-beat gaits are ventroflexed (i.e. the horse hollows its back), proper trot is a level to dorsiflexed gait, depending on the degree of collection. In trot the horse should bascule his back and carry the rider's weight with his muscles, taking the load off the spine. Besides, young horses usually relax and find their breathing rhythm easier in trot than in gait. All very good reasons for asking a gaited horse to trot!
I also believe that a gaited horse - or any horse - should be ridden in various 'disciplines'. No human athlete will train only the discipline they compete in - most of them go to the gym or for a swim on a regular basis. So why do we expect our horses to show peak performance on a lop-sided training schedule? Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that for example every dressage horse has to be able to jump 1.5m minimum. But a little jump once in a while, a light canter through the woods or even just chasing a gymnastics ball across the arena will do wonders for a horse's mental and muscular development.
Gait
Training
There is no
standard recipe for training a gaited horse to do one of the
four-beat gaits under saddle. The methods to find the four-beat are
about as different as the different gaited horse breeds and the
different gaits. Some horses need quite a bit of
tension, while some 'naturals' gait best when they are not interfered
with. There are some guidelines, but in the long run it's finding out
what works best for that particular horse and that particular gait. Of
course the whole story gets more difficult (read: interesting!)
when a horse is being trained to do more than one four-beat gait,
let's say rack and stepping pace.
Most
horses prefer to gait on level ground. However,
particularly in the early stages of training the rider should make use
of the
terrain: pacey horses usually square up when asked to gait uphill, but
in my experience will become even more pacey when gaited downhill.
However, Andrea Jänisch recommends downhill slopes to break a
horse's pace. Maybe I was just never brave enough to push past the pace
into a square gait downhill - which might have had something to do with
two weird but lovable Icelandics who would pace down any incline at
any speed (and I mean ANY speed!). Downhill did work for me on trotty
horses, though! In general, pacey horses are probably easier to train
to do an
even four-beat than trotty horses. Once the horse is able to do
serpentines (which can take a while with a pacer) or can leg yield,
it's quite easy to break the pace. Pacey horses also respond a lot
better to weight rings or weighted bellboots than trotty horses.
Training
Aids
When
talking about training aids, I definitely do not mean things like
padded
shoes or soring. These practices are nothing but a way to cut corners
while neglecting the horse's
health and wellbeing. Fortunately, these practices are pretty much
unheard of in
Australia and I hope it will stay this way. Training aids should be
what their name says: an aid to show the horse the way. Whenever they
create uncomfort for the horse or turn into a permanent fix, they are
no longer aids, but at best bad horsemanship.
The simplest training aid used on pacey horses are plain horse shoes. It is common practice for Icelandics to either only shoe the front hooves, or put heavier shoes on the front hooves and lighter ones on the back hooves. I am talking about 10mm versus 8mm thick shoes here, and definitely no pads to alter the angle! The heavier front hooves are lifted higher, remain in the air for longer, and voilá, the pace is broken, the four-beat more centered. Another way for a farrier to affect the horse's gait is changing the hoof angles by adjusting the toe length before putting the shoes on. However, since interfering with the natural hoof angle can have adverse effects on the hoof and leg structure, it should only be done by an experienced farrier - or best: not at all!
The simplest training aid used on pacey horses are plain horse shoes. It is common practice for Icelandics to either only shoe the front hooves, or put heavier shoes on the front hooves and lighter ones on the back hooves. I am talking about 10mm versus 8mm thick shoes here, and definitely no pads to alter the angle! The heavier front hooves are lifted higher, remain in the air for longer, and voilá, the pace is broken, the four-beat more centered. Another way for a farrier to affect the horse's gait is changing the hoof angles by adjusting the toe length before putting the shoes on. However, since interfering with the natural hoof angle can have adverse effects on the hoof and leg structure, it should only be done by an experienced farrier - or best: not at all!
Weighted
bellboots and weight rings have pretty much the same effect as shoes,
but give
more flexibility as to how much weight to use and when to use it.
Weighted bell boots weigh between 150 and 300 grams and have the
additional advantage of protecting the hoof in case the horse tends to
forge. They come either in one piece, which can be a pain to put on and
get off (especially when your fingers are pretty much frozen after a
trail ride in Austria in winter), or with velcro fasteners, which
sometimes come undone (usually when you give your horse a bit of a run
along a trail and the last thing you think of is loosing a
bellboot). Weight rings come in about the same weight range and are
particularly useful for unshod horses, when bellboots are simply too
long - or when the effort of pulling weighted bellboots over the
hooves is just too much! I like the versatility of both bellboots and
weight rings. Years ago I trained a VERY pacey and tense Icelandic who
in the beginning needed two sets of weighted bellboots, one over the
other, to do anything else but pace. I put the weight on before the
training, I took it off afterwards. And whenever I did exercises at a
walk, I did it without any weight. Try that with shoes!
 Jaranero on the sounding board (courtesy Rafael Arbelo). |
The paso strip, a row of boards a couple of centimeters off the ground, is not really a training aid, but still something that can help a lot in finding an even four-beat. It is sometimes also called sound board or sounding board, since it amplifies the sound of the horse's hoofbeat. The Paso strip is part of every Paso Fino show and competition, giving the judges the chance not only to see, but also to hear the rhythm of the gait - which is crucial in a movement as fast as Classic Fino. On the paso strip, any asymmetry in gait will be heard loud and clear! And the sounding board is useful not only for competitions. Particularly riders who have difficulties feeling the correct gait can profit a lot from hearing the hoofbeat. And once the horse does an even four-beat and gets praised for it, it will connect this praise not only with the movement, but also with the sound, so this rhythm becomes a point of reference for the horse, too. A road or reasonably hard dirt track will do the trick, too, but contains the risk of putting strain on the horse's legs if the exercise is overdone. |
Traditional Peruvian tack includes the guarnicion, or tail gear. For show tack, the tapacola, a large leather 'flap' that covers the tail, is usually elaborately tooled, matching the tooling on the saddle. While the tapacola has mainly decorative purposes, the straps around the hind legs, called retrancas, not only serve to hold the tapacola in place, but also encourage the horse to step under, collect up a bit more and therefore raise the forehand. For Paso Finos, straps around the hind legs similar to the retrancas of Peruvian tack (shown on the right) are often used in training, but are generally not part of the show tack. |
 Precioso (courtesy Narrawin) |
Ventroflexed
- Level - Dorsiflexed
The terms
ventroflexed and dorsiflexed have become very 'modern', so I
thought I should add a sentence or two about that topic here.
Ventroflexed denotes a
hollow back, with the front and hind ends of the horse 'falling apart',
the hind legs usually trailing behind the horse's body and the neck and
head erect, the lower part of the neck bulging. Dorsiflexed on the
other hand describes an upward rounded, arched back, usually in
combination with the hind legs stepping well under the body and the neck arched. A
dorsiflexed back is a prerequisite for collection. A
level or neutral back is somewhere in between, neither ventro- nor
dorsiflexed.
Generally, the gaits towards the pace end of the spectrum are executed with a ventroflexed back, while the gaits towards the trot end of the spectrum are performed with a dorsiflexed back. While this generalisation is probably true, it should be noted that the individual horse's predisposition and the rider's influence can turn it all upside down!
In her article on gait and collection, Lee Ziegler defines another term: containment. Gaited horses often can not be collected (in the classical sense) without loosing their gait, but they can still arch their back and step under with their hind legs.
Generally, the gaits towards the pace end of the spectrum are executed with a ventroflexed back, while the gaits towards the trot end of the spectrum are performed with a dorsiflexed back. While this generalisation is probably true, it should be noted that the individual horse's predisposition and the rider's influence can turn it all upside down!
In her article on gait and collection, Lee Ziegler defines another term: containment. Gaited horses often can not be collected (in the classical sense) without loosing their gait, but they can still arch their back and step under with their hind legs.
Ex-Racehorses
Since I am
hoping that people looking into buying a gaited horse will also
consider the option of getting a Standardbred ex-racehorse, thus saving
a lovely animal from becoming dog food, I wanted to include a section
on the 'special needs' of ex-racehorses. I am by no means
saying that these elements are crucial in re-training every
ex-racehorses. Horses are individuals and what might be necessary for
one is not for the other. Years on the racetrack will leave their
imprint on a horse, no doubt about that, but this imprint will be
different for every horse...
Racehorses are trained and raced with overchecks, straps to keep their heads up. Since pace is a ventroflexed gait, setting the head helps to keep the horse in pace, but it also prevents the horse from getting tangled in the lines. In pace the horse has to brace its back to be able to move both legs of the same body side at the same time. These factors lead to strain in the back muscles, especially if the horse is kept in a stable most of the time and doesn't get a chance to stretch its back by grazing. Therefore, stretching and loosening up the back muscles is vital both for finding the four-beat and, more importantly, for preventing back problems. This holds true not only for ex-racehorses, but generally for all pacey horses or horses that tend to go 'upside down'. As mentioned above, the easiest method to stretch the back muscles is plain turnout, if possible 24-7. In addition, massage, teaching the 'head down' cue and exercises like Linda Tellington Jones's belly lift will help a fair bit. And of course the good old cavaletti. However, I would suggest to start at a walk and set the cavaletti as low as possible.
Most racehorses spend their 'life outside the stable' either running on a dead flat racetrack or (if they are lucky) in a well groomed paddock without any obstacles. In pace, horses don't lift their legs very far off the ground - that's the reason why pace is so fast - and some pacers keep that habit in other gaits, too. The nature of their one and only working gait in combination with common racehorse management practices don't encourage the average pacer to watch the ground, lift his legs (especially at a faster pace) or step or jump over obstacles. Therefore, pacers have to be introduced to 'things on the ground', and therefore my advice to start with low cavaletti at a walk. The introduction will probably take two minutes, but not spending these two minutes might end up in cavaletti chaos and a horse that hates cavaletti. Taking the horse for a walk in the woods, with uneven ground and logs across the path, is an excellent way to make him watch where he puts his feet and bring up his back. Besides, not only dogs love to go for a walk!
Racehorses are generally not asked to bend laterally, and this type of movement is pretty much impossible when they are working in harness. When re-training an ex-racehorse, emphasis has to be put not only on teaching the horse to bascule (i.e. to arch his back upwards), but also to bend laterally. Good exercises are smelling the tail, stepping under the navel (sometimes called disengaging the hindquarters), working on circles and later on doing serpentines and figures of eight. The first few circles will probably be rather egg-shaped and large, and some horses might even not bend at all, but drift around the corner, with the hind legs stepping out. Patience, perseverance, and repetition! Old habits can't be unlearned in half an hour!
Another thing that will take some time is correct muscle development for riding. In harness horses, the lower neck and the pectoral muscles are usually overdeveloped, while the hindquarters, seen from the back, look flat or even hollow. Since harness horses are normally not started under saddle, they of course haven't developed the muscles needed to safely carry a rider (safely for the horse's long term health, that is). In that sense, ex-racehorses have to be treated like green horses, and their time under saddle increased slowly, no matter whether they are 5 or 15 years old.
Although this sounds like an awful lot, all these 'problems' are things that can happen with any horse. How many riding horses go crooked, can't bend properly or stumble over things. Problems with an ex-racehorse are as likely or unlikely as problems with any other horse, but more often than not the problems with ex-racehorses arise from the 'occupational hazard' of being a racehorse, not from the Standardbred's character or conformation, and can therefore be eliminated by proper management and training.
Racehorses are trained and raced with overchecks, straps to keep their heads up. Since pace is a ventroflexed gait, setting the head helps to keep the horse in pace, but it also prevents the horse from getting tangled in the lines. In pace the horse has to brace its back to be able to move both legs of the same body side at the same time. These factors lead to strain in the back muscles, especially if the horse is kept in a stable most of the time and doesn't get a chance to stretch its back by grazing. Therefore, stretching and loosening up the back muscles is vital both for finding the four-beat and, more importantly, for preventing back problems. This holds true not only for ex-racehorses, but generally for all pacey horses or horses that tend to go 'upside down'. As mentioned above, the easiest method to stretch the back muscles is plain turnout, if possible 24-7. In addition, massage, teaching the 'head down' cue and exercises like Linda Tellington Jones's belly lift will help a fair bit. And of course the good old cavaletti. However, I would suggest to start at a walk and set the cavaletti as low as possible.
Most racehorses spend their 'life outside the stable' either running on a dead flat racetrack or (if they are lucky) in a well groomed paddock without any obstacles. In pace, horses don't lift their legs very far off the ground - that's the reason why pace is so fast - and some pacers keep that habit in other gaits, too. The nature of their one and only working gait in combination with common racehorse management practices don't encourage the average pacer to watch the ground, lift his legs (especially at a faster pace) or step or jump over obstacles. Therefore, pacers have to be introduced to 'things on the ground', and therefore my advice to start with low cavaletti at a walk. The introduction will probably take two minutes, but not spending these two minutes might end up in cavaletti chaos and a horse that hates cavaletti. Taking the horse for a walk in the woods, with uneven ground and logs across the path, is an excellent way to make him watch where he puts his feet and bring up his back. Besides, not only dogs love to go for a walk!
Racehorses are generally not asked to bend laterally, and this type of movement is pretty much impossible when they are working in harness. When re-training an ex-racehorse, emphasis has to be put not only on teaching the horse to bascule (i.e. to arch his back upwards), but also to bend laterally. Good exercises are smelling the tail, stepping under the navel (sometimes called disengaging the hindquarters), working on circles and later on doing serpentines and figures of eight. The first few circles will probably be rather egg-shaped and large, and some horses might even not bend at all, but drift around the corner, with the hind legs stepping out. Patience, perseverance, and repetition! Old habits can't be unlearned in half an hour!
Another thing that will take some time is correct muscle development for riding. In harness horses, the lower neck and the pectoral muscles are usually overdeveloped, while the hindquarters, seen from the back, look flat or even hollow. Since harness horses are normally not started under saddle, they of course haven't developed the muscles needed to safely carry a rider (safely for the horse's long term health, that is). In that sense, ex-racehorses have to be treated like green horses, and their time under saddle increased slowly, no matter whether they are 5 or 15 years old.
Although this sounds like an awful lot, all these 'problems' are things that can happen with any horse. How many riding horses go crooked, can't bend properly or stumble over things. Problems with an ex-racehorse are as likely or unlikely as problems with any other horse, but more often than not the problems with ex-racehorses arise from the 'occupational hazard' of being a racehorse, not from the Standardbred's character or conformation, and can therefore be eliminated by proper management and training.