Filet Mignon and Hamburger
Gaited and Trotting Horses:
They Are the Same,
Aren’t They?
B
y now you know that I am a gaited horse trainer and due to my unabashedly biased opinion, I am describing the gaited horse as filet mignon and the wonderful trotting horse as hamburger. After all, they are both beef and both horse. Correct?
both horse. Correct?
If you own a Tennessee Walking Horse, Rocky Mountain Horse, Icelandic, Missouri Foxtrotter, Peruvian or Paso Fino you own filet mignon. If you own a Quarter Horse, Arabian, Paint, Morgan, Haflinger or many of the other non-gaited horses, you have hamburger. Hamburgers are sold in many sizes, with various toppings, but all move in a diagonal fashion. Filet mignon is tenderer, pliable and generally move laterally.
Ok so I'll get to the point. They are as different as they are the same. For example, gaited horses are easier to tip to the side, making them very unbalanced, aka tender. This feeling is like you are riding in the back seat of a car with a driver that takes the turns hard or brakes hard, forcing you to lean away from the turns and lean back for the stops. Maybe you put your hands on the seat to minimize the forces. It's unsettling by definition and that is exactly how gaited breeds feel when ridden improperly. They must compensate for their riders unknowing errors and this can result in anxious or stubborn behavior.
Trainers ask for varying heights of the neck and shoulders and level of the poll when developing young horses. They ask the horse to stay in frame with a soft mouth much like a dressage horse with constant contact.
Many western horses, such as the Quarter Horse, are asked to work with no contact and a bit that tells the horse "get off my hands and collect yourself and stay there". Trainers use the bit to correct the young horses shoulder, neck and poll with a lot of release of pressure and eventually transferring many signals to their seat and legs away from use of the reins.
On the other hand, it's tougher to make a diagonal horse feel off balance. Many people will pull the head of the horse to their foot when a horse is being unruly to throw the horse off balance enough to stop them from bucking, rearing or running away.
Gaited horses gait best with light, even, continual contact and communication. Therefore, the bit needs to be in a place where the mouth can rest and receive gentle communication. Further, this is the key to balancing them. Trainers ask for varying heights of the neck and shoulders and level of the poll when developing young horses. They ask the horse to stay in frame with a soft mouth much like a dressage horse with constant contact.
Many western horses, such as the Quarter Horse, are asked to work with no contact and a bit that tells the horse "get off my hands and collect yourself and stay there". Trainers use the bit to correct the young horses shoulder, neck and poll with a lot of release of pressure and eventually transferring many signals to their seat and legs away from use of the reins.
In my experience I find most gaited horses are more sensitive to rider signals and their environment than trotting horses. When overstimulated they like to swerve and sway and even throw in an occasional 180 degree turn and suddenly their riders are facing a different direction.
Trotting horses are a different story, having the ability to buck, twist in the air or even bolt. They round their backs and pop the rider up and out of the saddle to return with a bang or become airborne. If you buy a filet mignon horse, you can lose the gait by improper riding. If you buy a hamburger horse, you won't lose a trot but you can make it worse and uncomfortable.
In closing, if you are thinking of "Going Gaited", that's awesome! They are delicious! However, be prepared that you will also need to learn some new skills and principals to become successful at Gaited Horsemanship!
For more information on Jody Childs
and her Gaited Riding University visit
Contact Jody at [email protected]