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Discussion on Dressage
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Member:
totty2
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Posted on Sunday, Oct 10, 2010 - 11:08 am:
I have a 9-year old TWH. I call what he does a pace, however, I am not sure. He picks his front feet up so high he looks like he is marching in a parade. It makes for more of a jig than a pace. Folks tell me to put weighted shoes on him, but say, won't that make him pick them up all the higher? (never even tried it)
So, I've never taken any dressage lessons. Is this what Ty and myself need? I can take a video of him sometime doing his "thing" and put it on flikr.
The TW use to be a field trial horse and after a few rides and attempts of former owner to stop this "pace" they sold him because it was too rough to ride. I got him cheap, but still a darn good horse. Hubby and I trail ride and hubby doesn't notice the pace (he rides the TWH, I ride my MFT). 
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Sunday, Oct 10, 2010 - 12:35 pm:
Being an Arabian owner/breeder I don't know much about TWH, however I do know what a pace is; it is when both legs on one side move in the same direction. As, left front and left rear move forward at the same time. The smooth gait that this movement produces is the main reason so called "gaited horses" are so popular. It is a very easy to ride gait. The high step that you are seeing might be what is called a "rack." It is a faster movement, where the horse's weight is way on his back legs, which are very underneath the horse. This lifts the front end of the horse up and allows him to really lift the front legs. This is a very strong, powerful fast moving gait and can be a little strange to ride if you're not used to it. Once you are used to it, it can be very smooth inspite of the big movement. You could probably find examples of each of the gaits on youtube or some such site if you do a search.
Some horses, maybe yours, have what is called a "big trot." This is where the horse is doing a normal trot, but the movement is very powerful with a lot of lift in the front - the weight on the hind legs like in a rack, with the front legs lifting high towards the chest.
Some of the folks with gaited horses can probably explain these gaits better. Remember, a trot is always a four beat gait, a pace is a two beat gait.
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Member:
cheryl
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Posted on Sunday, Oct 10, 2010 - 1:45 pm:
In his former life - was he a show horse? Or perhaps put into training for showing? The exaggerated lifting of the front feet is usually caused by padded - somewhere from 5-6 inches of pads applied to the front feet - with heavy shoes - chains - often soring agents applied to make the pastern sore so the chains cause even more lifting action - The natural going TWH does not have exaggerated lifting of the front feet - can do the running walk barefoot - the running walk is not a pace - it is a walk. Adding heavy shoes is definitely not going to help. Unfortunately a pacey horse is easier to force into the exaggerated big lick gait so there are a lot of TWH's out there that have been bred for the pace rather than their natural walk. Good luck - they are great horses - I have two - one is natural - the other is nothing but pace.
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Member:
totty2
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Posted on Sunday, Oct 10, 2010 - 3:48 pm:
I know he was born in TN and then sold to a lady here in PA who kept him a couple of years and then sold him to the gentleman I purchased him from.
I don't know what he was used for in TN; however, in PA he was used for pleasure riding and then field trials.
I also thought his marching was like the padded show Walkers (I'm not 100% sure I agree with that, but it would be a different discussion).
It is a two-beat gait, and it makes for even worse riding because of the exaggerated marching. I observed after a while, when he gets tired, he stops lifting as high. Well, I'm sure that has to be very tiring! lol
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Sunday, Oct 10, 2010 - 6:17 pm:
He is the same horse that is on flicker? When I clicked on the HA site from your post with the flicker site on it, I went to a separate post. Kind of weird. Maybe it's something with HA? It didn't follow after your previous post like it seemed it should.
Anyway, if it's the same horse, he's a cutie! However, he doesn't look like a TWH and the picture says he's something else (Fox Trotter if I remember right.) I think the two horses have very different gaits. Am I confused due to weird way things posted?
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Member:
totty2
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Posted on Monday, Oct 11, 2010 - 7:30 am:
The photo I posted of Ringo, who was having the coughing and fever issues I posted about on here, is the Fox Trotter. The horse I am talking about in this post above, is Ty, my Tennessee Walker.
There is a photo of another horse on my Flickr page. She was my first horse, a Quarter Horse. Her name was Misty. Maybe you saw her pic? Ringo's pic was on Flickr too.
You can see Ty's picture here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/tottons-2/5071454574/
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Member:
cheryl
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Posted on Monday, Oct 11, 2010 - 8:39 am:
I'm adamantly opposed to big lick and plantation type showing - There are methods to retrain Walkers - if you run a search you will probably come up with some of them - None of them require heavy shoes - I think the majority rely on a whole lot of walking - and then more walking - He is a beautiful horse - good luck with him -
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Member:
lilo
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Posted on Monday, Oct 11, 2010 - 9:52 am:
Sara - am having to disagree with you about something. The trot is a two beat gait (diagonal legs landing simultaneously) - the walk and many of the gaits are 4 beat gaits. The pace is just as you described and is a two beat gait also. I believe it has more side-to-side motion than a trot and that is why a lot of people don't care for it.
Not that I have experienced a good gait ever. My Rocky Mountain gelding much prefers the trot, and I have decided to ride him at the walk, trot and canter. When I went to a clinic with the gelding to learn more about gaiting, they classified a lot of the horses as either "trotty" or "pacey".
Not desirable in a gaited horse.
Lilo
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Monday, Oct 11, 2010 - 11:39 am:
LOL, guess you're right Lilo. I was picturing my old mare Beau's movements when I posted and she often single footed instead of trotted. 
Sally, your TWH is pretty. Love her copper color. And, she looks like a TWH! LOL
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Tuesday, Oct 12, 2010 - 7:45 am:
Hello Sally,
To understand the various gaits of horses check out HorseAdvice.com » Training & Conditioning Horses » The Gaits of Horses. If you cannot quite figure out what your horse is doing you could have a friend video tape as you ride then watch it at slow motion.
In general it is true the heavier the shoe the more exaggerated the foot flight.
DrO
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