Can a horse lose thier gait if you run them?

Question

I just got a gaited horse. He is a 2yo broke to ride but still learning. I've trained horses before but never a gaited one. Is there anything I really need to know or that I need to do different with training and riding with a gaited horse verses a non gaited one.

Answer 1

what breed of gaited horse?

Answer 2

I've had many gaited horses, & gait is genetic. As someone else here said, it's a horse first & a gaited horse second. I think all horses benefit from using the natural horsemanship methods (like Parelli or Anderson) & any of the training videos apply.Don't let anyone tell you gaited horses can't canter,jump,gallop, or do anything non-gaited horses can do. They might not do them as well (a gaited horse won't beat a Thoroughbred in a race, or perhaps have the same form jumping as a Sporthorse) because that's not what they were bred to do, but they can still do it. Any horse can be used for trail riding, dressage, working cattle, endurance, etc. Gaited horses just are a lot more fun when you spend a lot of hours in the saddle because you don't get pounded by the trot like with a non-gaited horse (yes, I know there are non-gaited horses that are not bad to ride long distances, so don't jump me!) If you are going to show him in a particular discipline, you'll need to get some DVD's & see what is expected in the classes for your posture or how the horse carries himself, that's all.

Answer 3

doesn't matter what kind of gaited horse you have, you want to treat him like a horse first.



walk, gait, trot, lope, gallop if you wish.



of course, being 2, I would stick to LIGHT riding til he's closer to 5 (a horse doesn't mature physically or mentally til 5)



Just train him like all the rest.



the more you do all gaits, the looser his back will be and the easier he'll gait naturally.



Gaited horses are born that way, so nothing you can do will ever change that.



You might get a pace out of a Tenn Walker or a Rocky Mountain.....and that is bad. a pace is one side moving at once. this means the horse's back is locked up. not something you want a horse to practice. yes, there are people who do it, but it doesn't make it right.



So...no, don't do anything different. Stick to a snaffle bit and get all the speeds going well, and the horse will gait better because he's not being unnaturally restricted (not allowing the trot or lope).

Answer 4

First off, a 2yo shouldn't be broke already.



Second off, yes. In uneducated hands like yours a horse's gaits can be ruined and not just by running.



Give the horse about a year off then restart him lightly with the help of a trainer that works with his particular breed. And stay away from trainers that think wedges, pads, keg shoes and long toes will solve any gait problem.

Answer 5

Do research on your breed. Sometimes certain breeds can fall back into undesired gaits because they are easier, instead of having appropriate training for their natural gait. For example, Walking horses, while they have their running walk which is their trademark, they also have the ability to pace, which is like a trot - but instead of moving up and down, you are moving side to side with the movement of their legs. The pace in this case, is the undesirable gait.



Work all aspects of the training like you would a non-gaited horse, just focus as much on his natural gait as you would his walk, trot, and canter. Also, do some research on the breed, see if there is any undesirable gaits, or edit your question to include his breed so we can help you out.

Answer 6

If the horse is naturally gated those are the things you need to work on to improve and running them can mess up the horse so that he wants to run instead of pace or walk or trot.

Answer 7

possible