Myth 3: Gaited horses require special saddles and tack. Reality check: Don't sell your saddle just because you buy a gaited horse. In Appendix B of her excellent book Easy Gaited Horses, Lee Ziegler lists 71 gaited breeds found from the Americas to Tibet, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Since the conformation of these myriad individuals varies as widely as the geographic areas from which they originate, there's really no such thing as a "gaited horse saddle." The rules for saddle fit are the same as for any other horse, though it's wise to pay special attention to freedom of shoulder movement (a tree with forward flare might be indicated) and clearance under the gullet (since many gaited horses have prominent withers). For the trail, avoid gaited show saddles that center your weight far behind the horse's center of gravity.
Emily and I inherited both her father's saddle, built in 1919, and her grandfather's, built in the 1880s. These saddles fit most of our Walkers quite well, reflecting a time when most Western horses were narrower in build and higher withered than is common today. Among modern saddles, those with full "quarter horse bars" may be too wide for many gaited horses, though one with a "semi-quarter horse tree" fits most of our mature horses. Younger ones need extra padding.
We avoid long-shanked "gaited horse bits." Most of our training is done in a snaffle bit; I've also seen bosals used effectively with gaited horses. I progress eventually to a mild curb, usually of the "grazing" type. All this is standard fare, as applicable to nongaited breeds as to gaited ones.
True, a running walk or foxtrot can be "fine-tuned" by messing with shoe angle, bits, and other pieces of equipment, but the less of that the better, in our opinion. Breed them right, shoe them naturally, and train them gently. Those gaits, evident during the foals' first hours of life, will only improve with time and maturity
Myth 4: Gaited horses can't canter or gallop and thus are unsuitable for working cattle and for other speed applications. Reality check: This one's ridiculous. From my office window, I can see two pastures full of mares and foals: Tennessee Walkers in the closer field, Quarter Horses across the fence. All the foals run and play equally - cantering, galloping, and performing untutored flying lead changes. In horse shows, most gaited breeds perform at the canter, as well as in their intermediate gaits.
Any problem with cantering among gaited breeds originates with incomplete training rather than with lack of ability on the horse's part. It's true that some owners are so satisfied with their horses' speed in intermediate gaits that they never move them to the next gear, but that's a shame; many gaited horses have the ultimate rocking-chair canter.
As to cattle work, most South American cow horse breeds are gaited, just like those once ridden by Magnus Johnson and Teddy Roosevelt. Mongolians herd camels on their small, athletic gaited horses. Gaited horses have done most of the cattle work on this ranch for 110 years, and we've used Tennessee Walkers exclusively since 1980.
Myth 5: Gaited horses are good for old and physically limited riders, but of little interest to the young and athletic. Reality check: This is part compliment, part slam. It's a great tribute to the smoothness and the dispositions of gaited horses that so many work well for riders who are physically hampered in one way or another. We'll all face old age (if we're lucky), and most of us will stubbornly adhere to our affinity for riding. Owning a gaited animal can extend one's longevity in the saddle.
On the other hand, you don't need physical afflictions to quickly become addicted to the smoothness-at-speed characteristic of gaited breeds. Americans tend to be an impatient people, and many of us enjoy cruising right along on the trails. From what I've observed, gaited-horse trail rides are as well attended by young people as those of any breed. Youth doesn't necessarily crave discomfort! Occasionally, I do hear an attempt to be macho on this issue. A young man praised his new pickup truck's smooth ride, and then, almost in the same breath, made it clear he was too tough to need a gaited horse!
There are no bad breeds for the trail. Whether you ride the trails recreationally on a Norwegian Fjord Horse, a Thoroughbred, or the same warmblood on which you perform dressage, there are really only two important considerations: Your horse must be safe, and you must have fun.
I've met precious few horses of any breed that I didn't like, and I respect the choices of others. So the purpose of this article isn't to encourage you to sell your good horse and buy another, but to encourage looking anew at gaited horses, their history, and their capabilities. Please be skeptical of proclamations about gaited horses made by folks who've had little to do with them. Don't judge the horses until you've tried them. Happy trails (gaited or otherwise)!
