Is It Possible for a Walking Horse to Both Gait and Trot Well?
My Tennessee waking horse, who has never gaited in the past started doing a running walk recently. If I encourage her to continue, will she lose her trot? the running walk was fun but we do dressage so I need her to trot and canter too.
A lot of the times, it you get a TWH that can trot, it’s hard to have them maintain both. Usually, if you have a TWH that trots, their running walk isn’t anything special, anyway.
I personally do not encourage any sort of trotting in my walking horses, and would never dream of trying to teach them to trot, because usually, if they start to trot, it’s a pain to get them to do a running walk. I have never heard of this being reversed, but that said…
Is it worth risking, if you need her to trot? Another thing to think about is what will happen if during a test, she switches to her running walk? What points can you lose because of it?
It may be in your best interest to not encourage her to gait. You’ve lived without her running walk before, haven’t you?
It may also depend on tack, and shoeing. Have there been any changes to her tack, or the way she’s been shod recently that has encouraged her to gait?
I am interested in Dressage, but I’m a bit of a purist when It comes to my walking horses. I’ll be getting a non gaited horse when I get into Dressage.
I think if you ask for the running walk and trot two different ways, then she should be able to distinguish between which gait you want her to do.. So you should be fine if you let her do it.
Ordinarily, your Walker should not trot while you’re riding her as it will affect her gait (trotting out in the pasture is fine). I bought my Walker because I hate posting and just love the smooth ride.
Anyway, this isn’t to say that it can’t happen. You know she knows how to trot and you know she knows how to gait. If you must have her do both, then go ahead SO LONG AS she will go into her gait when you tell her. As far as the canter, Walking horses have beautiful canters, called the "rocking chair" canter– the most comfortable canter in the world! No worries on the cantering!
Don’t listen to people who tell you that your horse shouldn’t trot. it’s a MYTH that any gaited horse should not be allowed to trot, that it will mess up their gait. That’s FALSE.
Your TWH is a HORSE first….and a gaited horse second. That means….if he’s a gaited horse, he’ll gait. You don’t have to ignore the other gaits to get it or to keep it. And actually, if you want your horse to be an all around horse…you should Walk, Gait, TROT, and Lope. Yes. I said it!
So…go ahead and ask her to do ALL the horse gaits. It won’t ruin anything. On the contrary, I think it’s awesome that you’re doing dressage with her….hopefully the classical type? Where it’s not just forcing the horse into a position with gimmicks? (there’s a modern dressage, competition dressage, where it’s not about the horse, but about the ribbons)…..
I train gaited horses. And I do ALL gaits with them and they have their natural gait and keep it just fine. (Spotted Saddle horse, TWH, Fox Trotters,…)
I suggest you look up: LARRY WHITESELL
He’s a former gaited horse show trainer, turned (non)show gaited horse trainer, who uses the classical methods to train gaited horses….he does it in a very humane and simple way….all in a snaffle bit, too.