Naturally Gaited, needs to trot

[Dragons Gate Farm]

Hi. I have a very nice naturally gaited ASB that is broke to ride. I am having problems getting him to catch his trot. I have put chains on his front, but that doesn't really help. Any suggestions?

[silvia]

Well I am not an expert in gaited training, but one of the first things I would try would be trot poles!

[challrise]

I have the same problem and the poles is a good idea. I will try tonight.

[horseshwbrat]

Well I am not an expert in gaited training, but one of the first things I would try would be trot poles!

Trust me, some will just rack them!

I am no "expert", but I've been around gaited horses my entire life (including my now trail horse, who is double-gaited), so if it's something "simple" I could possibly help.

How old is he? How much training has he had? What sort of shoes do you have on right now? There are a whole myriad of things that could be causeing your horse to have trouble catching his trot - too much weight behind, too much foot, not enough foot, yadda yadda yadda. has your horse had trouble trotting in the past (ie is he double-gaited?)

[attafox]

(ie is he double-gaited?)

She did say the horse is naturally gaited ...

[jeri]

Many professional SB Trainers have difficulty getting a naturally gaited horse to trot and rack. I had a mare that spent 2 years with a very good and well known trainer who was not successful. I sent her to Dale Sloat who can train naturally gaited to do both the trot and the rack. He had her doing all 5 gaits in alittle over a month. She ended up with cancer and had to be put down a few months later at age 6.

Good luck with your horse. I hope you get everything straightened out.

[SmartAlex]

Just a note on the rider's role in helping the horse catch his trot. When you want him to trot, grab his mane, and pull yourself forward until you are nearly standing in your stirrups. Since this is exactly the opposite of the rider position used when encouraging him to rack, he will be more likely to trot. When he does catch it, commence posting. As you progress with this and other helpful suggestions, the mane grabbing will become part of the cue to trot. I was taught by an old time trainer that when my horse mixed his gaits, to touch his neck or tug his mane. This is how that correction is taught.

[shayna]

so if a horse can learn to trot can one learn to gait?

[SmartAlex]

Very few ASBs are naturally gaited. Most have to be taught to rack, and most can rack because they have the lateral genetics bred in. It is rather impossible to force one to trot.

More info:
http://trot.org/2008/12/31/getting-the-first-steps-how-a-young-saddlebred-is-taught-to-rack/

[shayna]

huh...how bout that

[horseshwbrat]

She did say the horse is naturally gaited ...

Naturally gaited does not always mean double-gaited - there are plenty of horses that never had to be taught to rack that also never had to be taught to trot, which is why I asked other questions about his age and how much training he has had, and to specify whether he is double gaited or not.

[sdlbredfan]

My dearly loved, and since departed for the Rainbow Bridge, mare was like that. She trotted fine when she was a youngling, I had been told, but the people who had her for several years before me strongly encouraged her to use her natural amble. I did get her to resume trotting but the only things I clearly remember of the process were to praise her if she offered any trot and to say 'trot' in addition to a leg cue for the gait. I think I may also have done some walk to trot transitions on the longe with voice cues, to reinforce what 'trot' meant.

Some of you may recall seeing this (not done very much anymore but used to be a common sight) but sometimes if you place your reins in one hand and press firmly but gently on the crest of the horse's neck, that steadies the head and sometimes can encourage a trot. My mare was barefoot on all 4 (just because we only rode in a good footing indoor arena at that time) with rolled toes in front, in other words, nothing special shoeing-wise.
Jeanie

[LLavery]

Dragon's Gate,

As usual, the "Trotateers" have given you some wonderful advice. The link that goes along with this: Tip of the Day - Posting while a horse is not trotting is soooo difficult....only a very few great showmen were able to pull it off!, might well be of interest to you. Visit: http://www.askthetraineronline.com/09MayJun.html#pacing

LF Lavery

[Dobilover]

Very few ASBs are naturally gaited. Most have to be taught to rack, and most can rack because they have the lateral genetics bred in. It is rather impossible to force one to trot.

More info:
http://trot.org/2008/12/31/getting-the-first-steps-how-a-young-saddlebred-is-taught-to-rack/

I beg to differ. While it's not nearly as stamped into them like a running walk is for the TWH, I've known plenty of naturally gaited ASB's. Were they born with a refined rack? Probably not, but many saddlebreds will amble or single-foot naturally from birth. If we never finished them to show, it wouldn't mean that they were any less gaited. JMHO.

[Silly Filly]

Someone who shows on the ASB racking circuit sent us a horse to teach to trot a few years ago. We first got her broke to jog. She trotted while jogging, she trotted long lining, but didn't trot under saddle, even with stretchers. I tried all the things I knew, turning her head sharp towards the rail, grabbing some mane, etc. I finally got frustrated and made her rack very fast around and around the arena. After I felt her wanting to grab her trot, I made her go a little more then told her to trot. She picked up her trot quickly and very correct. Then........she wouldn't rack! LOL! I had to teach her a signal to rack, it was almost like gaiting a horse who had never racked.

[SmartAlex]

I beg to differ. While it's not nearly as stamped into them like a running walk is for the TWH, I've known plenty of naturally gaited ASB's. Were they born with a refined rack? Probably not, but many saddlebreds will amble or single-foot naturally from birth. If we never finished them to show, it wouldn't mean that they were any less gaited. JMHO.

Yabbut no more than your average foundation type Quarter Horse, Paint, Arabian or Morgan. The difference is that a very very small percentage of those breeds have enough lateral wiring to finish as a five gaited horse. On the flip side, Icelandic horses are absolutely born four or five gaited.

[SmartAlex]

Another old time trick to make a double gaited horse trot is to tire them out. Naturally this isn't aways successful, but it takes less energy for most horses to trot than to rack.

My Old-Timey trainer told of taking a ruined horse out in a freshly plowed field, and all the barn girls took turns riding him on a loose rein at whatever gait he chose (the rack) through that soft ground until he struck a trot. Then they immediately put him up as a reward.

[SaddlebredMom]

double gaited horse

Can someone please explain what that is/means . . . Gracias!

[SmartAlex]

A horse which naturally both trots and single foots. "Natural gaited" could probably mean either "double gaited" or a "non-trotter". Most natural gaited horses have some trot in them, but will easily lose it if someone tries to gait them. A strong trotting horse, while not as easy to gait, will usually make a much better five gaited horse because they will be much less pacey than a natural gaited horse. Its risky to try "gaiting" a natural gaited horse, because if you lose the trot, the only option for the horse is showing as a racking horse, or as a personal horse.

[asbridertb]

I've had some luck with cantering/hand galloping and then coming down to a trot. Most horses won't come down from the canter to a singlefoot, especially if you're galloping in a two point.

[mand_asbfan]

I had a lot of trouble getting my 5 gaited gelding to trot when I first got him. Here are a few things that worked for me:

1) voice signals - I whistle for a trot (and use the word) and I make a rattling noise (t,t,t,t) to ask for a slow gait

2) when I had chiro work done on him the first time it was like a totally different horse - he struck a trot in a few strides rather than many rounds

3) lowering your hands and letting them lower their head for a trot

4) when you are having a hard time getting a trot, I've found that doing circles or serpentines help in getting them to break into a trot and the minute they do PRAISE!!!

Hope this helps!

[Stepnhigh]

Many professional SB Trainers have difficulty getting a naturally gaited horse to trot and rack. I had a mare that spent 2 years with a very good and well known trainer who was not successful. I sent her to Dale Sloat who can train naturally gaited to do both the trot and the rack. He had her doing all 5 gaits in alittle over a month. She ended up with cancer and had to be put down a few months later at age 6.

Good luck with your horse. I hope you get everything straightened out.

I have spent several years with Dale he is wonderful :) my current mare came from his breeding. She to is double gaited and there are times she has difficulty catching her trot. It just takes consistency and using the touch the wither or neck cue. How long ago did you have your horse with him?

[SmartAlex]

Expanding on the voice commands... yes, you need to keep two very seperate commands for trot and slow gait. Also, I was taught "trot on the snaffle, rack on the curb". So be very clear with your bridle aids as well.

[Sit]

Several things help (and some are redundant of what others have said). I like to brag that I can trot any sound Saddlebred, no matter how inclined it is to rack. (Probably haven't been fully tested, but that is what I claim.)

1. Let the horse warm up any way it wants, including slow gaiting or racking. Once the horse relaxes and starts to to take deeper breaths, he will be more inclined to trot. In other words, don't force it, wait on it.

2. Canter the horse and as you stop him, he is likely to trot. Keep it by sitting and just go on from there. (Interestngly, in the show ring, you only have to pick up the trot once and that is after the canter the first way. So you pick it up out of the canter and keep it (at a slow jog or "bounce" walk) and reverse at the trot.)

3. Leave the chains and stretchers off. The problem is that they work to some degree, but the horse takes them as a signal to trot, so when they come off, he thinks you want him to rack, so he will. You end up making it harder to pick up the trot without them.

4. Lunge him. I assume he will trot when lunged. If not, he probably has sore feet or legs up front and that is your problem. (Or he is just way more naturally gaited than horses I have known). When he trots, say "good."

5. He should trot in a jog cart, so that is another way to have him trot.

6. Add length to foot and weight up front through lead or heavier shoes. Another cheap and easy way to get a trot. (And go with less foot and shoe behind, even barefoot if you have to).

7. Ultimately, if he is shod properly to trot, the solution is for the horse to drop his head. To pick up the trot, you drop your hands (below the withers if necessary), let the horse drop his head, steady your hands, sit the saddle and say "whup" or "trot" or "whup, trot." If his head is low, it is difficult to to rack. When you line, jog, lunge or ride, let him tip his head over and down (still collected some) and I'll bet he trots and will learn the voice command.

To get a horse to trot, as with everything else, stick to the basics, keep it simple and less is more.

JMO

[g8tedsaddlebredlover]

The horse I ride was taught to gait and all he wanted to do was rack and slow gait what we did is; put your reins in 1 hand and the other like halfway between his withers and his poll. Use that to put pressure on his neck so he trots forward instead of raising up and trying to rack. Then for a couple ride just trot him and don't gait. Then as he picks up his trot easier go back to doing all of it.

[g8tedsaddlebredlover]

The horse I ride was taught to gait and all he wanted to do was rack and slow gait what we did is; put your reins in 1 hand and the other like halfway between his withers and his poll. Use that to put pressure on his neck so he trots forward instead of raising up and trying to rack. Then we just went for a couple rides and just trotted him and did't gait. Then as he picked up his trot easier we went back to doing all of it.

[saddlebred26]

I rode one horse that you could get to trot easiest by stopping him, asking him to back a few steps, then asking him to trot. Of course, all the other advice offered here has worked on different horses as well.

[saddlebred26]

Adding to my last post. After I posted, I was wondering why this worked. I got to thinking that most horses back diagonally. So, I'm guessing that backing diagonally got the latteral off his mind, and got him thinking diagonal. Now, I'm wondering how many other horses this would work for. Oh, and never post until the horse is solidly in the trot.

[Desert Lane Training]

I'm also working a Gelding who I would say is "soft gaited"...he's very weak at the trot and canter and even though he was is gaiting training for over a year can't rack for very long either. Poor guy was just so confused. What I did was start him on the lunge line and tied his head so that he couldn't raise up high enough to truly rack) his preferred gait even though he had no stamina for it) and "cluck" and say "trot", I would only say it once and then wait to say it again when he actually trotted and then praise him. We progressed to allowing him more control over his own head because they problem was he had to figure out HOW to trot himself, I could "force" him but that wasn't "teaching" him. Once he firmly knew what "trot" meant we used it under saddle, a few times I used chains on the front but am no longer using them...I just wanted to get some strength to his trot. He will now trot pretty readily without too many gait steps although we get a few here and there. The only thing that doesn't work on this guy is Cantering as he can gait right out of a canter and often chooses that route. if I gallop him he's better and he usually comes down to a trot easily enough if I use all my "trot" cues so he knows what I want.

The point: trot them lots and keep clear consistent cues!