Riding Gaited tonight!

[annanicole18]

While my pastor and his family are out of town Dh and I are going to be caring for his two horses and donkey. We were giving an open invitation to ride them but i have never ridden anything gaited and the one i will be riding is a three year old so i would like to know what to expect. She is three and i believe they said a rocky mountain or cross hadn't really been worked with when they got her some months ago but has taken to the saddle just fine but i was told she is a little difficult to turn just from inexperience rather than not wanting to. how does it feel to ride gaited horses? if i reguarly ride horses at a trot and canter is my risk of falling off the gaited young one greater or is it alot smoother like i have been told?
thanks for any help

ps this will be my husbands first real ride since he went trail riding with me at a state park and lets just say i couldn't get my horse to move off the trail to avoid steping in poo....they were that broke to the path. i think hes secretly excited because Spirit fits his horse criteria has to be 30 and walk very slow

and Spirit is 22 and will only move if you tell him and wont go faster unless you really tell him

 

[baregretchen]

Quote:
Hi there! I am an avid gaited horse person. I just love, Love, LOVE the smooth gait!

That being said, not all gaited horses are smooth, depends on the horse.

A gaited horse moves laterally, meaning the legs on the left side move together and then the legs on the right side move. The legs virtually lift together, but the landing is what makes it smooth or not. If there is a bit of "time" between the landing of the hind hoof vs. the front hoof, it is smoother. If they land together, then the horse is pacing and it is very rough to ride. I think even rougher than a hard trot. Don't worry, though, you are not more apt to fall on a gaited horse than on a trotter, even if the horse paces.

Enjoy your ride. I hope you get a smooth gait out of her!

- Gretchen

 

[ma2babygurl13]

it depends on how gaited the horse is. If it is pacey think of a side to side bounce, instead of an up and down of a trot. Still a rough ride but different, but you don't run more of a risk of falling off, it is just a different ride. But that being said I LOVE gaited horses even those that pace, I find it to be a better ride than trotters.

 

[michickenwrangler]

Sit back!!!

I rode Arab hunters for years and a few years back started boarding at a TWH barn. I've ridden a few gaited horses out there and they kept yelling at me to sit back "like yer on a chopper!"

I kept expecting that "shift" from a 4 beat walk to a 2 beat trot so that took me a while to get used to.

Just cruise, you'll be fine.

If you're used to riding stock-type horses, the walk will be brisker than what you're used to.