Gaited Horse
WHAT MAKES A GAITED HORSE ”GAITED”
By John Koper
Jan 18, 2008, 08:25

I bet if you would ask this question, the answer would be different depending on the horse owner’s specific gaited breed. Yet for all the difference they would like to think their breed possess, they are all considered “gaited”. Now the word “gaited” in itself is misleading. All horses are gaited. They perform all types of gaits. The trot is a gait. The pace is a gait. Yet to an owner of a Tennessee Walking or a Missouri Foxtrotter, either of those gaits would not be acceptable. Probably a more accurate description would be a “soft gait”. In the horse world the gaited horses are known for their extremely smooth ride that you can ride all day. Now I have been told that there are horses with smooth trot. That is like saying one brand of peanut butter is better tasting than another. But it is not steak. So what makes these horses so smooth? I think at this point a definition would be helpful. For a horse/mule to be consider “gaited”, it must perform a 4-beat gait, evenly or unevenly timed, lateral or diagonal, as their intermediate gait (second gear) with no trot or pace. A trot or pace is a 2-beat gait. One happens to be diagonal and one is lateral. The reason a 4-beat gait is smooth is that any one time; there is a least one foot on the ground. In a 2-beat gait, at one point, all the feet are off the ground. This is known as “suspension”. And when the feet land, unless you are posting, the landing is usual jarring. An evenly timed gait is “1..2..3..4..1..2..3..4”. An unevenly timed gait is”12..34..12..34..12..34. The more evenly timed the gait is timed, the smoother the ride. Now within each specific gaited breed, there will be some horses that are diagonal and some than are lateral. There will be some difference on how you will train a lateral horse verses a diagonal horses. A Tennessee walking horse tends to be a more lateral horse. A Missouri Foxtrotter is a more diagonal horse. The South American gaited breeds tend to be lateral. Is a lateral horse smoother than a diagonal horse? You will find smoothness is a very personal thing.
Mainly, because we are built differently. What is smooth for me will not necessarily be smooth for you. So if you are looking to buy a gaited horse for the first time, ride a number of them. Try the different breeds. Just like anything else. Each breed has its pros and cons.

Probably the most confusing thing for someone new to the gaited breeds is the different names for the gait in each gaited breed. Always remember the definition in this article. Always watch the feet. There will be some differences in the way each specific gaited breed travels. But the gait must be a 4-beat gait. No matter the speed. Each gaited breed tries to differentia their breed from other gaited breed. Each tends to have their own style of bits and saddles. But as I have written in previous articles, the bits do not make a better gaited horse. Someone new to the gaited horse will assume that all gaited horse just gait. They are automatic. They are not. Some will gait better than others. Training and a knowledgeable gaited horse owner will go a long way in getting the best out of a gaited horse.

Hopefully, this will peek your interest in the gaited horse breed. No matter what kind of activity with horses you enjoy, why not make it smooth. If you have any questions, free to e-mail me at gaitdoctor@aol.com.

John Koper has been training and showing gaited horses and gaited mules for approximately for 25 years. He and his wife operated the High Desert Gaited Horse Ranch in Wickenburg, Az.








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