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| MFT help? | Rate Topic |
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| Posted: Sun Dec 6th, 2009 10:10 pm |
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1st Post |
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ssecmft G.O.G Community Member 
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I'm no expert and I watched it twice. It looks to me like she does them all. Runwalk, foxtrot, trot and just a touch of pace till she gets moving. Someone to take a video while you ride will show you more.
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| Posted: Sun Dec 6th, 2009 09:35 pm |
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2nd Post |
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Clouds Mystique G.O.G Community Member 
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Okay, I got a horrible video with my cell phone. She's definitely doing a foxtrot most of the time, but do you guys see a hard trot at any point? I'm afraid I've made her too trotty. I know it's hard to see since it's so blurry : / http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MblZJaEoZ5U
____________________ http://www.flickr.com/photos/cloudsmystique/collections/ |
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| Posted: Sat Dec 5th, 2009 01:05 am |
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3rd Post |
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Camanae GOG V.I.P 
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Sounds like you have it well in hand. Let us know how it goes? Patti
____________________ Coyote~n~Camanae Brent and Patti Owens * Kanab, Utah * Borrowed Land & Livestock Company Horses~cows~dogs~dirt wooooo! what a great life! |
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| Posted: Fri Dec 4th, 2009 01:11 pm |
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4th Post |
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Clouds Mystique G.O.G Community Member
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The gaited farrier came to trim her last night. I explained what was going on and he went around and checked her back, neck, shoulders, hips, legs, etc. She was sore in her hamstrings and he said it was because her heels were WAY too short in the back. He said one of her front angles was 40 and the other one was 50. He told me I should put keg shoes on her temporarily to help break up the pace. When he left, I put her back in the pasture. I trotted her to the pasture and she paced for two strides and then went into a foxtrot. She's NEVER done anything other than a pace in hand since I've gotten her. I read your article, PB, on fixing pacey horses and I'm going to try some of those things with my trainer. We've been working on reining lately so haven't done a lot of gait work.
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| Posted: Mon Nov 23rd, 2009 08:46 pm |
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5th Post |
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Clouds Mystique G.O.G Community Member
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McKTX7 wrote:Most digital cameras have a video mode that does pretty good. Especially if you can have someone hold it on a post or something when they are recording so it is easy to see the horse move without the whole camera moving. My little camera is the one that broke. My big camera doesn't take videos. My phone takes pretty good videos, so maybe I'll try that. My horse is black and the arena is white sand so it won't be hard to see her even if it's a little blurry.
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| Posted: Mon Nov 23rd, 2009 08:23 pm |
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6th Post |
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McKTX7 G.O.G Community Member
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Most digital cameras have a video mode that does pretty good. Especially if you can have someone hold it on a post or something when they are recording so it is easy to see the horse move without the whole camera moving. Last edited on Mon Nov 23rd, 2009 08:24 pm by McKTX7 |
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| Posted: Mon Nov 23rd, 2009 06:16 pm |
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7th Post |
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Clouds Mystique G.O.G Community Member
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MTRA872 wrote:How long have you had this horse? What changed when she started having trouble with her gait? Different tack, different farrier, riding on different footing? I've had her for almost three years. I switched farriers a few months before she started having problems. Footing and tack have not changed. She's been barefoot her whole life. She still has a little bit of a head nod, but it's nothing like she used to do. My video camera broke, but I'll try to see if I can borrow one.
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| Posted: Mon Nov 23rd, 2009 06:10 pm |
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8th Post |
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Brenda Im Pasture Boss 
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Good points, MTRA - I should have specified that if the angles are currently not correct, then changing them so they are would surely be a good idea. I respect your knowledge as a veterinarian, but am still averse to changing hoof angles - even slightly - to accommodate gait. This is a big change from my thinking many years ago, when I didn't realize the problems this could cause, long-term. But then I guess I'm getting rather radical in my old age, as my latest enthusiasm has been learning about natural barefoot trimming. Fascinating stuff! PB 
____________________ It's not always about trying to fix something that's broken. Maybe it's about starting over and creating something better. |
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| Posted: Mon Nov 23rd, 2009 06:01 pm |
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9th Post |
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MTRA872 G.O.G Community Member
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How long have you had this horse? What changed when she started having trouble with her gait? Different tack, different farrier, riding on different footing? Has she always been barefoot? There is nothing wrong with adjusting her hoof angles if they are being adjusted back to a normal (natural) angle. Just because she's barefoot now doesn't necessarily mean her angles are correct. Also, the overall length of the whole foot (as opposed to just a long toe) and even the addition of plain keg shoes can alter the gait for the better. Many "QH farriers" trim the feet too short (at least, they do around here.) Not all "gaited shoers" are extremists, they just have a better understanding how small variations in hoof length, angles, and shoes can make big differences in how the horse gaits. A video would be very helpful. You said she does not nod her head at the running walk. Horses doing a correct running walk always have at least some head nod. There are lots of knowledgable people on this board who could watch all the gaits she does and perhaps better help you sort out what she's actually doing.
____________________ "And on the Seventh Day...we went trail riding!" |
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| Posted: Mon Nov 23rd, 2009 05:52 pm |
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10th Post |
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Clouds Mystique G.O.G Community Member
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Brenda Im wrote:Good for you if you're successfully going barefoot! But the trick to this is precisely what I'm talking about. . .the hoof needs to be trimmed to the natural sole plane in order for the foot to be well balanced and tough enough for barefoot riding. If you change these angles, you will be taking a great risk for future problems, especially if you ride barefoot. The old style of changing trim angles to 'enhance' gait has been largely discredited among enlightened horse people over the past decade or so. It's usually only the 'good ol' boys' who still recommend these kinds of gimmicks. Okay, I'll give it a try. Thanks so much!
____________________ http://www.flickr.com/photos/cloudsmystique/collections/ |
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| Posted: Mon Nov 23rd, 2009 05:31 pm |
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11th Post |
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Brenda Im Pasture Boss
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Good for you if you're successfully going barefoot! But the trick to this is precisely what I'm talking about. . .the hoof needs to be trimmed to the natural sole plane in order for the foot to be well balanced and tough enough for barefoot riding. If you change these angles, you will be taking a great risk for future problems, especially if you ride barefoot. The old style of changing trim angles to 'enhance' gait has been largely discredited among enlightened horse people over the past decade or so. It's usually only the 'good ol' boys' who still recommend these kinds of gimmicks. As for saddle fit, why not try checking for fit as per my online article? Bareback riding doesn't allow for even weight distribution, so it doesn't rule out a problem with hindrance of motion - and neither does riding two other types of saddles, especially if both of them are built on rigid trees. Look at it like this: if you take a size 8 shoe, is it likely that every, or even most, size 8 shoes will fit and be comfortable for you? Or do you need to try on a variety before finding one that makes your feet say, "Ahhhhh!" Of the thousands of horses I've worked with over the years, those exhibiting the behaviors you describe almost always need greater liberty of motion through the back. That may be achieved as simply as using a different saddle pad. . .or you might need to look at another saddle altogether. I'm just the messenger, trying to offer whatever assistance I can to help you resolve your gait issues. . . PB
____________________ It's not always about trying to fix something that's broken. Maybe it's about starting over and creating something better. |
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| Posted: Mon Nov 23rd, 2009 05:14 pm |
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12th Post |
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Clouds Mystique G.O.G Community Member
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Brenda Im wrote:My first concern is that you're going to switch to a farrier who 'specializes' in gaited horses - you absolutely should not try to improve the gait by changing trimming angles or going to any sort of weighted shoe. To do so is detrimental to the horse's health and soundness. . .just stick with having her trimmed to her own natural angles, and leave the gait training to be done from the saddle. Really? I've never heard anyone say there was anything wrong with adjusting hoof angles. She isn't shod at all, so that's all I was planning on doing. If the angles she has now are interfering with her gait, what's wrong with adjusting them? Brenda Im wrote: And speaking of saddles, it very much sounds as though you have an issue there. In order to do a running walk, the horse has to have a great deal of freedom through the topline. Unlike a trot, the action of the gait is from rear to fore, much like a wave rolling from the loins, through the back, shoulders, neck - and resulting in the head nod. Any interference with this action will affect the horse's ability to achieve or maintain their gait in good form. What happens is that the horse experiences hindrance of motion, which eventually causes pressure soreness at that point. In order to avoid the pressure, the horse will either revert to trot, or (more commonly), hollow their back to avoid the pressure and revert to pace or stepping pace. I really don't think it's the saddle... I've ridden her bareback, in a gaited saddle, and in a saddle with QH bars and she always does the same thing.
____________________ http://www.flickr.com/photos/cloudsmystique/collections/ |
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| Posted: Mon Nov 23rd, 2009 05:02 pm |
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13th Post |
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Brenda Im Pasture Boss
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My first concern is that you're going to switch to a farrier who 'specializes' in gaited horses - you absolutely should not try to improve the gait by changing trimming angles or going to any sort of weighted shoe. To do so is detrimental to the horse's health and soundness. . .just stick with having her trimmed to her own natural angles, and leave the gait training to be done from the saddle. And speaking of saddles, it very much sounds as though you have an issue there. In order to do a running walk, the horse has to have a great deal of freedom through the topline. Unlike a trot, the action of the gait is from rear to fore, much like a wave rolling from the loins, through the back, shoulders, neck - and resulting in the head nod. Any interference with this action will affect the horse's ability to achieve or maintain their gait in good form. What happens is that the horse experiences hindrance of motion, which eventually causes pressure soreness at that point. In order to avoid the pressure, the horse will either revert to trot, or (more commonly), hollow their back to avoid the pressure and revert to pace or stepping pace. The fact that your horse takes a few hard steps of trot and then goes into pace is a very strong indication that she is trying various methods to avoid painful contact with the saddle at some point. Check out the article on the home site for checking saddle fit, and see if you can figure out what the problem may be: http://gaitsofgold.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=564:saddle-fitting-article&catid=22:gaited-horse-training-articles&Itemid=3 PB
____________________ It's not always about trying to fix something that's broken. Maybe it's about starting over and creating something better. |
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| Posted: Mon Nov 23rd, 2009 01:38 am |
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14th Post |
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Clouds Mystique G.O.G Community Member
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My MFT mare used to always do either a running walk, a foxtrot, or a hard pace. I had totally gotten the pace out of her, and everything was fine. But then she learned how to do a stepping pace, started not wanting to do a foxtrot, and lost her head nod. I'm having a lot of trouble telling when she's doing a stepping pace and when she's doing a running walk. They feel very similar, she doesn't swing her head side to side at the stepping pace, and she doesn't nod her head at the running walk. I have a ground person working with me, but she's a QH person and doesn't know much about the gaits (although she has done a TON of research, she still has trouble with those two similar gaits). It also doesn't help that she switches from one to the other. Lately when I've been asking her to foxtrot, she does a hard trot for a few strides, switched to a foxtrot for a few strides, and then goes into a stepping pace. Should I stop asking her to do a running walk? I know that most people like their MFTs to do a running walk on the trail, but I really don't want her to do a stepping pace and it seems like she would stop being so pacey if I stopped asking her to do any lateral gaits whatsoever. And should I be encouraging a hard trot for now, until I get the pace out of her? I have no idea why she does a few steps of a hard trot before she does a foxtrot, and I have no idea why she will only hold the foxtrot for a few steps (usually). Does anyone have any advice? My trainer and I are going to trailer her up to Ocala to work with a MFT trainer just for the day. We aren't far from there, so we can do it every other weekend or so. I'm also working on trying to find a new farrier, as I'm currently using a primarily-QH farrier.
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