I have a friend who rides a Tennessee Walker on trail rides.  I'm tired (and sore) of jogging on my stock horse to keep up and have started looking for another horse.  In your opinion, should I only look at walkers or are there any other breeds that can gait at an equivelent speed? Or would it be an individual basis?  I'd hate to invest in another horse to be dispointed when I'm left behind...again!   Thanks for your input!

I, too, have always been the one to jog along while everyone else rides gaited horses. I recently aquired a Walker and now I can keep up, but it is a whole different way of riding. I use the same Western saddle, but while I always rode on a loose rein, now I have to have contact with his mouth to "hold" him in his gait. Some walkers will gait on a loose rein but most of the people I ride with have contact all the time. It has been my experience that most Walkers are big movers. They really reach each stride. If you are used to a Quarter horse or Paint it will feel really weird when you first start riding them. Maybe you could find some one who has a Walker that would let you ride out on the trail and see if you like it. I am still divided in my opinion and I have had my walker almost a year. I have been riding stock horses for more than 20 years.

There are other gaited horses that can keep up with Walkers, but around here where I live only a few people own anything other than QH's and Walkers. Some have Paso Finos, a couple have Rocky Mountain horses, they don't get really big.

I will have to say that when I do ride my Walker on the trails that my knees don't hurt at the end of the day!

Hope this gives you something to think about and may get other people to give advice.

First I can't believe I actually got on this forum.  I haven't been able to get past the front page in a couple months from home and there's no time at work to fool around:(

 I agree with "pony234" for the most part. 

I own three Walkers and ride all of them on a loose rein once they 'get the business out of them" lol lol  No one needs to stay collected to perform their gait.

The Tennessee Walker in my avatar is the shortest of the three at 14.3H but he has such an awesome huge reach that people are always commenting on it.  He does the stepping pace and is every bit as smooth as my other two that perform the running walk.

One thing to please keep in mind is that the same intermediate gait can feel different on each horse because their builds are different.

One of my "running walk" horses is 16H and a lanky athletic built fella.  The other one is 15.2H, very stocky and short-coupled. 

The running walk does not feel the same from one horse to the other.

 I very much agree to trial ride a couple of different horses and breeds.  Your friend's Walker may not be comfortable for you, but don't let that sour you on the entire Walking Horse population.

Of my three Walkers, the one I've owned for 18 years and does the stepping pace feels the best to my lower back, but then I could be partial - lol lol lol

As far as the Walkers, Rocky's, Kentucky Mountain Horses, and gaited Morgans are concerned, when you trial ride them, sit back on the saddle, down on your butt, and your legs should not have the degree of bend they have when you ride a stock horse.  They should be down a little more - most likely part of why "pony's" knees don't hurt:)

I can't speak to the Missouri Foxtrotters -hopefully someone will come in on that breed:)

The best advice I got when I bought Duke 18 years ago was to "pretend I was working a hula-hoop, keep my hands low and light on the reins, sit back on my butt, and stay OUT of his mouth":)  Pretty simple and it was free too - lol

With your horse experience, you don't need formal lessons from a gaited trainer, just a few sentences from the Seller of the horse would be sufficient.  Unless you want to show, then find a formal gaited horse trainer:)

Hope this helps:)

I couldn't agree more with the advice. I have found that if you sit back on your butt, we call it "back pockets", that my horse seems to gait "better". I don't really know if better is the right word here, but his gait is smoother and easier to ride. I quess it is because when you sit back you get all your weight off his shoulders? I am still new the the  Walker breed and am going to get with someone who can teach me the different gaits that they have. I am not sure if mine is doing the running walk or the stepping pace. He looks like he is even racking sometimes. I have not ridden him yet in a "Walking horse bit". I am the QH snaffle for life kinda person. All my QH's are light in the bridle and do everything on a loose rein, very supple and responsive. This Walker is what I would call hard mouthed and we are working on suppling exercises, but I am not sure if this matters so much in this breed? I just can't bring myself to put him in the 8 inch shanks that come on walking horse bits. But maybe that is what he needs and then maybe I could stay out of his mouth?

Sorry, I know that kind of got off the subject. Any advice for me on this would be great thanks!

So far I love riding my Walker on trails. Now my daughter is mad because she has to ride the QH and jog to keep up!!

Pony234, if your TWH is doing a true running walk, its head will bob up and down.  That can vary from slight to quite a bit depending on the horse.  I have seen Walkers so relaxed that not only does their head bob up and down, their ears flop and sometimes so do their lips.  That is the honest gospel truth - lol lol

 If your TWH is doing the stepping pace or racking, its head will bob from side-to-side, also varying from slight to exaggerated, depending on the horse.

 I ride the Walker in my avatar with 8" shanks because he is a HUGE motored horse and I love him that way.  I ride another Walker with 6" shanks because he does well and that is what he has been ridden with for the bulk of his 12 years.

The third Walker wears a mechanial hackamore with a flat leather noseband.  He supposedly had tooth issues before I bought him but I really think he's just a nervous horse that chews anything that gets in his mouth - lol lol

A young Walker that I lost in a freak pasture accident wore a Dr. Cook's Bitless and he LOVED that bridle.  It took him all of ten minutes to get the hang of that bridle and he never looked back - lol

Back in the late 60's I went to 8" swivel shanks for the Arab/Saddlebred I had raised from birth and had for 29 years until he passed from cancer.  An Amishman sold me that first Walking horse bit and was diligent in showing me how to use it properly.

 I said all that to say, if you can work your TWH with the snaffle you use on your QH, do that:)  I know lots of folks that use snaffle bits on their Walkers.  Just because your horse is Tennessee Walker doesn't mean it needs long shanks and doesn't mean it needs keg shoes to trail ride either.

When my horses were all still shod and I was hard trail riding, I used St. Croix Rims shoes and borium head nails - lol

Do what makes sense, works best, and is comfortable for your horse:)

 Thanks for the input!  I have ridden my friend's walker and I am in love!  Wow!  What power and movement!  I have been trying for a year to trade or sell one of my stock horses so I can get a gaited horse.  No one who's ridden a walkers seems to want a stock horse!

From what you all are saying, I could even look at Rocky's and some Morgans.  I think there are some Missouri Foxtrotter breeders around Iowa too.  I would like something around 15 hands.

Your advise about riding a walker will come in handy too.  I will try to "sit on my pockets" next ride.  I tend to sit more upright and have an "electric seat" making my mount excited and a handfull (but still fun!).

Thanks again, and if anyone would like a couple of Appaloosa geldings for something gaited- send them my way!

 

Thanks for the info! I think by your explanation that he must be doing the stepping pace or racking. Most of the time.

Sometimes his head will bob up and down, but mostly it bobs side to side. Maybe I do need to put shanks on him and it might hold him in whatever gait he is doing better. I don't think he can hold a gait without a little help. I have tried riding him on  a loose rein and he just goes all over the place. I think that this horse was a show horse before I got him and he just only knows how to do that. Although he was happy on the trail I could tell it was his first time out. He didn't spook, but looked around a lot and I could just tell he wasn't used to seeing all that nature!

In your opinion, would you try 6 or 8 inch shanks first. I think I would like to try the 6" shanks first but if they are not enough then I would need to buy another bit. IF I get the 8" shanks then I could just be very light handed. And what about the mouth pieces? I noticed that you can get different ones and change them out as needed? I would start with the snaffle mouth ( but it would still be a curb because of the shanks) and then maybe get a low or medium port mouth and see what he is most comfortable in.

I'll keep you posted on our progress.

My aunt has a foxtrotter and they are built more like a stock horse but are very smooth gaited. They don't get as tall as walkers and I think they average about 14 - 15 hands. Her horse is very laid back and smooth.

How about a Saddlebred?  Do they gait similar and be able to keep up with a walker?   

Does your aunt's foxtrotter keep up with your walker pretty well?  That's more the size I'd be interested in. 

 

Just a quick minute to chime in here. . . . I played around for awhile with Mountain horses and bred a couple Kentucky Mtn and Spotted Mtn/Spotted Saddlehorse foals a few years back. I've now gone to QH because my kids have gotten interested in showing 4-H and there are very limited opportunities for showing gaiteds around here - plus most of MY friends trail ride stock horses :)  I would really encourage you to look into all of the Mountain horses (Spotteds, KY, Rocky, Mtn Pleasure) as well as the Spotted Saddlehorses. They are fantastic animals.

They tend to be smaller (14.2 - 15.2H) and built a bit more like stock horses  - ESPECIALLY if you pull from the 'old lines' before people went haywire breeding too much Walker blood into them (sorry, Walker folks ;). They also tend to be not as hot as Walkers, but again the old lines are better for that. . . Also, with the Spotted Mtns and Spotted Saddlehorses, you don't have to give up the fun splash of color that you're used to with Appaloosas :)

With the Mtn horses, there are different "ways of going" that you want to be aware of . . In order to eliminate the "bigger is better" mindset in training and breeding for gait, the Mtn horses are classed by their natural way of going, so the slower lower steppers are called "trail" and compete as such, the middle stepping, mid-speed guys are called "Pleasure", and the fast big shod big-steppers are classed as "Park" -- at least that's how I remember it, it's been awhile. I tell you this so that you can decide how fast you need to go on the trail, which gait you like best, then try the different makes and models of Mtn horses. They're great! (sorry, did I already say that? ;)

Dear pipandblue2,

I think horses are individuals and that any horse you get should be ridden with your friends horse to see if they can ride together well.  I have had many horses of different breeds and some are fast and some are slow even in the same breed.  Several breeds walk fast and are smooth.  The walker breed is probably about the most reasonably priced, at least in my part of the country.  I know someone who prefers Walker/Saddlebred crosses for mountain riding.  I had a saddlebred and she was the fastest walking horse I have ever had. 

Hello! Welcome to the gaited world! It's a great place to be. I'd really suggest you try out different gaited breeds because they all feel different! I've ridden many walking horses... some are comfortable, some are not. I personally have a walker, a Peruvian, and a saddlebred. I love all three and all three can travel very fast in gait... and make those stock horse people rue the day they had to trail ride with us LOL We can fly and be totally comfortable. I personally like the feel of racking horses, but my walking horse feels pretty good too and he does a true running walk. I recently saw the Icelandic horses and those little guys can absolutely fly and stay in gait. Now I want to try one of those. Their gait is called a 'tolt'.

 Not only do the gaits feel different, their personality types are different. I think the Peruvian gait is the smoothest, but they're the hottest horses while the walkers are more laid back. I wouldn't recommend a long shanked bit for a horse that you'll be trail riding with... I think a snaffle works just fine. The longer the shank, the more severe the bit is and unless you have a really good seat with good hands, you'll be in your horses mouth too much and that's not necessary for trail riding. Above all find a good horse you're compatible with and have fun!

Boy, I really understand where you're coming from! I have a 15.1h, AQHA/APHA gelding who is as slow as a bumpy snail on trail rides. One trail buddy has a 14.2h, Tn.Walker-Gypsy Vanner cross gelding who just scoots smoothly along beautifully in his gait, almost a tranter (trot/canter-lol!). She gets ahead of me does some ground work and comes back to me and the snail. The other trail buddy is my daughter and she has a 15.h, Missouri Foxtrotter mare. The mares' walk is faster than most horses trots on the trail, almost in her gait! We don't allow the mare to gait because we use her as a hunter, don't want to confuse her. We have ridden the mare in her gait and it was amazing, but really fast, almost the pace of an extended canter, with absolutely no jolt, bounce or bump. Needless to say, we make a real interesting trail group. At least we're all good sports about our horses. Lucky me(?), my boy never jigs to try and catch up, he knows he's a slug and just doesn't care who knows it, and my trail buddies always come back! But back to you...there are so many different gaited breeds, you have many to choose from. I can vouch for the Missouri Foxtrotters, they're smart, very sound with sensible, quick minds. The mare is very loving and trusting, too. I won't give up the snail though, in the show ring he's an amazing hunter, we just have really llllloooonnnngggg, trail rides!

I love my saddlebred - I can keep up with the walkers and the stock horses. ;-) He can be pokey and slow or walk fast. He is NOT gaited, but he has the smoothest trot you'll ever sit and when the gaited horses start gaiting, we just jog along, but since it is smooth as silk, we can do it for hours, no problem. And then he has a wonderful powerful extended trot - nothing like it - not even gaiting. So much power, float, and air time. He wows anyone who sees him. As one friend told me - "Sure must be nice to have a family station wagon when you need one or a sports car when you want one." He was talking about my horse on the trail. ;-)

Here's pictures...

http://picasaweb.google.com/lidapink/TrailRiding

Good luck finding the right all around horse - I've found mine. ;-)

 Lida

 

 Pip and Blue, 

   I have assorted horses, Arabian, Appy, Paint, Shetland, and Missouri Fox Trotter.   The Missouri Fox Trotter has that "Going to town" gait.  I ride all styles,   Western, jump, Dressage.  I like to camp out with my horses, and long distance riding.   Non of my friends ride gaited horses and I NEVER leave them in the dust or expect them to trot every where to keep up.  I even let them lead and make my MFT follow.   Just because I can doesn't mean I have to ( go fast).     That being said    I would like to point out That my Arabian out paces nearly every horse I ride with too, even three of my friends Arabs, each horse will have certain speeds they like to travel at and then we get to teach them to either step out to match or slow down to match our riding buddies...............

 

Mini

Your horse is probably doing a Stepping Pace when his head is shaking side to side.  Shanks will not help his gait. In fact, they will probably do more harm than good.  He needs to be ridden slower for a while at a speed where he can hold gait and slowly worked up to more speed.  This will develop his strength in the right places and develop muscle memory for gait.  Also, he needs to relax and a bigger bit will not help him do that.  Give him some time to get used to his new life.  Keep it natural.  Forget the Walking Horse bit.  They are not good trail bits or good bits period.  If you do use a Walking Horse bit you will have to put bit guards on it because they pinch the corners of the mouth badly.  There is a very good book about all gaited breeds titled, "Easy Gaited Horses" by the late Lee Ziegler.  It is the best book written about gaited horses with lots of practical info.