Gaited Horses

August 14, 2009 /

Album of Horses

One of my favorite books when I was growing up was Album of Horses, by Marguerite Henry, with beautiful illustrations by Wesley Dennis.  Each chapter in the book told a short story, and described a different breed of horse, and what made them different from other breeds.  This is the book where I discovered what made a Quarter Horse special, or a Thoroughbred.  The Arabian was my favorite of all, followed by the Morgan.  But one horse that always intrigued me was the Tennessee Walking Horse.  Tennessee Walking Horses, I read, were bred to encourage a strange gait, which makes them look almost like they’re running, when in fact they are walking, and the ride is supposedly so smooth, you could carry a full glass of water in your hand while riding one, and not spill a drop.   An exaggeration perhaps, but the whole idea of it thrilled me.  Anyone who has ever had their fillings shaken loose on the back of a trotting horse will understand the appeal of such a smooth ride.   Different horses, of course, are bred for different means, and horses bred for this smooth ride are called gaited horses.

I had forgotten about gaited horses until I started taking lessons 6 or 7 weeks ago.  The owner of the stable where I take lessons has a couple of gaited horses, and they’re very funny to watch.  It almost looks like they’re trotting in place.  But if you watch the rider on the horse’s back, you can see that he’s just not bumping up and down and having to post and all of that stuff that I’m working on learning right now.  What a blessing.

So the other night, we were watching Anthony Bourdaine on his travel/food show, No Reservations, and he was sampling food in Puerto Rico.  Along with the food, he had the opporunity to ride a Paso Fino horse, the gaited horses that have been bred there for centuries, and descend from horses first brought over from Spain.  The horses are wonderful for long trail rides, because of their comfort.  Watching Mr. Bourdaine ride made me laugh, because it reminded me of a couple of lessons I’ve had, where the horse knows exactly who is boss, and it isn’t the dummy in the saddle.  The horse was clearly in charge.

Anyway, here are a couple of examples of gaited horses, from YouTube.  The first starts with a show horse going through its paces, and is set to a fun Scissor Sisters song, and then goes on to a show a few more horses.   Watch how busy the horses look, and how absolutely still the rider is on the horse’s back, until it really gets going pretty fast.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5uvAQrYe7w[/youtube]

The second is a gorgeous group of Paso Fino show horses.  It’s fun to watch.  They sound like they’re tap dancing, don’t they?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tJARMFTVqk[/youtube]

I wonder if the owner of the stable would ever let me try one of his gaited horses?  They’re not usually for the folks taking lessons, but maybe if I work really hard and do my homework…

9 Comments

  • JMc

    August 14, 2009 at 7:56 am

    Whoa! A blast from the past! My dad had this book as a kid and I about wore through it when I was a kid! Thanks for the memory!

    • J

      August 14, 2009 at 2:12 pm

      Jenn, so you probably remember the picture of the guy on the Tennessee Walking horse, with a glass of water on his hand, and some dogs running along beside him, looking like a plantation boss from the south? That’s how I always thought of him, at least. 😉

  • Linda Atkins

    August 14, 2009 at 11:06 am

    He might! (Let you ride a gaited horse.) Neat–I learned something today. I had _Misty of Chincoteague_ (?) as a kid, by the same author, I think, and maybe one other book by her, but I didn’t have the album.

    • J

      August 18, 2009 at 11:09 am

      Jimmy, I’ve never heard the term “racking horse”, but just went and looked them up using the link you sent. Really interesting! Looks like they were bred for pleasure use, and that they come out of the Tennessee Walking Horse line. The Tennessee Walkers were mainly being bred for show, and public demand was there for such a comfortable ride, like you described. Now I want one! 😉

  • Jimmy

    August 17, 2009 at 2:14 pm

    Oh, and I used to have a horse that was trained to rack. His name was Spud. I don’t know how to explain it,but there is lot of difference in comfort to riding a racking horse. They don’t bounce you up and down in the saddle, so it’s comparable to riding in a luxury car on a smooth paved road as opposed to an old clunker on a dirt road!!!LOL!!!