By Terry Ann Frick
Illustrated by Lanie Frick My sister, Lanie, and I grew up in a horse-oriented family that has consistently ridden both
three-gaited and "gaited" horses. All gaited horse breeds except one can walk, trot, canter AND travel in a four-beat lateral gait. The one breed exception is the Fox Trotter, whose additional gait is a
four-beat diagonal pattern. Each horse's gaiting ability results from and is facilitated by conformation attributes which are specific to gaiting:
The neck naturally rises from the withers at a higher angle than that of the typical three-gaited horse.
When collected and on-the-bit in gait, the horse's back rises but does not become convex like that of a
three-gaited horse who is collected and on-the-bit.
A three-gaited horse can walk, trot and canter whether or not its hindquarters are truly engaged, but to initiate and/or stay "in gait" the
gaited horse must be able to drop his hindquarters, drive his motion forward from the rear and elevate his withers. To assist the horse in generating and maintaining this motion, some gaited-horse riders sit well behind
the vertical (sometimes with the "C-curve" thrown in for good measure) with legs and feet pushed forward of the rider's body. Until recently, this was the position, more or less, that Lanie and I had adopted.
Through our Centered Riding experiences, Lanie and I have learned there is a better way "to gait". Wendy Murdoch's definition of Centered Riding is "the universal principles of riding."
My horse companions include a Paso Fine (a gaited breed) and an Andalusian / Morgan cross; Lanie has three Paso Finos. Since our introduction to Centered Riding several months ago, we have applied its principles and
techniques to all of our horses and to our father's Quarter Horse. We have proven for ourselves that, without a doubt, Centered Riding is indeed universal. The principles of Centered Riding generate the same benefits
with gaited horses as they do with my Half-Andalusian and Dad's Quarter Horse: freedom of movement, collection, suppleness, willingness to work and a relaxed, happy attitude.
In addition, Centered Riding on our
Pasos achieves the most critical measure by which gaited horse, whatever breed, are judged: a truly fluid and consistent gait. This is because Centered Riding allows the horse to gait freely, willingly and virtually
effortless ly- as if he were doing so without a rider. Thus, Centered Riding enables rider and horse, three-gaited AND gaited, not only to perform at their optimum, but also to become the ultimate "one."
However, because of their conformation and motion difference, Lanie and I perceive the need for a very slight, but very critical adjustment in applying the Centered Riding principles to gaited horses. To
achieve fluidity and suppleness with three-gaited horses at walk, trot or canter, we must be in the true vertical position as prescribed by the building blocks of Centered Riding. But, whether at the walk or in gait,
Lanie and I agree that the gaited horse's motion and conformation differences require our upper bodies to be approximately one-quarter to one-half inch behind true vertical and our heels slightly in front of the
vertical. There are no other alterations in the building blocks, i.e., hips are released, back and neck softened and lengthened, legs beneath the torso, etc., and all other principles of Centered Riding apply as defined
by Centered Riding. What I am describing, while vastly different from the generally-accepted gaited-horse riding posture, is only a minute adjustment to the Centered Riding building blocks.
My
half-Andalusian, while technically not a gaited horse in terms of breeding, will single-foot. At his walk, trot or canter, I have to be in true vertical alignment to achieve all the benefits of Centered Riding. But when
he single-foots, I have to align my upper body slightly behind vertical and heels slightly in front to maintain his gait. We have also experimented with the true vertical Centered Riding position versus the
"gaiting position" on various gaited breeds. Regardless of the horse or his breeding, the "gaiting position" repeatedly achieves the best motion.
We perceive, based on observation and
feeling, that when our bodies are in true vertical, the more-forward weight placement is just enough to impair elevation of the withers in the gait. We know this is not true at the trot. But at the trot, the horse's
back is convex, whereas the gaited horse's back remains concave. At the trot we feel the horse's back become convex; when a horse gaits we feel the withers rise.
For gaited-horse breeds, the "gaiting
position" appears to be just as necessary at the walk. While it is difficult to notice the withers rising at the walk, what can be observed is the tracking of the back legs. The "gaiting position"
facilitates the horse's ability to cap his tracks; the true vertical position inhibits it.
The "gaiting position" also appears to be needed by different horses for differing reasons, perhaps depending
merely on the horse's natural abilities or perhaps also on other circumstances, such as the terrain, the horse's physical condition, or the horse's age and level of development. At one end of the spectrum are those
horses who are unable to initiate the gait unless the rider is in the "gaiting position". Other points on the spectrum include, but are not limited to:
Young horses who need assistance in developing their gait.
Horses who will sometimes initiate the gait regardless of the circumstances, and then other times will require the rider to be in the
"gaiting position".
Horses who will initiate the gait no matter the circumstances, but in the absence of the "gaiting position" cannot maintain it, and will then revert to a trot or
pace (a two-beat lateral gait), depending on the horse's natural inclination.
Horses who will initiate and maintain an inconsistent gait, meaning the horse's footfalls will be out of synch with the perfect
four-beat rhythm of his specific gaiting pattern.
At the furthest other end of the spectrum is the horse who is so well-gaited that he will consistently initiate and maintain a respectable gait regardless
of circumstances, including the rider's position, but whose gait is beautifully enhanced to its optimum when the rider is in the "gaiting position".
Lanie and I realize that we are among only a
handful of Centered Riding Instructors that are almost exclusively "gaited horse people" particularly Paso Fino people to become associated with Centered Riding as Instructors. This appears to have put us in
the exciting and challenging (not to mention slightly daunting) position of beginning the task of identifying the Centered Riding teaching techniques and images best suited to communicating Centered Riding principles to
the gaited horse community, particularly here in Missouri. I place significant emphasis on "beginning" the task because developing and communicating horsemanship skills is an ongoing process of learning,
revising and refining.
In addition, Lanie and I neither want, nor desire, to develop our ideas about the methods for teaching Centered Riding to gaited horse riders in a vacuum. We welcome ideas from any
of you who have taught gaited horse students as well as questions from any of you who may only be curious about our experiences in the application of Centered Riding to gaited horses.
We view all comments
and inquires as an opportunity to devise and analyse our thoughts on the most effective teaching approaches. We also look forward to sharing the results of our efforts, once they are presentable, with the entire
Centered Riding organization for its review, analysis and recommendations for improvement and refinement. Lanie can be contacted at 417/457-6310, and I can be reached at 314/583-7934 or write to Centered Riding, Inc.
and they will forward your responses.
