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Our Sister Sites. American Cowboy. Dressage Today. Practical Horseman. The American Saddlebred Horse is considered by many to be the ultimate in glamour and excitement. The five-gaited American Saddlebred is shown at the animated walk, trot, slow gait, rack and canter. The slow gait and rack evolved from the breed's easy riding gait traits and showcase their brilliance and elegance.
Standardbred horses are driven in harness racing and can compete as trotters performing a two-beat diagonal trot or pacers performing a lateral two-beat pace. Eighty percent of harness racing is performed at the pace gait, which is faster than the trot. This four beat gait is similar to that of the regular walk, yet faster. In the running walk the hind feet overstep the front foot print by as much as 18 inches. This travel gives the gait a gliding motion.
The running walk is also recognized by the horse's bobbing and nodding head and flopping ears in rhythm with the horse's legs.
Slow Gait The slow gait is performed by the five-gaited Saddlebred. This four beat lateral gait is also known as the stepping pace. In this gait, the horse performs a broken pace, with the hind and front leg on the same side leaving the ground and landing at slightly different times. Pace The pace is a fast two beat lateral gait where the feet on the same side strike the ground simultaneously.
The pace is performed by Standardbred harness racing horses. The footfall pattern of the pace is the right hind and right front together, then left hind and left front together. As the horse rocks from side to side, there is a brief moment of suspension where all four feet are off the ground prior to the next lateral pair touching the ground. Rack The rack is a flashy, faster, more exaggerated four beat walk performed by the American Saddlebred and the Tennessee Walking Horse. Each foot meets the ground independently of each other.
Evaluating Travel When evaluating travel at any gait, the following points should be considered:. Directness : Straightness of the footfall pattern. Length of Stride : Amount of ground covered in a single stride. Snap and Flexion : Height and elevation of the knees and hocks.
Directness The directness of travel refers to the straightness of the footfall pattern from point A to point B. It makes sense that the quickest way from point A to point B is a straight line. In the canter pirouette, the hindquarters will be noticeably lowered, through there should be no apparent lifting of the horse's head or forehand which would imply a loss of collection and a consequent flattening of the back.
The horse should remain slightly flexed in the direction of the turn throughout, the quarters remaining well controlled to form the true pivot of the movement.
He must never show the smallest tendency to drift backwards. Between 6 and 8 strides are desirable in a well controlled canter pirouette, the quality of the movement being judged according to the suppleness, lightness, cadence and regularity.
In order to make a flying change from canter-left to canter-right, or visa versa, the horse has to reorganise the sequence in which his legs operate in the asymmetrical beat of the gait. This primarily involves the quick adjustment of the hind legs in exactly the same way a child changes its legs while skipping along the pavement.
This adjustment can only be made in the very brief moment following the third beat when all four legs are off the ground. A good flying change should flow smoothly through into the first stride of the new lead without any sign of hesitation or of a shortening of a stride, and with no loss of balance.
The horse should appear to make the change with pride and elegance. It is only a matter of acquiring sufficient balance and gymnastic freedom of action in order to master the flying changes every four, three, two and one stride. Lateral movements, comprising all movements in a direction other than that on which the horse is aligned, are of four main varieties and all can be used in various forms in all three basic gaits of walk, trot and canter.
The standard variations are leg yielding, shoulder-in, traverse or quarters-in and half-pass. Leg yielding is not in advanced dressage.
All lateral movements share the same purpose of making the horse attentive and obedient to the aids of improving his balance, suppleness and powers of collection. In all of them it is expected that the rhythm of the stride will not be hurried or short.
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