Foxtrot Project

Gaiting help, please?

My mare has been gaiting really well for a while. But she just recently learned how to do a stepping pace and she won't stop. I'm having trouble telling when she's doing it, because it's smooth (unlike a hard pace). Does anyone have any advice on how to keep her from doing a stepping pace? She's a MFT and has always done either a running walk, foxtrot, or hard pace (although she hasn't done a hard pace in a while).

Public Comments

1. Either learn how to ride it, or ask her to stop doing that, but if you do not like riding a gaited horse then the only suggestion I have is to trade her for a non-gaited horse.
2. When she does it stop her and back her immediately then ask for the gait you're wanting. If she goes into a stepping pace again repeat the stop and backing. Just keep doing it, eventually she'll figure out you're asking for something other than what she's doing!
3. I have a MFT and i know what you mean. They fox trot one day and then it's like they dont even get what your telling them to do! try working her over poles so she will trot. A MFT can not gait from a pace. Well not likely. unless their trained and then she will do it from there. also if you have a indoor arena. lunge her. I have noticed they dont like to trot under saddle or gait when the have the habit of not gaiting. So find out if it is easier for her to gait when you slow her down or speed her up. You can tell by the horse going side to side. (at pace) and more of a IDK. uhh. more up and down motion but you dont move. (fox trot) i guess you can say. and try to post. it is not easy at pace. but is at trot. Sorry for it being soooo long and hope all go's well. My horse has a habit to TOLT now!! CRAZY I know!
4. This question made me smile, because my friend owns Foxtrotters, and I own a Walker. her Foxtrotter always refused to foxtrot, and my Walker refuses to do ANY one gait for very long-- he prefers to switch into about six different gaits throughout our trail rides... including the fox trot! hehe. Advice that I have read from gaited training books includes: More flat walking. This builds the muscle and cadence needed to keep a steady faster gait. For fox trotters, work in long grass or in sand. Horses tend to get more diagonal in deeper footing, which would help your mare if she is getting pacey. Ground pole work, to get her to relax and extend her head forward and down, instead of up. Both my friend's mares and my gelding foxtrot better if they drop their heads and relax-- when the head comes up, the pace or running walk comes back! And last but not least, consider her feet. My friend had front shoes put on her mare in preparation for a rocky trail ride, and the mare has gaited beautifully ever since!
5. I am with Charm on this one. I ride a big boned TWH. He likes to switch gaits also. But when those shoes go on and he can feel and hear his gait ....... then he does the prettiest gaiting, head weaving and tail up and flagging. But when he paces then I tighten the reins a bit and let my legs come down and he knows to switch back to a running walk. I am not sure if it will help on the MFT but that is what I do on my Walkers.