Gaited Horses shouldn't look like this!

[@emilychurch6526]

Great video! I learned it’s much more complicated than just head position, it’s about the horses overall posture and which muscles are engaged. Thanks for sharing, this is such an important topic for gaited horse owners to understand to keep their horses sound and comfortable for years to come. ❤❤❤

[@horsewhistler6744]

Video very helpful. I ride a gaited black TWH (Puttin on the Ritz stock) that insists on rather high head and does carry his face more perpendicular to the ground. Your comments got him to originally start gaiting as a young gelding. I have another that naturally gaits, low head, ears forward, constantly working, has big engine. The second one is the preferred ride, except she has no brakes.

[@IvyS]

:) I am glad the videos have helped!

[@reneekh3599]

EXCELLENT video!! I will be keeping this in my library to refer to my students. Thank you!

[@largohoss]

As someone that competes my Paso finos in AERC endurance and limited distance riding since 2001 and pleasure trail ride them since 1997 and still do and really like the bio mechanical points and so vital to the permanently damaging issues they have perpetuated for show rings in most breed of gaited horses. The being a caring horse owner for regard to the health and welfare of longevity of good health and soundness one should stay in tune with Ivy and her recommendations, soundness is proven very much so in the sport of endurance competing against all breeds including non gaited horses which the very same biomechanics applies to.

[@amandar5827]

I can't believe the Big Lick still exists! Foot-long shank bits, 8lb pads, chains, broken tails, hunched riders. Awful.

[@ExtremeDragonz123]

Exactly! Big Lick is full of shit!

[@amandar5827]

@@katiedotson704 I've had many comment wars with these people. It always ends with them not responding or resorting to insults because they don't have an argument. They know deep down what they are doing is wrong but are too stubborn, prideful, and ignorant to let it go. And really, they could make their shows cruelty-free, fun, and profitable but they don't want to learn to ride or work hard.

[@emilychurch6526]

It blows my mind that it’s still legal… I did a presentation or paper or something back in high school about how horrible the conditions of the Big Lick circuit are and here we are 15ish years later and nothing has changed.

[@amandar5827]

@@emilychurch6526 Heck, Maury Povich did a special on this in the early 90s for crying out loud!

[@sangrel1ghtn1ng]

@@emilychurch6526 what do u want to change? this comment is so ignorant these horses are the most inspected breed of all time nothing u see in the show ring has been soared and the pads and small ass chains they use have been proven not to cause pain LOL

[@HopeCreekConnemara]

I really appreciate your information. In all the videos I've watched. I just bought my first Tennessee walker. The top of his loin area is pointy. I'm wondering if it was how he was written before. He learns quickly, but currently still is not accepting contact with a bit well but he's trying. I think a couple more sessions will really help. I have him in a snaffle currently.

[@DayByDayVlogs]

I keep missing your live videos!

[@IvyS]

They are live on facebook at 4pm. Go to facebook and like my page Ivy's Glide Gait

[@mohabbateinrangde5857]

Thank you so much! I really want to learn to ride as healthy as possible. This is very educational to me. You are teaching me how to observe to see if the horse is using the neck throat back correctly. I am trying to ride with a lower head position. What is wrong with going lower? I love your explaining why and how.

[@tanjamorse7341]

I see that your seat is more balanced . So many of these gaited riders have there legs way out front.my feeling is that is so hard on the horses back as well.would that throw the horses head up as well??

[@geschichtenschreiber]

Awesome video. We have a gorgeous TWH who carries her head very high naturally. I'm going to work on getting her to lower it.

[@suzannemazzoli2437]

Hi from New Jersey, love your videos. Just rescued a17 yr old Morgan gelding who pulled a buggy for most of those yrs. He is sweet and sound a few scars here and there nothing bad. He rides and pulls but holds his head really high. Trying to get him to relax but do you think the damage is done and it's to late to train him out of it? Thanks in advance 😊

[@IvyS]

Nope, never too late to train it out. I've worked with many horses even older than they, but it is a lot of work. You can start on the ground and consider clicker training.

[@IvyS]

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[@IvyS]

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[@_TonyaBlack_]

What ever position they comfortably gait in IS THE PROPER POSITION..I personally like the higher head with a tucked nose..And its been done for as long as there have been gaited horses. So why change what works?

[@christinakowalski-holien6522]

Hello :) I am looking to buy a 14 year old Missouri Fox Trotter Mare and she seems to be unbalanced. She keeps switching her gaits and I fear that she has developed long term health issues because of being ridden without proper instruction. Should I even pursue this further? Thank you very much!!!

[@IvyS]

That depends on the horse. Most horses honestly won't hold gait without training.

[@lucasa1849]

I really like gaited horses but I never wanted to have one because I thought that they way they naturally move and carry themselves was bad for them. I want a horse that is still healthy, comfortable and preferably rideable in their mid 20s. If you train gaited horses in a biomechanically correct way will they age as well as non-gaited horses?

[@MFTgal]

Ride a Missouri Foxtrotter. Smooth. Balanced, athletic trail horse. Excellent health, kind, calm horses.

[@Lupita-eu2xu]

Linda McAskill one hundred percent agree the foxtrotter I ride is soft and supple keeps a good head set always he’s such a wonderful smooth horse

[@largohoss]

Paso finos can travel with heads down or up and maintain gait and so in sports like endurance have become a very popular natural traveling gaited breed that has longevity and health including some top single day 100 milers doing three Tevis cups in a row and some top ten 100 mile finishes as well as plenty in the 50 and 25 & 30 or more limited distance rides including sixth place lifetime AERC limited distance milage which is the USA’s endurance riding organization.

[@KFrost-fx7dt]

I had the pleasure of riding a bay tobiano Missouri Foxtrotter at the YMCA once. She was smoooth!

[@marthas9724]

I agree with you, and I don't even own a horse.

[@aprilparmelee367]

I use to own Galiceno horses about 35 yrs ago.The Galiceno is a naturally gaited small horse breed from Galacia that has a natural running walk. Do you know anything about this gaited horse?

[@WapSpotacular]

What did you switch the Arab/saddlebreds bit to?

[@MFTgal]

Often the high head, neck carriage is saddlebred influence. Added to rocky, Kentucky mountain horses, TWH. Added heigth and gait when the breeding was open.

[@IvyS]

Kind of. A lot of breeders/riders encourage the high head as a way of training, regardless of the horse's natural head carriage.

[@hoptoit5910]

@@IvyS I agree. Absolutely they do. Many train their gaited horses specifically to have those characteristics

[@clegg334]

Great explanations! The drawings really help

[@C-Rocks]

Wouldnt u say that what Really matters what the natural carriage is; asking a horse whose neck is tied in low to the shoulders to have high head carriage is incorrect is incorrect and visa versa, and medium set neck is optimally versatile

[@IvyS]

Where the head and neck ties in does effect the horse, but it is NEVER okay for them to be hollowing their back and pushing down the base of the neck long term. Many people use that as an excuse for letting the horse throw the head up and hollow their back. In the examples I shared, I am sure some of those horses had a neck set high on their body, but rather than develop the horses to be strong and lift the whole front end, they were just allowing the horse to use the wrong muscles to keep the head high, often pulling on the reins.

[@C-Rocks]

@@IvyS i understand. I think best explanation is "easy gaited horses by Lee Ziegler"

[@ericwilliams6915]

Lady the Tennessee walking horse is bread to go with its head up That's the way their confirmation is they also have to shift their weight to the back end to do the correct gear regardless of what kind of shoe they have on

[@IvyS]

Lifting the head does not automatically shift weight to the hind end. It does hollow the back out, though.

[@ericwilliams6915]

When the Tennessee walking horse is doing a true flat walk or running walk for that matter their head is up their weight does shift to the back end and they nod their head there has been many studies done on it by several different universities if they're not shifting their weight to their back end they would not have a smooth gate as they do that is just a fact some of the show horses depending upon the shoe exaggerates the shifting of the weight but I promise you if they did not shift their weight to the back end they would not have a smooth gate

[@dawneendostert3576]

My Walker lifts her head high when she does her “parade look”. She gets excited she really flexes t her poll, he’d high and works her bit. It’s natural. She usually carries it with her head midway like what you did was good. I rarely ask for a fast running walk. I trail ride over mostly rough terrain so I prefer her watching for obstacles.

[@kristinaburkhardtzakariase4722]

wow THANK YOU this is SOOO good!

[@KFrost-fx7dt]

Horses were my favorite art subject as a kid. Still are, actually. I've always thought the high head carriage looked uncomfortable fir the horse. Their trachea is being bent at sharp angles. Put your head back and tuck your chin, and see how that feels. I don't know how they don't pass out.

[@JackiJohnson-x6x]

Gaited horses do not move ir hold their heads like quarter horses, every horse is different. I have a gaited mare, she moves with her head closer to level and she barely bobs her head. I have an older gaited gelding than and his head is naturally in the sky and he moves his head a little side to side. Most gaited horses hold theor heads higher than a quarter horse. This is a fact of life and I'd never force a horse to move differently because someone thinks they shoukd hold them selves differently.

[@bluemoonsy]

I have been away from the Arabian horse shows for 20 years. I saw the winners from this year's Nationals. It was ridiculous.

[@Hockeyperson]

Can you look at my newest video I just posted can you see if one of our gaited horse is good?

[@IvyS]

Send me the link at [e-mail] and I'll take a look.

[@showmeboysoutdoors2058]

It appears that you are informing people to have their gaited horses to travel like non gaited horses. The biomechanics are different. Gaited horses are bred for a different head carry. If they have a natural high head carry, changing that is manipulation. Having a saddle bred horse carry their head like a quarter horse is like putt in a truck bed on a corvette, defeats its design.. Please don’t say that it’s bad for horses to have a high head carry. Not sure what you’re teaching but it’s confusing. A gaited horse will naturally raise its head when you call on a faster gait. Gaited horses will and do walk with a low head carry.

[@antonicoleman7043]

Agreed! I have a saddlebred and every gaited horse I had has carried there head high.You might need to do a little more research Ms lady

[@bobmatthews8389]

You are incorrect. …

[@dianakrahartist3662]

Very well explained. Thank you.

[@annwiley1241]

I feel so sorry for the Tenn. Walking horse. They do not look normal nor do their riders all bent forward riding them. I feel like this is probably the most abused horse. Just not normal to treat a animal like this.

[@rockwithmoss1901]

Like u ever owned or rode a twh to give you expeience and facts to back up your opinions. So silly.

[@kaitlynntuckey2722]

Flat shod walking horses are amazing

[@Ketowski]

Good to know. Many gained. Horses have high heads. Wonder if it’s a bit of a cheat to get the gaits. Even Icelandics.

[@hoptoit5910]

It’s such a shame that the show circuit has this criterion (not just the US but here in Australia and most of the world). Until that changes, I don’t think anything much will change which is really quite sad tbh 😢 Thank you for explaining this so well. I hope more people will learn from you and others as to how gaited horses *should* look ❤

[@weckelshowhorses1]

Did you not look at confirmation, looks like your wanting gaited horses to be stock type horse 😂

[@IvyS]

You can think that if you want. I look at the horse's body. A horse with a rider can't carry them well with their head up. It is bad for their body, no matter what breed.

[@meb3153]

Thanks!

[@maggiepie8810]

Gaited horses aren't different from other horses in terms of biomechanics.

[@bobmatthews8389]

You are completely incorrect - no such thing as “ pushing down the neck” . You are totally uniformed, different breeds have different conformation and thus different skeletal- muscular self carriage.

[@TKEnduroo]

No she is not. It’s biomechanics and has nothing to do with breed and everything to do with the proper way to carry themselves.

[@jakobmillermrblue2tarot923]

Your horsemanship is lacking. Elevation is best when driving off the hocks. A lot of horses are built upright, you want to dump all horses into a hunt seat frame. Shame on you for misleading amateurs. The Arab/ saddlebred cross could lift up and elevate without losing collection, but obviously you don’t have the skills to accomplish it. I’ve trained walking horses, Rockies , mountain horses and saddlebreds! A lot of gaited horses are low in the back when born! Get a clue

[@chrishale1345]

@Sunny🌿 bozo

[@koi---]

"don't be an abusive POS" simpler version

[@Kaylaloveshorses]

As a rider who rides saddlebreds, they always have their head held high we don’t force them to if you look at saddlebred foals they have there head up high with no people forcing them to it’s a breed confirmation you need to learn not every gaited horse has to have there head down when showing

[@IvyS]

I'm not talking about for showing. I'm suggesting that any horse with the head high with a rider on is not good for the horses body. I know you need the head to to win in showing, but I think showing is often damaging to the horse.

[@bt8576]

You need to do more research on the saddlebred horse and morgans naturally carry the high head. The u in the back has ZERO to do with the high head and EVERYTHING to do with pushing from behind and collecting them in any gait. Ive been riding SS for 40+ years and Won 10 WC. You really are not helping anyone by misinforming them. Your horses arent athletic enough to carry the head like the World class horses. They are not well bred and have bad conformation. My goodness people. get a clue.

[@chrishale1345]

as a saddlebred rider, its natural for them to have their head held high. if you look at images of them in the pasture, you'll see that its natural for the breed. if you watch the 5-gaited classes, you'll see that the horses are comfortabe and being rode correctly. edit - it's obvious that you are VERY ignorant. sounds like you just have issues with horses ith high headsets. "horses are being put into a posture that's incorrect", maybe you should get some education because if you see a saddlebred, paso-fino, twh, etc. foals, they all have high head carrage. they are bred to do this. i currently lease a saddlebred and own a morgan, and my saddlebred has had no issues what so ever in his life that relate to back issues. sounds like you need to get some real education from actual gaited horse riders instead of pushing opinions on other people. if my saddlebred had his head that low, he would be tripping over his own feet.

[@109367]

Oooo so defensive lol

[@chrishale1345]

@@109367 as i should be.

[@109367]

@@chrishale1345 Kinda makes you look really insecure

[@chrishale1345]

@@109367 i dont give two shits if it makes me look "insecure"

[@109367]

@@chrishale1345 That's obvious

[@alexdenouden1]

At the start of the clip , you state that , this is your opinion, everybody is allowed to have there opinion. A Paso horse would be disqualified participating in the Confepaso Association, I am a member of , walking with a " western style head position" Also in the KFPS, presenting my friesians who are not gaited of course , could not present with a low head in harness driving

[@IvyS]

Thanks! I'm sure I understand your post. I know that a Paso with a low head wouldn't win in the show ring. None of the breeds of gaited would win in the show ring with a level head or just above level. My goal isn't to win ribbons, but to have a healthy relaxed horse. :) Friesians are so fun!!! :)

[@bella-vg9dt]

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@mikeclark9731]

THIS IS TERRIBLE INFORMATION!!!! YOUR HORSE GAITED OR NOT WILL CARRY THEMSELVES THE WAY THEY WANT TO TRAVEL!!!

[@IvyS]

Ha,ha. Good one.