Want to get a consistently smooth gait? Do THIS!

This is the best thing to help your horse stay consistently smooth!
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[@SFD-Horses]

I LOVE That comment. Don't ask your horse for more than what he can give you! PERFECT!!! Not many people this like that. Thanks!

[@coralstafford8709]

Thank you for that advice. I will definitely be stopping and praising more often my Peruvian.

[@sharons.6895]

Well, this was the answer for my horse and me. Stop and praise after correctly gaiting. I stop and count one thousand one, one thousand two all the way to sixty. I was getting frustrated because he has a somewhat comfortable pace, step pace, and running walk and I was having trouble distinguishing them except for the head bobbing with the running walk. Couldn't hear the foot falls because of all the wind we have been having. After I saw this video, I immediately did it that morning and voila!!!!! It works!!! Just about 8 out of 10 times now I ask him to gait he takes off in it. So simple, but such a powerful tool to have I couldn't believe it. I plan on sending you a video for analysis very soon. Thank you, thank you.

[@IvyS]

Sharon, thank you so much for sharing this testimony!!!!!! I am so thrilled that this helped you! I am working with a friend and her horses this week and the stopping and standing is literally the thing that is training them to gait!!! I am going to have to really push this so we can try to help as many horses out there as possible. I think this is the answer for most training questions. :)

[@karenbusby1432]

I am bran new to riding gaited. I wasn't looking for a gaited horse but one literally fell into my lap! I didn't even know he was a gaited horse, or any of his background, breeding...zilch! But that is what he is! Now I want to learn all I can about gaited horses and how to improve the gait. His previous owner had no clue what he had! I want to work with "Blue" to help him to be all that he can be. I am so thankful for these videos. Keep up the good work. I know that I can always, always learn more!

[@sdwvinyldesign1291]

love this video and all the new ones your doing. They are so helpful Ivy. THANK YOU!!!!!

[@margeauxhamilton4925]

Love your methods!

[@jodiedavis1651]

Yes! If they do it right but you immediately ask again, they take it to mean they did it wrong. But if you stop and get peaceful, they know that was IT! When one of my horses gets it, just one step, I praise and stop immediately. Stop as in completely quiet. Then I either repeat it just once for them to get it again and get off, or just get off right away. I know they got the message very clearly because when I get on the next day or a week later and I ask they have the right answer.

[@alexandralalieu1626]

This is exactly what I needed to know... The missing ingredient I was looking for! I do this all the time when teaching a new maneuver but I never thought to use this to reward\soak right after s\he does gait for a tiny bit! Thank you so much for the video!

[@pjstar2009]

Yep, one step! Love it!!!

[@largohoss]

You are my favorite gaited guru but get some paso fino videos too! All that you do does apply to any gaited horses and since the less naturally gaited can be helped you can also help the super naturally gaited find the very precise nuances of requests for ideal Isochronal like this video clues us all in to the vital need of timing rewards, which the most important is acknowledgment for the horse to understand you have a grasp and honor the efforts that have been made in the willingness department on behalf of the horse. Quiet zen type breath of blow taste chomp and lick is the best reward, a way an horse internally tells himself that peace and feeling safe is being processed.

[@IvyS]

Thanks!!! I hope to do more paso finos at some point! I usually don't have a lot of opportunity to ride them, though I have loved the ones I did work with!! Maybe soon!

[@MrNightfox42]

Thank you very much for posting these videos! They are so helpful! I really appreciate what you do!!!

[@lindazavada7363]

I have had good luck using a clicker for positive reinforcement. It is easy to use both from the ground and while riding. I'm going to try combining that with the long, quiet stop as a reward.

[@nothingelsewas]

Dear Ivy! Your videos give me hope, and a lot of help. I have a hard time here in my country, because I live in central Europe, where isn't so much gaited horse. My horse is a young ex-trotter with german and american parents (it's in his ID card), and I think that he may has an american gaited grand-grandfather or something, because he is a really pacey horse, I never seen any like he, he often wants to walking pace or trotting pace. Sometimes I feel that he is just doing really smooth pace (maybe gaiting?), but people think I just ride my young horse wrong and that's why he does this "rythmless" and undesirable walking types. And I shouldn't let him to do these at all. But when I watch him in the field with other horses, he often paces freely (or something like that), so maybe it's not just because of my riding (I'm not a perfect rider, but not a bad one either). What do you think, can I really have a gaited horse? Or should I teach him how to gait or should I teach him not to pace or anithing at all? If you answer, I will be really thankful!

[@IvyS]

If you could take some videos of you riding him, that would help me help you. :) go ahead and email me at [e-mail]

[@nothingelsewas]

I wrote you, and looking forward to your answer! Best wishes and thanks! Ildi & Uli

[@kalikalad8954]

Ildiko Petrics: It sounds as though you have a pacer--some Standardbreds (trotting-horses) are natural pacers. As with many gaited horses, even their walk can be lateral (which is undesirable outside the gaited community). Unfortunately, riding a pacer is very different from riding a trotter--the balance and movement are very different. If you are accustomed to trotters, you are going to have to change your expectations when it comes to your balance, as a pace moves side-to-side as well as up-and-down. You can get used to it, it's just different. If you remember learning to sit the trot, well, sitting the pace is harder but it can be done--you're just going to have to adjust to that sideways motion. Also, be sure your horse is carrying himself well. Ex-trotters are basically carriage-horses--they haven't always been properly trained to carry a rider. Best of luck!

[@2bmediadesign605]

Fabulous. Thank you so much! Subscribing to your channel now!

[@marymurphy605]

Thank so much Ivy...I have a question...my horses back legs are moving slower than her front legs. This is causing her canter in the ring very difficult for her. She appears to be fine on the trail, but maybe I'm not as aware. Please advise.

[@IvyS]

I would need to see a video. Have you talked with a vet?

[@lisathelawless]

I put my TWH through some training and he was doing pretty well with his running walk vs. pacing. I gradually lengthened the rides as we have been doing endurance. He seemed to stop having the stumbling and stifle problems. But when I got to about 15 miles, the stumble, stifle, and pace returned full time. So I am starting over in the indoor arena in the deep sand. I think it's very hard to do this training on my own. So frustrating. Ive decided not to do endurance with him anymore. Will the time ever come that he rarely if ever slips into pacing, stumbling, and having a stifle issue?" Been working on this for almost a year now. lisa drey, denver, colorado

[@DuoMonkey]

How do you know when they do the gait?

[@zoiedoglebo4064]

How do you get the horse to drop his head?

[@ridingseaside5623]

My horse seems to constantly be putting her head to the outside while I ride or when she's being round penned. I know this is a sign of imbalance. I do a lot of flexion lateral and vertical, but nothing seems to be helping. I try to change my seat a lot too, and something still doesn't feel right. She also has a hard time gaiting and goes into a trot a lot. Any advice?

[@IvyS]

Do you have any videos of her? It is very hard for horses to balance in a round pen. A lot of lateral work can help with this. Doing slow work, bending through the whole body. Just neck flexion doesn't help much with this kind of thing as it is a whole body issue.

[@annettemarth6286]

I just can't get him from trotting to baiting. I don't know how much contact I should have w him

[@Carouselpics]

Yes!!! Great vid!

[@jeanniefrawley8574]

When my mare gaits a little & I try to stop her she dose not what to stop, what should I do?

[@kalikalad8954]

Jeannie Frawley: As with any time a horse refuses to do what you ask, ask something else until she does obey: ask her to speed up, ask her to reverse, turn her in a circle, cut across the ring. Once you get obedience, stop pushing and reward her. Teach her that it is more pleasant to obey you, since you will simply continue giving her orders (pressure) until she does. I can't say I agree with stopping a horse when it hits its gait. My preference would be to praise the horse as long as it's gaiting, then, if it falls out, stop and work on something else for a while. Some horses are very bit-averse, and some are just very eager, and these types interpret being halted as punishment rather than reward--this is just my experience (although most horse love to stop working--I know I do!)

[@bella-vg9dt]

No you reward by pressure and release not stopping every single time you'll never make any progress of course stopping and standing is great and it helps anxious horses to learn that they can just stop and stay and they don't got to constantly go a hundred miles an hour 24/7 but it shouldn't be used to reward a horse the reward is the release of pressure or a Pat good boy or a good girl. but you keep doing what you're doing so you can improve what you're doing if you stop doing it every time the horse finally gets it right and does it right you're never going to progress

[@Jaeghound]

positively reinforcing with food is your best bet!

[@IvyS]

I love using positive reinforcement, however, it is often frowned upon by many. If people are comfortable using food, I encourage them to use it. If they aren't, I don't push it, but I think it is an awesome way to train!!!!

[@bella-vg9dt]

You always ask a horse for more than what they want to give you because they act like they can't give it to you that's how you make progress

[@bella-vg9dt]

You only get three steps a gaited doesn't even know what it did right and now it's going to think every single time it gaits it can just stop whenever it wants to

[@IvyS]

I know it might seem like that would happen, but horses learn so fast this way!

[@dariaharruff7025]

I don't like riding a horse I'm sorry 😐