The reason gaited horse have a common habit of rushing or barging is that they have actually been trained to do so. Traditionally it has been thought, and taught, that the only way to establish a good, fast gait is by asking the horse to move out at speed, and then throwing the animal off balance via weight shifts, raising its head, and see-sawing on the reins. Indeed, this technique will encourage the young animal to move all four legs out of synchrony, resulting in a fast, smooth gait. To some trainers’ way of thinking, an added benefit of this method is that horses as young as 18 months can be started at gait work, and it’s not uncommon for two-year-olds to be run through auctions gaiting at very fast speeds. The faster the young animal gaits (rushes), the higher the bidding is likely to go.

The poor form in which gaited horses are commonly ridden predestines a high percentage of them to becoming hollow or sway backed. This results in saddle fitting problems, long term soundness issues and, too often, a horse that’s consequently not happy under saddle (read: sore, surly and snappish).

 

 

 

The horse who is disrespectful is usually one who has not learned to trust its handler with its safety and well being. In such cases, horses with dominant personality traits feel that if they don’t continually look out for themselves, no one else will, while less dominant animals seek the safety of joining up with other horses. This is due to their herd instinct, where there’s always greater safety in numbers.