>> http://www.tolthorse.com/video.cfm?SHID=90
>>>> and at one point he looks very pacy. At no point does he look either relaxed or evenly four-beat. Can you give us a time point where you think he's pacey? It's hard to see the details with the limited resolution on online-videos, but I didn't see much wrong with the timing of the horse's gaits. Of course, the snow obscures his legs sometimes, so it's hard to be sure, and the footing could be affecting the gaits he's doing in the video too. . I agree that I don't think the horse looks very relaxed - how could he be with his head held up like that? But I did think his gaits looked fairly evenly four-beat except when the rider asked him to trot. You do understand that the legs pick up laterally in "tolt" right? It's not the pickup alone that distinguishes the gaits - it's the pick-up AND set-down timing that defines them. I even wondered it that horse might run walk if he were allowed the freedom to use his head as he felt necessary, but that's just a feeling I had. Before I'd judge that horse, I'd like to see him move with some freedom to use his body, and on dry footing. Karen Karen Thomas
