>>>I don't know what tölt means in Iceland, but here in Finland (where the only breed of gaited horses is icelandics) all the soft gaits really are called tölt, but that doesn't mean they are all considered good tölt. The only acceptable tölt is clear four-beat, any variations to pacy or trotty side are considered faulty. But I haven't seen/heard anyone here differentiate between what I think is called rack/saddle rack and say the other is correct tölt and the other is not. Haven't really thought is before but I think many horses are doing "saddle rack" when moving slower and "rack" when moving faster?<<<
Hi Krisse, Rack is a fast 1 foot / 2 foot support gait. Saddle rack is a 2 foot / 3 foot support gait. We know that Tolt is a rack (1 foot / 2 foot support); that's obvious; that's what they show and judge in their evaluations for tolt, tolt competitions, icetolt, etc. What we don't know is what they call the 2 foot / 3 foot support gait of saddle rack which the Icelandic Horse also does. Is that how they define "slow tolt"? or does slow tolt also mean a 1 foot / 2 foot support gait that is slower than tolt / rack? >>>>all the soft gaits really are called tölt, The only acceptable tölt is clear four-beat, any variations to pacy or trotty side<<< It's kind of a flawed system as it does not leave room for any other easy gaits between trot and pace! For example, running walk is in the center of the gait spectrum. How is that named? Judy http://icehorses.net http://clickryder.com
