>>> Oh - someone in Twist's past spent some nice ring time with him and one of >>> the things he does nicely is a half pass - maybe that's what they were doing.
The first thing that Lee Ziegler would recommend for pace was the neck-stretching exercises, encouraging the horse to go 'long-and-low' for periods, then gradually asking him to bring his head up to a more normal position - NOT to a high position, just normal for his conformation. And of course, ANY horse (whatever the gaitedness) will benefit from exercises that work on his overall flexibility...but only if they are done correctly of course. And, since some horses pace when tense, anything you can do to relax the horse is bound to be a big help. I can't count the times I read Lee preach, 'walk, walk, walk!' at least for the beginning sessions. I personally think that's why so many gaited horses get called "hard pacers" - the owners or trainers push for "gait, gait, gait" before the horses are conditioned, or while they are in some sort of pain. I know that some horses will be pacey no matter what, but even a so-so step-pace can be a huge improvement over the hard pace, as I'm sure you already know... :) Karen Thomas, NC
