>>>>> Let me ask: does the TWH, whose signature gait is the running walk, >>>>> also compete and get ribbons/fame for other gaits? <
>> no. Well, I wouldn't say no... Even the official TWH breed shows have trail classes, western games, etc. where horses get pinned for jumping, cantering and galloping, so gait isn't always the focus. But beyond the "breed shows" which I generally have avoided, there are lots of little open shows, where there are generic "gaited horse" classes. Sure, the judge du jour may be a QH judge or an Arab judge or a hunter judge, so they may not know all the gaits so well. BUT, to me, that's interesting to watch too. Sometimes a QH judge may penalize a particularly "goey" (read: out of control) gaited horse that a "breed judge" might pin, but the fresh perspective is always worth considering. I knew one judge who was more of a hunter type judge and I really liked the way she pinned a gaited horse class. The horses who broke gait didn't do as well as the ones who maintained gait. The horses who got a wrong lead got penalized, compared to the horses who got their leads. The unruly or "rushy" horses didn't do so well. In the end, I liked the way she placed the horses - she put a value on the traits that I'd consider just simple, good horsemanship. Karen Thomas, NC
