>>>> Oh yeah--when riding I can FEEL the difference. Show me photos, though, and I may not be able to figure it out as quick.
Ok, that's great then. To me, it's MUCH more important - and usually more accurate - to be able to feel the difference. It's good to still have someone occasionally tape you or take a series of still pictures of what you are feeling to make sure you aren't way off base. You don't have to learn all the subtle nuances of gait at first, maybe not ever. Just remember my accident: I was so banged up and stiff for a couple of years that I simply wasn't loose enough to feel the gaits - sometimes, believe it or not, I couldn't feel the difference between pace and trot. I'd been able to feel the difference in years past, but during that period I needed to depend on pics and video while I trained Sina. Thank goodness the stiffness eventually got better, and the nerve damage virtually went away. But Sina was my main inspiration to exercise and get better during that rehab period, so I would have hated to be training her to pace, just enjoying the ride. She is smooth in everything she does, even her step pace, but she was mostly step-pacing because 1) I was stiff, and 2) her saddles were too tight! Thank goodness I could get feedback from my two friends who can see gaits well, and they and Cary would also take pictures sometimes. Karen Thomas, NC
