Gaited horses offer comfortable riding opportunities
Peruvian Pasos have a 4-beat gait.
Riding gaited horses is becoming more and more popular in the United States.
I have ridden now for over 70 years and have been in the business of offering
guests recreational rides for half that time. I can see that these smooth gaited
animals have a considerable advantage over breeds with rougher gaits for many
purposes. One of them is certainly covering the miles with less effort and
stress for the rider. No doubt it is also easier for the novice to learn to ride
them. Most people these days do not have life styles which give them the same
amount of exercise most of our ancestors had 100 years ago. If riding is one of
their hobbies and they have a full time job, they will be lucky to practice
their sport more than a few hours a week and it is not easy for some of them to
handle an extended fast trot or to cover over a hundred miles on a week’s riding
tour.
Many of the riders who come to our own Bitterroot Ranch in Wyoming have
trouble learning to post the trot and to keep most of their weight in the
stirrups without pounding in the saddle while cantering. The result is that
riders usually get tired muscles and sometimes sores on their legs from the
unaccustomed activity. It also makes it tough on the horses when the riders are
not smooth in the saddle and it can sore their backs. It is difficult to ride
with a mixed group of gaited and non-gaited horses, as they do not move
comfortably at the same speed.
Through Equitours, we now arrange three rides around the world on gaited
horses. We have a ride in
Vermont on Icelandic Horses which many have enjoyed over the years. One of
the most popular tours we offer is
horseback riding in Iceland where these wonderful little horses originated.
The landscape is spectacular with glaciers, rushing rivers and snowcapped
mountains. A whole herd of horses accompanies you on the tour so that frequent
changes of mounts are possible. The most exotic of all our rides on gaited
horses is in Peru, home of the Peruvian Paso. These superb horses literally seem
to have wings and carry you in style through the fabulous Sacred Valley of the
Incas.
Horseback riding in Peru is an experience you will look back on with
pleasure for years, especially if you are a fan of these magnificent gaited
horses.
History of the Gaited Horse
The Icelandic horse came from Europe over a thousand years ago and has not
been mixed with new blood since that time. These little horses are very powerful
and can carry big men long distances with their smooth glide. Often one rider
would take three or four horses with him so that when one tired he could change
mounts and arrive more quickly. They provided the only good way for Icelanders
to travel over this rugged country for a millennium until the introduction of
automobiles there a hundred years ago. Even though horses are no longer a
necessary part of life there, they are still much loved and riding is a favorite
sport.
Apparently before the 1600s most of the horses used for riding in Europe were
gaited. They provided the best and most comfortable way to travel long distances
quickly. As carriages became more common and racing came into vogue, the gaited
horse began to lose much of its popularity. Now it is being rediscovered and I
suspect the popularity of these winged horses will only increase.
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