How Does Dressage And Half Halts Improve The Gaited Horse?
My husband says the difference between a trotting horse and the gaited horse, is the difference between a stick shift and the automatic transmission automobile. The trotting horse has shorter muscle groups which contract stronger and quicker than the lengthen muscle groups of the gaited horse, which take a little time to reach the same impulsion of a trotting horse. You can burn rubber from a standstill with a stick shift, but an automatic does not have that burst of power. Not to say one is better than the other, they’re different with pros and cons for each. What Dressage and Half Halts do for the gaited horse is this; it squares up the pacey horse and lengthens the square walking horse. But what most trainers and riders miss in applying these techniques to the gaited horse is at what point in the horse’s training they are applied. What I mean by this is; if you read this article today and get excited about applying this to your horse the next time you plan on riding him, well, the c
