My riding teacher says they can’t canter and they have a funny gait; what is she talking about?
Standardbreds are born to trot or pace. The trot is a diagonal two beat gait and the pace is a lateral two beat gait. When trotting a horse, English riders will post (rise) to this beat and cover great distances efficiently. It is also a very popular gait when driving a horse for pleasure. The pace is wonderful once the Standardbred learns to slow it down to jogging speed. It offers a swaying motion which can be more comfortable for riders with arthritis or back trouble. When riding the pace, it’s most comfortable to sit fully seated in your saddle and let your hips and lower back relax and sway with the motion. Some Standardbreds will even offer a single foot gait (similar to PasoFino horses) and this is pure pleasure to ride! Since 1990, we have retrained over 100 horses and only three were free-legged pacers (able to race without hobbles to remind them and, therefore, naturally dedicated to the pace). Many unraceable Standardbreds can walk, trot and canter freely in pastures; it’s a
