Sunday silly horse

Didn't get much done today.  Nor did I get to Church.  Still no gas money.  

Connie, I'm not sure what you mean by Gaited.  Socks doesn't Rack, if that is what you mean.  He would have to know where his feet are and Socks has no clue.  LOL, he's a lot like one of those cartoon horses who's legs get all tangled up.  Wish I could afford a good Dressage trainer as Hackneys have a talent for that discipline.  It would also help him to find where his feet are and get him a bit more sorted out.  All the same, he's my big affectionate clown and that goes a long way in my books.  All the same I do love to watch that boy move.  He's so pretty out in the back trotting around the property.

Hope everyone has a great week!

You rode him once and remarked that he had an odd, extra gait, that was very smooth.  A four beat gait can be very smooth, which is what made me think he has one.  I seem to remember a picture that showed what I was thinking of.  I do remember, however, riding a horse that had a very simple two beat trot...I always called it a square trot.  Extremely smooth and easy to sit.

I am just a Socks fan.

Ah, that photo is in my Picasa account and Google has locked it.  Why they bought the company only to lock out all the customers escapes my understanding.  So I am stuck with PhotoBucket and they have a tendency of so monopolizing the memory on my computer I lose everything typed in every other session.  Like just happened here.  To solve the problem, Photobucket wants money and are holding my pictures hostage to get it.  Gotta love it when the supposedly legit companies on the net start behaving like the crooks.

That was three or four years ago and as I remember (my memory is a dangerous gamble) Socks kept going into some kind of gait that felt like single-foot or possibly a Rack.  Anyway, here is the picture I think you might be remembering:

He didn't do this for more than a hundred feet or so, but it was very smooth and I couldn't have posted if I wanted to because there was no movement to do so.  No idea how to queue him for this.  Not in my training tool Bag, as it were.  Socks trot, when he's moving closer to collection is a nice square two-beat trot.  However it is also a very powerful trot because of how high his action is.  Really throws you up for the posting.  Don't know that I could sit it.  This is his normal gait on the high end of the cycle:

Hackneys move like their feet are on a wheel.  He will reach out just as far as he does up.   The Dressage people go nutz when they see him. 

Then of course Paula taught him how to smile for the camera:

He learned that silly trick in just a day or so.  all you have to do is hold up a camera and tell him to smile, and he does!  So if he's that smart I'm sure Socks could be taught to either single-foot or Rack.  Silly boy.  Love him to pieces and wish I had the resources to bring out his full potential.  All the same I'm very happy with him as just a friend and companion.

He certainly looks like he is gaiting.  If you like it, the best way to get him to do it is pick a quiet straight away and start him and with your hands and seat try to get him in it and then  just gently push with your seat and gently hold with your hands.  Some horses understand right away and some don't.  Since he can do it, he just needs to learn that that gait is what you want.  Best place to go is down a dirt road or trail so you are going in a relatively straight line.  I realize I am not being clear.  It is something I learned over time by riding horses that can do it.  For me, it is intuitive.