I am looking at buying my first gaited horse.  I have been riding quarter horses for about 17 years.  I am looking at a young unstarted Missouri Fox Trotter.  I have never rode a gaited horse and some gaited horse people have told me I should buy a trained horse already set in his/her gaits.  She also told me that it did not make a lot of sense to buy a gaited horse if I ride with quarter horses because I would never get to gait. 

Gaited horse people could you give me your opinion?

You will love riding your gaited horse.   I was once a sworn quarter horse rider, thought that was the only horse for me, till I rode a gaited horse.   I loved it!  I was the first one to get a gaited horse, Mo. Foxtrotter,  he settled down would walk with the rest of the group, when we picked up the pace we would just get right into our little gait it was great.   I found out that you didn't near as tired, legs, butt and back, after an 8 hour ride, you still could walk.   Now everyone in our group has transitioned over to gaited critters, both mules and horses.  Some of us has had back surgery and we're able to ride as long as we want.  Go with your heart on your choice,   these horses can climb a steep hill, go through brush, climb rocks as well as any other breed.   Quarter horses are still great, don't get me wrong, but a nice foxtrotter or walker is really nice to ride also.  Best of luck in your selection.

I agree with what your friends have told you.    Do NOT buy an untrained gaited horse if you are untrained in riding gaited horses. I think of it as you learn to ride a bicycle - but that does not mean you can automatically learn to ride a motorcycle... : ) there's more buttons and levers.

Buy a well-seasoned gaited horse that needs little, if any support, in getting its gaits.

Some gaited horses are pacey/ some are trotty. All horses have to learn to carry weight and move correctly. Find a breeder and/or gaited horse trainer and have them help you find the right horse.

I have a super smooth QH and have bought 2 gaited horses... and my good friend trains gaited. I'm still having trouble. LOL...  My QH trots when I ride with gaited horses and his trot is SUPER smooth and easy. He does NOT speed up his walk.  I bought gaited so that I could "keep up" with my friends who are nearly all riding gaited horses.

MFTs go differently than TWHs and Rockies or Kentucky pleasure horses. "Chunk of meat, two potatoes" is their rythym. 

Congratulations!  You will love your gaited horse, no matter what type you get.. I agree with the above postings on buying an already trained gaited horse.. As said above all gaited horses have variations in their gait, even within the same breed. You don't want to have to teach a horse to "settle" in his gait when you are just learning yourself.. If you have fallen in love with the untrained young horse, buy him if you can for later. Get a seasoned horse for now to learn for yourself what is "right".  I am on my 4th gaited horse and all have (had) different feeling gaits, but all are smooth.. Again, as said, you may need to ride with a little collection to help "set" the horse.  Do not fall into the belief that all gaited horses must have a walking horse bit with shanks.. All of mine are (were) ridden in snaffles and gait just fine. you may need a wider-treed saddle, but this is not necessarily so.. My littlest mare takes the widest tree. Most rockies and MFT, have wider shoulders and lower withers.. My rocky mare could nearly be classified as mutton-withered. My new TWH mare still takes a med tree, but she was pretty well emaciated when I got her and isn't back up to a good weight/muscle mass yet.. It is said that most gaiteds need a little extra shoulder clearance to be able to gait well. There are "gaited horse saddles" that have a flared front for ease of shoulder movement...I don't know that I'd spend the money on one, I have regular saddles except wide as I said before.  While you are in the looking process, try to ride as many as you can so that you can start to feel what is right or detect the differences in different horse's gaits.. You will better be able to make a decision on your own when you find the right one.

Have fun looking and good luck!

I have raised several foxtrotters and I'm in process of training them. It's been a challenge for somebody that has riden Arabs and Paints for years.

Like all young horses, they stil spook and step on you and do other dumb things that young horse do.  So that part is no different than other breeds.  I ride with people on all breeds of horses.  And my young foxtrotters  have a tendency to break gait in order to keep up with the other breeds. It would be a WHOLE lot easier to teach them to hold their gait if the others I rode with had similar speeds and gaits. So if you are riding with non-gaited horses, you will probably be happier with a horse that is set in it's gait.

But if you are a good trainer, you can learn to recognize the gaits and can help your young horse to develop his gait.

My husband is (sort of) thinking about getting a horse.  he is very good on the ground w/ them but mine, being Arabians,  are not the most forgiving for a beginner to ride.  

As long as the rain holds out this aft. we're gonna ride with some friends and he'll try their MFT.   I want this to be a good experience and hopefully he'll like it and we can do it again.  

My friend Kathy always says "come to the dark side" and ride gaited.  She used to have an arabian but now they have MFTs and Icelantics, and swears she'll never go back.   I agree they are much more comfortable and overall more level headed than the silly A-rabs but at this point can't ever see myself swiching.  Going gaited may be the best thing for my husband though.

Well I just bought my first gaited horse! We have QH and Paints but I wanted something with a smoother ride. He is 4 yrs old, VERY skinny and very green! I paid 130.00 for him and know it will take a lot of time and feed to get him up to snuff but I think(hope) he will be worth it. I,m not sure about how to train him to his gaits but am going to try once he gets some weight on and I get rid of the warts on his nose. Hubby is very upset with me and says i should have gotten one already trained but he was so pathetic and he is so sweet. I have ridden him once and he got in the gait but because he is in such bad shape I didnt want to push him. Any helpful ideas about the training and warts would be great.

Yesterday when I started driving him ( lounge lines hooked to the bit then ran up thur the saddle and down thru the stirups I had him in a tom thumb snaffle and he got in what I would describe as a gait. Head bobbing, hips down, front legs seem to be extending out fully he was very responsive to the bit except to stop with. He gives easily (turns) to each side,and backs up well, he just doesnt stop very quickly. Is this normal or is this why I need a different bit? I lounge and work him at least 2 hrs a day( frigging weather permiting) and he is very quick and willing to learn but I dont want to blow his mind either. Needless to say I am very proud of the progress  we have made in 2 weeks time and have decided to keep him and sell my 9 year old paint mare. I want to do what is best for us both so that is why I want to get the correct bit for him. May God Bless all those who are responding with help here! I thought I knew how to train horses but whew this seems completly different.

mmry - on the warts - leave them alone, they will go away.  OR - you can take a pair of plyers (really) and just "smoosh" a couple.  This will stimulate the horses immune system to start making antibodies to get rid of the warts.  Many young horses get them.  BTW - they ARE contagious, but if you have older, mature horses they most likely will not contract them.

On gaiting horses - if it's your first, get one already trained, and do not be cheap.  Spend the money for a smooth, consistently gaited one.  The cheaper ones may be a pretty color, or may have everything else going for them, BUT - if you want smooth, consistent gait, then you should be prepared to pay and right now there are bargains out there.  $3000 will get you a perfect, pretty, well gaited horse, right now. Ride many of them and many different breeds.  While you are at it, buy two.  Your hubby/wife or best friend will want to ride with you and they will always want the smooth horse, so get a pair and have done with it.

mmry - It sounds like you got a nice colt and will be fine with him.  If your husband's horse single-foots then you will be compatable enough riding along together.  Does your colt gait in the pasture/paddock?  Some do, some don't.  I always like to see them gait in the pasture.  All my babies gait at birth.  I just had a new one born March 8 and I have never seen her trot - ever.  Her full brother, 3 years older, also never takes a step of trot.  He will be started undersaddle some later this year.  They are a product of a really good TWH racking mare and and an Icelandic stud who is a natural tolter (read racker).  I call them IceWalkers and they are my personal favorite for trail riding. 

My advise for Nikki - who has not bought a gaited horse as yet, still stands.  Get one trained.

There are many gaited QH out there.  You husband's horse was programmed genetically as hound-dog said.

Hound-dog - Yes, the Standardbred's and TWH (in my experience) generally always trot in pasture.  My Icelandics and Icelandic crosses generally gait in pasture.  My (gaited) Morgan trots in pasture, but my Paso finos and any Peurvian Pasos I've owned or bred always gaited in pasture - seldom saw a trot.  Have trained a couple Mountain horses recently and they trotted in pasture, but gaited well undersaddle.  I guess what I am saying, if someone is looking to buy a gaited horse and never owned one or been around them before, I would tell them to look for gait in the pasture if buying a youngster because otherwise you just may get one that does not gait, or have the ability to bring out the gait when time comes to train.  On the other hand, if you are buying a trained/finished horse, it would not matter what it did in pasture, as long as it gaited undersaddle well.  Just one woman's opinion.

Hound dog.  I am glad you survived the poison.  I know all too well the effects of chemo.  I am going on 7 years since I had surgery and then chemo and it was one of the toughest things I ever had to do.  I would have rather ridden the rankest horse ever owned than sit in that "green chair". 

I am glad you are feeling good, brother.

Hehe...... your right, can't a feller make someone feel good about themselves thou?????

Noop, haven't ridden July. I have a knee issues again!!!!! I had ACL surgery on the left one in 1993, well, the right one is toast. Popping out, can't fully extend, I fallen and I can't get up type deal. Swelling went down about 2 weaks ago, still not getting any better. Gotta get it cut on soon. Not very happy about all of this. When you turn 40 does that mean it is time to fall apart physically????