Fox Trotting

I began working with Duke our new Missouri fox trotter today. Fox trotters are a "gaited" horse which is a fancy way of saying they trot funny. Instead of a two-beat trot they have a four-beat trot. This results in a smoother ride when trotting, a highly desirable trait in a horse that is ridden for long distances. This horse is the easiest riding horse I've ever encountered--not because of his gait but rather his disposition. You could put a child on him. You can ride this horse without any fear that he will do something dangerous. His gait...well, it's odd. Instead of the up and down motion of a regular horse, Duke has a side to side motion. It is very comfortable to sit but a very different feel and takes some getting used to. I don't know much about gaited horses so this is going to be a real learning experience. Right now we are just working on ground manners, basic cues, and conditioning. He's a fairly smart horse and learns new concepts quickly and easily. He desires to please and wants to cooperate. Not at all like my Wonder Horse who understands exactly what you want but is going to make you work for it each and every time. A cavalryman would want to have both these horses in his stable. Duke is the kind of horse you'd ride to the battle. Apache is the kind of horse you'd ride in the battle.