The five gaits in the South African five-gaited sphere are walk, trot, canter, slow gait and rack. For breeders of gaited non-saddlers, the main objective should always be comfort and functionality. This is because we strive to preserve the expedient qualities of the horses as opposed to production focused on showing/sport.
This goes further than gaits and movement and should take account of other characteristics such as temperament, hardiness, hoof quality, digestive system and general maintenance cost. The objective is to preserve and improve the ability of these horses to apply lateral gaits in continuous everyday application for practical or recreational purposes.
Practical: Very useful mounts for farm work, long distance riding, patrolling and other tasks where horses need to perform a function which requires long hours under the saddle.
Recreational: Gaited horses are very good for outrides and hacking, because of the comfort they provide the rider. For the competitive of spirit, there are numerous shows where five-gaited horses compete.
When evaluating a non-saddler five-gaited horse, the following should serve as core indicators of the horse's type, ability and level of schooling. (Note that concerning the first three gaits, evaluation criteria is very similar to that which would make a good dressage horse.)
Walk – first and foremost
The walk is a four-beat diagonal and very important gait. Should the horse spend day in and day out under saddle, the walk would be the most frequently used gait and must therefore be comfortable to the rider, cover ground quickly and must be effortless for the horse.
The walk of a five-gaited SA Boerperd should always be a flat-foot walk with an even and purposeful four-time beat. The walk should be rhythmic, energetic and well-forward with the horse always tracking or over-tracking (the print of the hind hoof stepping into or preferably well over the print left by the fore of the same side).
We are looking for a balanced, long-strided walk where it is obvious that the horse is using a supple back. The muscles in the neck should not show tension. Worth mentioning is that the strides must be pure diagonal with a relaxed back, working forward into the rider's hands (a concave frame never produces a quality, forward going walk). Even when ridden in collection, the movement should not lean towards becoming lateral.
When hacking, the walk occurs on a loose rein in a lower frame and should be very comfortable. In the showring (or whenever the objective is to impress) more collection is applied and the frame goes higher and rounder without compromising the comfort and purity of the gait. Collection should not result in the horse stiffening his back and shortening his steps, taking on a degree of pacing.
The rhythm of the trot
The trot is a definite two-beat diagonal gait. A trot should always be rhythmic and forward. Long strides are desired with the horse always over-tracking, showing active hindquarter engagement and using his back in a supple and athletic way to create the movement. Important is that strides are rhythmic and that there is a clear moment of suspension.
In young horses, when trotting freely, the one who rounds his frame naturally and shows an indication of being able to carry his shoulder in good rhythm, usually is the one with potential. When hacking, the trot will be on a natural contact with the hands and will not differ to the trot of a non-gaiter.
In the showring, more collection is applied and the horse is required to work in an uphill frame using his back to carry his shoulders, which would subsequently be free to carry and extend the front legs forward. Contact with the hands should not be forced and the horse should not lose rhythm.
Also, there should not be signs of tension in the neck area. Quality of the stride, length and knee action will improve with schooling and will develop simultaneously with the development of hindquarter strength and balance.
Clarity of the canter
The canter is a clear three-beat lateral gait. In the canter, the hindquarters must be well-engaged and again, you are looking for a clear moment of suspension.
A canter should never be loose and the horse should always work actively forward, while accepting a light contact. Again the level of schooling will have an influence on the appearance of the horse's frame, but the pure three-time beat must never be compromised, even in a young horse that would likely, due to a lack of balance, require a flatter frame with a quicker rhythm.
The description of the three gaits mentioned above do not, and should not, differ much from that which would be required or expected from a good dressage horse.
Moving on to the additional two gears, is where differences start to become obvious. However, applicable to the non-saddler, is that the additional two gaits are applied in the same spirit of rhythmic suppleness and willing unforced forward movement required in the preceding three.
The slow gait
The movement of legs and sequence of footfalls for the slow gait, was described in the first section of this series. The slow gait is entered into from the walk. A correctly executed slow gait is a fairly advanced movement and requires a considerable amount of collection.
In modern day terms, and again in my opinion, a true slow gait is confined to use in the showring. Traditionally the gait was used occasionally when entering town on horseback or as soon as a young man entered in sight of the farmstead he is approaching for courting purposes. A true and correctly executed slow gait performed by a talented horse, is very impressive for spectators and thrilling for the rider.
In a properly executed slow gait, the horse collects and rounds his frame or works uphill with a straight back. The tempo of the gait is slow and the horse should lower his haunches to appear in an uphill frame. Care should be taken for the horse not to go hollow. Hindquarters should stay well engaged, ensuring that the drive is from behind.
The front knee action is usually elevated because of the uphill frame and collection, yet the stride length is short to medium due to front feet coming straight down/slightly forward from the highest point of elevation. The gait is lateral, yet should never be a pace (footfalls of the same side striking the ground at the same time) and should maintain a rhythmic 1-2 – 3-4 beat.
A slow gait can be compared to a lateral passage. There is, however, no obvious point of suspension because the gait is lateral and has single footfalls. Caution should be taken not to mistake the slow gait with a horse racking slowly in collection. There is a difference in the sequence of footfalls between the slow gait and rack. Speed or tempo of gait is not the differentiating factor.
Excitement of the rack
As with the slow gait, the movement of legs and sequence of footfalls for this gait was described in the first section of this series. A true rack is fast, smooth, exhilarating and would give any rider experiencing it (or just thinking of it) goosebumps.
The rack is the most commonly used lateral gait for practical applications. This is because of its speed for covering ground, the comfort it provides the rider and the little effort required of the horse in the gait (especially when ridden on loose rein in flat frame).
A rack is ridden into from the walk or slow gait. On a loose rein, the frame of the horse will be flat with the profile of the head going in front of the vertical line. In a true rack the ride is always smooth, maintaining a clear and uninterrupted rhythmic 1-2-3-4 beat. On a loose rein horses can maintain a rack at medium speed for very long distances.
In the showring the rack is always entered into from the slow gait. Because of collection, the frame should appear flat or (preferably) slightly uphill with the horse going forward on the bit or slightly above the vertical. The horse should ride forward into a light contact on the rider's hands. The gait should be even and the rhythm consistent. In a rack the strides are required to be long, covering as much ground as possible. The knee action of the front legs usually becomes elevated, because of the great shoulder blade movement resulting from the uphill and collected frame.
Again, note that although the appearance will differ between the collected racking showhorse and the flat horse racking while hacking out, the rhythm and sequence of the gait must remain the same. Collection should not result in impurity of gait.
Traditionally, the rack was ridden at different speeds for various purposes: From checking plantations to being the most comfortable form of transportation. Historical records prove popularity of good racking horses in South Africa as military mounts, because of the speed and comfort for both horse and rider.
In modern day application, the rack is still regularly used for farm work and other tasks associated with a day in the saddle. In certain societies the racking horse is still a prized form of transportation. Racking also has growing popularity for hacking and pleasure rides.
Speed of rhythm
Tempo can be described as the speed of the rhythm. It is important to develop each of the five gaits in line with the horse's natural rhythm. As balance and hindquarter strength develop, so will the rhythm and hence the tempo that can be applied. Adding speed to underdeveloped or genetically poor rhythm, will always have detrimental results. You may end up with only speed and no tempo.
To summarise
Irrespective of the gait the horse is in, purity of that gait is always of utmost importance. The great five-gaiter will have excellent and pure diagonal gaits. Obviously the level of schooling and the aptitude of the rider will play a role here, which would be applicable to any horse in any equine discipline.
