In this second part of our series on gaited horses, we explore the different so-called gaited breeds in South Africa and learn how they have adapted to the particular demands made on them.

The American Saddler has captured the imagination and passion of many supporters of gaited horses with their unique and highly competitive style in which these horses are displayed. While certainly addressing the three basic requirements for the modern horse (looks, enjoyment and competition) in their own way, they have also basically personified the gaited horse as far as the general public is concerned.

In South Africa there are four registered breeds that compete among themselves in the five-gaited discipline: The American -Saddle Horse, SA Boerperd, Cape Boerperd and Nooit-gedachter. The Cape Boerperd very much adopted the riding and showing style of the American Saddler and shows under the same rules and regulations.

Therefore the alternative for competitive gaited riding in South Africa, is the SA Boerperd and the Nooitgedachter. When -describing the differences between the breeds and types, I will not elaborate too much on the Saddle seat type riding and practises used to achieve the required movements in this discipline, -because this is not at all my area of expertise. I will simply stick to what I regard as differences determined by nature and logic, and then go into what makes the SA Boerperd different.

Because the equestrian audience is a highly critical one, I would like to state that the -following represents my view of what the -correct gaited SA Boerperd should be. -Chances are that you would have come across gaited SA Boerperds representing something different than what I am about to describe.

The first and most obvious difference is the conformation of the horses. Flowing from this, the application and riding frame then also -differs considerably.

Conformation
American Saddlers have been carefully -selected over decades, to produce a horse -capable of achieving the requirements and style -demanded by their standards in the showring. They have successfully done this and it has resulted in a unique horse, capable of achieving what is demanded of him with great glory in that unique sphere.

Selection in the SA Boerperd, in contrast, is aimed at breeding a work horse. Its core -virtues include the ability to survive under tough conditions, having an accommodating temperament and carrying its rider in gait for days without mental or physical objection.

The SA Boerperd is a short and sturdy breed with a masculine top line. Apart from the weight-carrying advantages this brings, it also helps the horse to manoeuvre through difficult and uneven terrain.

The centre of balance of this conformation type is also somewhat different to the -longer, more slender animals, resulting in different muscle groups forming core functionality when the horse is in movement. Looking at the different types, they are clearly selected for -different applications.

Note the clear differences in conformational type seen in photographs 1 and 2. Surely the one cannot be expected to compete with the other in his area of speciality. These two animals are built for different applications and have been so selected, that both will excel when properly schooled to perform within the spectrum of his design.

Riding
When riding, the American Saddler goes into a hollow type frame, while the SA Boerperd rides flat or preferably round. The conformation of the Saddler allows it to function in this frame. Due to the its long slender conformation, the Saddler it is able to maintain the required high head carriage with the hindquarters working in under the horse almost independently.

For the shorter Boerperd, the moment his frame goes into a hollow position the hind quarters will stay behind and the horse will loose rhythm and cadence. In other words, the SA Boerperd must be in a round or flat frame to enable hind quarter engagement which is not necessarily the case with Saddlebreds.

Also, the term hindquarter engagement -differs in meaning between the two breeds: For Saddle Horses tracking (or over-tracking), as well as the elevation of the hind feet in comparison to the front, determines if the hind quarters are engaged or not. In the case of the Boerperd, the hindquarters are considered to be engaged when the horse is using his back to carry his shoulder, while driving actively from behind.

SA Boerperds under saddle
The flat/round frame is mainly attributable to the fact that aimed selection of a SA -Boerperd should require them to maintain gaits in the veld, over rough terrain up- and downhill, through long grass and gorges, without -interruption. Flat or sitting frames contribute to the sustainability of the gait for the horse and -results in comfort for the rider. Hence the shorter sturdier horse is favoured in the -Boerperd arena.

The model is simple: The engine sits (or is supposed to) at the back of the horse. The horse needs to round his back or go flat (lateral gaits) to get the engine propelling the vehicle forward at the greatest possible speed.

As can be seen (photograph 4), Saddler selection focuses more on longer slender animals in order for them to perform the desired gaits in the showring. The well-sloped loose shoulder at the front end of the horse, allows for great shoulder blade movement without ribcage interference, resulting in the high front knee action. The high, long and slender neck-setting allows for the high head carriage and almost has the entire shoulder area of the horse working independently from the back and hindquarters.

Tactics and methods
In many a conversation the burning question of manufactured knee action in gaited breeds, comes to a heated debate. The reason for this may be one of two:
1. The American Saddler can almost be described as the owner of the five-gaited trademark and they place heavy emphasis on knee action and elevation of the front legs while under saddle.
2. Generally a higher front knee action develops when developing lateral gaits because of looser shoulder movement and muscle development.

So, in the case of (1), the Saddler's elevated knee action is enhanced with the help of tools and gadgets, and with considerable success. This has the effect that the public regards any gaited horse with a high knee action as -being the result of tools and gadgets. However, specifically in breeds where the showring is not the ultimate goal, the higher knee action is secondary to many other virtues required of these horses.

A very closely related factor to knee action in gaited breeds, is the amount of collection applied while under saddle. The gait should never change (sequence of footfalls), although the appearance of the gait will change as a result of the amount of collection while ridden. Take for example the pictures in the previous SA Horseman of the Icelandic pony in gait. Note the knee action of the horse as well as the frame when ridden.

For this breed, the correct footfall and -purity of the gait represents the paramount goal. -Irrespective of schooling only for this, an -elevated front knee action develops in the ponies, as their ability to carry a rider in these gaits improves. This does occur in some more than others as a result of shoulder conformation and muscle placement.

The comfort factor
In the case of the Boerperd, comfort for horse and rider should be the overriding factor in judging the correctness of these gaits. In my experience, the correct gait is smooth and comfortable. The moment you lose the gliding feeling, something is wrong!

The moment the horse appears to be straining while performing the gait, something is also not right. Note that the appearance of sweat and/or visible effort, especially in the show ring, is not necessarily an indicator of strain. Performance of these movements in -absolute collection, requires effort from a horse similar to that required by passage and piaffe and even extended trot. To compare, I have rarely seen an impressive high level dressage performance completed, with a bone dry horse leaving the arena.

Simply put, in any discipline, collection requires effort from the horse. The higher the level of schooling, the easier the horse collects. The better the horse collects, the more advanced movements the rider/trainer can ask of him. So, effort is always there and the ability to cope with this distinguishes between good and great horses, but that is a discussion for another time.

Do not harm the athlete
The point is that commitment and effort up to a point of exhaustion is good, as long as this is not pushed to the point where it is painful or harmful to the athlete. In our case the athlete is the horse. This demands of us to be very (yet not overly) sensitive towards pushing our athlete to the maximum of his ability without injuring or harming him.

The ideal Boerperd knee action should be the result of the horse driving with the hind legs and the shoulder being lifted through the back. This applies to three- and five-gaited horses. In gaits, as in any riding in a flat or round frame, throwing up of the head and falling behind of the hind legs (hollow frame) are clear indicators that the horse is experiencing discomfort in his back area. Horses battling with the rider’s hands usually indicate underdeveloped hind quarter strength.

In the case of the Boerperde the intention is that all gaits including lateral gaits remain riding gaits and obviously then also natural gaits for every day application.