Spotted Saddle Horse Breed Information
The Spotted Saddle horse is the result of crossbreeding Spanish-American ponies with different gaited horse breeds, predominately the Tennessee Walking Horse. These horses are colorful, good natured and comfortable to ride. Most of this breed falls in to a height range of 13.3 to 16 hands high, each hand equals four inches, and between 900 and 1100 pounds. Well-conditioned horses are able to maintain their gaits for extended periods of time, great for covering long distance in comfort.
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Conformation
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Besides the natural tendency bred into the Spotted Saddle horse to travel in different gaits, his conformation is also significant. The neck angle of gaited horses is higher than that of a non-gaited horse. Gaited horses also have a steeper shoulder angle in the front and display a slight cow hocked (the hocks point together and the feet point outward) in the rear. This conformation helps the horse to drive his motions from the hind end.
Gaits
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A gaited horse is able to perform many different gaits including the well-known walk, trot and canter used by all horses. The Spotted Saddle horse is able to do all of these gaits, but often trotting is forbidden when showing, in addition to the gaits specific to gaited breeds. Many of the common saddle gaits, the running walk, fox trot and rack, are four-beat gaits that give the rider a smooth and comfortable ride. Rather than sitting absolutely erect, the rider leans back slightly, about 1/4 of an inch, with her heels forward from center the same amount. This position keeps weight off the shoulders so the horse can maintain her gait.
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Marking
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The Spotted Saddle horse is very flashy and has some marking requirements in order to be registered. The horse must show some color, not white, from behind her head and above her hocks. This means that her legs and face can be entirely white, or have markings, but there must be a color pattern between these two areas. There are many color patterns available. One is the tobiano pattern of large ovals or circles of color on her sides, neck and chest. Another pattern is the overo with blocks of color everywhere and often dark legs and large white markings on the face.
Uses
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The Spotted Saddle horse is very versatile and is seen in many disciplines in and out of the show ring. Owners are not limited because their horses are gaited. These well-tempered horses are as adept at being carriage horses as they are at being ridden. Owners can choose from English and Western styles of riding including jumping, dressage, reining and team penning. Many people experiencing limited mobility have found comfort and security when riding gaited horses.
Training
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Gaited horses, including the Spotted Saddle horse, often perform their gaits as foals. The training they do receive is to ensure that the horse is able to perform the correct gaits when the rider or driver requires him to. There is controversy about the effectiveness of some training aids like weighted shoes or trimming the hoof into unnatural angles. All aides, if used incorrectly, have the potential to injure the horse or cause behavioral problems. Many gaited horse advocates are strongly opposed to these aids.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit walking horse image by Clarence Alford from Fotolia.com
