[carriekinz]

We have the opportunity to get a handsome Standardbred/Morgan gelding for my DH. Very quiet, very polite...perfect for an inexperienced rider with a few more miles under saddle. Apparently he does the typical Standardbred gait at the trot though...I'm not sure what it's called. Is there any chance we could train him (well, actually have a real trainer do it) to have a more comfortable trot? His walk and lope are very smooth and comfortable I've been told. (We boarded him last summer--gentle giant, and I found him safe to work around--but I didn't ride him because I had my own new horse at the time and DH didn't want a horse then.) Anyhow, I am going to bring him here to help eat the last of the summer grass and so I can get to know him a bit better, see how he handles etc. before we make an offer. I'd appreciate any info anyone could offer though.

Thanks!

[cowgurly02]

I'm sure you could teach him a normal trott easily, they do have that gait. But why? The Standardbred pace is MUCH smoother than a normal trott!!

[EquineJessie]

Maybe he's not a pacer but just has that huuuuge trot? I'd work him in the RP trying to get him to bring his trot down... I dunno

[VictoriasImage]

Theres a difference between those that trot and those that pace...I think they are separate races too.

Yea it is smoother.

But ours trotts normally now when asked. She was retrained like 15 years ago maybe.

[carriekinz]

Oh I must be confused! I was told that the Standardbred's trot was awful!! So the "pace" is smooth? And the trot is not? Maybe this horse does just have a bumpy trot? I will have to ask tonight...I should just take him for a ride and find out. What a concept

Thanks!!

[SilentSpring]

I've ridden a Standardbred (who trotted, not paced) and his trot was extremely bouncy But yes, I've heard the trot is horrible to sit to, but the pace is very smooth

[TheBlackHorse]

The hard pace is actually not that smooth (the stepping pace is a bit smoother). It throws you from side to side in the saddle. Pacing can have bad long-term effects on their back because they carry themselves very hollow at the pace. I would definately teach him to trot instead. Good Luck with him

[Christin_appy]

Both pacers and trotters (trot) But There are some that pace all the time. Each horse is different. If your trying to get one who paces to trot I've found at a walk ask for a trot with a little slack in your reins most pacers at free will will trot. If your trying to get a trot smoother you need to do some training to slow down the trot, Or learn to post

[pocahontas]

I have a Standardbred that is a trotter. I knew there was a different gate for the Standardbred that was a trotter vs. a pacer, but was not sure how.

I found this
The U.S. Trotting Association On-Line!

Gaits

Standardbred racing is contested on two gaits, the trot and the pace. Trotters move with a diagonal gait; the left front and right rear legs move in unison, as do the right front and left rear. It requires much skill by the trainer to get a trotter to move perfectly at high speeds, even though the trotting gait is a natural one in the animal world.

Pacers, on the other hand, move the legs on one side of their body in tandem: left front and rear, and right front and rear. This action shows why pacers are often called "side-wheelers." Pacers, which account for about 80 percent of the performers in harness racing and are the faster of the two gaits, are aided in maintaining their gait by plastic loops called hobbles, which keep their legs moving in synchronization. Pacers
Move in a lateral gait, which means they move both legs on the same side forward in unison (for example, its left front and left rear legs), and then follows suit with both legs on the other side (right front and rear legs). Trotters
Move in a diagonal gait. For example, their left front and right rear legs move forward simultaneously, and then the right front and left rear legs follow together.

The U.S. Trotting Association On-Line!

[pavilionpony]

I have a standardbred, we've been together for 22 years. (He is 33 this year, so I don't ride him anymore.) Good luck trying to teach him to trot if he is like my horse; his normal gait is the pace, like in the top picture posted already, where both legs on the same side move at the same time. In my opinion it is not comfortable at all; and you will need to learn to adjust to it so you and your horse can move in harmony, or you will both be sore . The best advice I can give you is to really let your hips do the moving with the horse. It doesn't mean by far that they are bad horses, just different to ride and definatley different than sitting the normal trot. Like pocahontas said though, there are trotters and pacers. My boy is a pacer. I spent years trying to get him to trot on even a lunge line; no luck. He just won't do it.