The horse moves both feet on the same side at the same time. Both legs on the left side will move lateral and touch down, then both legs on the right side will move lateral and touch down. This causes a side to side swaying motion which is not a smooth gait as the horse shifts his weight from side to side.

You will also notice that a horse that paces will also have his head high and his back will hollow out which causes his back legs to trail along behind and he will not be putting his legs under himself as is necessary in a true run walk. The horse is said to be "strung out" with a low head and neck, slack neck and back muscles, and little push from the back end.

WHY DO THEY PACE

A common MYTH is that the pace is partly hereditary. There is no gene that produces the pace in a horse and no one really knows why a horse chooses this gait. There is also no TROT gene to breed a pacey mare to.

There are a few factors that do contribute to whether or not a horse will pace.

1. Conformation: A horse that has trouble rounding out his back due to bone structure will likely pace. Pacers will most likely have long backs.

2. A horse with no muscle tone in his back can produce a pace.

3. A horse that is not conditioned and not used to carrying the weight of a rider will sag under the weight, giving him a hollowed out back and making it very hard for him to use his hind end to push off rather than to have his legs trail behind.

4. A "high strung" horse with a very high head carriage will also have a hollowed out back producing the same effect. The high head carriage and hollow back restricts the use of the back legs.

5. An unconditioned horse with sore muscles will often produce a pace which will disappear with conditioning.

The answer to the pacing problem seems to be to choose a horse with correct conformation, start him slowly to get accustomed to the weight of a rider on his back. Do not ride him hard one day, leave him penned up without exercise for a day or so then ride him again as he will be sore from the first days hard ride and will likely pace. Develop the horses muscle tone slowly and only take the horse to the speed where he would break into the pace and condition him at that speed or at a slower flat walk.

Help the horse to avoid the hollowed back by keeping his nose tucked in but not interfering with his natural head nod which should be an up and down movement and not a side to side sway which goes with the pace. Ride often and teach the horse to relax with you on his back so he will not have the high strung head carriage and again the hollowed back which produces the pace. Only consistent riding and handling will get a high strung horse to settle down and walk. As with any breed of horse the amount of work and time you put in to the training and care of the horse will directly affect the performance of that horse. Love and respect for the horse go a long way in the training process.

I hope this has been of some help to some of you. If you have any comments you would like to add please feel free to e-mail me.