Most beginner equine owners do not understand the difference between a gaited horse and a non-gaited horse. This information is important when deciding on what horse to buy and what you want to do with your horse.
A gaited horse Stock horses which are quarter horses, appalloosas, paints, and thoroughbreads are not gaited. Then we have horses like Tennesee walking horses, fox trotters, and saddle horses that are gaited. Even though a horse is supposed to be gaited however, that does not mean that it actually is. Some gaited horses are not naturally gaited and so they have to be trained. When a gaited horse has to be trained most of the time their gait is not as smooth. All horses can cantor(lope) but it takes some gaited horses longer to learn the footfall. However, stock horses are used for the faster and more agile events, while most gaited horses are used for pleasure riding and driving. Gaited horses are generally smoother to ride than a non-gaited horse due to their footfall or the way they place their legs. According to a gaited horse website: “Horses perform the trot as a diagonal gait, moving a front foot and the opposite rear foot simultaneously. This action produces a jarring motion that is found in all non-gaited breeds. A horse that is trotting has two feet on the ground at a time, but is not supported at all almost one third of the time. The jar felt when riding a trotting horse is caused by the free fall of the horse and the rise needed to carry the horse from one step of the trot to the next step. A gaited horse does not have free fall or the jar caused by the trot, because the gaited horse has a broken gait that allows at least one foot on the ground at any given time. This creates the smooth ride of a gaited horse because the horse is always supported and never in free fall.”http://www.mofoxtrot.com/trot_gait.htm.
The videos below show the difference of the ride and the way the different types carry themselves. Look for the riders seat and the movement in the gaited horse’s head and legs compared to the stock horse’s head and legs.
The following video is about gaited horses:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2jBYugBFvc
The following video is about non-gaited horses:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNUCdXGxp0w