During the year of pacing hell, we rode up every hill we could find and on every uneven piece of earth that existed. Looking back, I think the problem with the training was that we didn't let her pace. I got desperate and let her pace and kept urging her to go faster and that’s when she worked up enough speed and extended into a trot. The trainer's philosophy was that every time she paced, the pace was more and more fixed in her brain. Therefore, she was held back to her flat foot walk almost every time she started to pace.

Now she does a consistent running walk except when she gets upset. When she sees a mountain lion or something else that may eat her, she lift up her head in an attentive manner ready for flight and hollows her back. Hollow back=pace. I can get her back into a running walk by posting. Posting seems to force her to put opposite feet down on the ground. Her feet are very low angles (49-51 or something like that) but that is her natural feet. My farrier won't change the angle of her feet for any artificial reason.

She is 4 going on 5 next year and gives to the snaffle bit (as well as her Parelli natural riding halter) very nicely now. In her 5th year, she can be rode in a true collected position. She is ready for physical collection now.

Her confirmation (except for mutton shoulders) is good. Her back elbow appears to me to be straight down from the end of her rump. She looks to me like she should be able to fox trot. Her breeding in loaded with Zane Gray and Zane Gray descendants which would predispose her to the running walk.

I know to hold the reins in a low position. At one time early in her 4 yr. old year, I thought I had her going in a fox trot so I took her to my training barn and the trainer watched and then the trainer rode her. It was the conclusion of another person who watches her neighbor's show horse fox trot that Sage was trying to slide those back feet..almost, but not quite.

I got the scare of my life this year when I decided that I knew enough to make a pacy horse fox tort. I confidently rode her with low position reins in a concentrated position and thought that she was fox trotting. The next day she paced the entire time that I rode her...more than an hour, and I couldn't get her out of the pace. I thought that I had ruined her.

Another problem just come to light is dry spots on her withers. I know to put the saddle back so it doesn't interfere with her shoulders, but my saddle may have been causing her enough pain to interfere with her learning the fox trot. This is pure guess on my part. I'm in the process now of changing the cinching and other ideas offered by the Competitive Trail Riding mailing list. Unfortunately, it's too darn cold to ride for very long to see if I am beating the dry spots.

The last problem is the non-experience of the rider. I can now tell when my other horse is fox trotting. My trainer kept asking what I feel...telling me what I feel...telling me what the head looks like..and she does fox trot enough now for me to know.

But...I don't feel that I'm going to win the war here. Her pacy? Running walk! And questionable sliding feet create too many unknowns for me. I've now decided what I need is a highly skilled fox trotter person to watch me ride and offer training tips. There are people like this around the Kansas City area. I know two people to ask. We are having a meeting in January and I think that I will approach these people then.

If you have any questions or thoughts on how I could be helped, I beg you to write me!