GC> is too old for all that "bounce". Bloodlines really do 
 GC> make a difference in the horse as a whole, but I would 
 GC> rather ride our "worst" TWH than most any other breed. 
 GC> About the only other breed I would like to try would 
 GC> maybe be one of the Pasos.
      Have you ever tried a horse with a "foxtrot"?  The only way I can 
describe it is that it seems like they walk in the front but trot in the 
back. An old New Mexico cowboy taught me how to teach it to horses; in high 
school, I had my 1/2 Arab doing it between obstacles in trail classes and 
dumbfounding the judges!  And several years ago I taught it to a loudly 
blanketed Appaloosa I owned who was 7/8 Tb...one day I was riding him 
huntseat in a busy area of town and some people stopped me to ask me what 
breed he was because although he LOOKED like an Appaloosa, he certainly 
didn't MOVE like one.  The gait covers a LOT of ground; some horses learn it 
in a matter of a few hours, my Appy took weeks and my half Arab took days.  
The old cowboy felt it was a matter of conformation.
     I understand your preference for a TWH, but I have an Appy mare that WON 
a champagne class against gaited horses.  Pasos are, in my opinion, EXTREMELY 
SMOOTH and make even a poor rider look great!
     
--- Maximus/2 3.00
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