Customer Reviews

Heavenly Gaits: The Complete Book of Gaited Riding Horses

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a new owner of a Tennesse Walker- I found this book to be very informative. There is not much written on gaited horses. I enjoyed the parts on genetics and the explaination of the different gaits and the breed profiles. I belive this book would interest anyone with a gaited horse and if you dont have a gaited horse it would make you want to get one!!

If you have any interest in gaited horses in particular, or horses in general, this book should be on your shelf. It gives wonderful descriptions and illustrations of the different gaits and in-depth history of many gaited breeds. The writing style is very readable and is actually hard to put down. The appendix of breed associations and bibliography listing books, magazines and tapes is extremely helpful. Bravo to Ms. Imus!

For the money, I was expecting a little bit more. Then again, paltry little fluff paperbacks are going for 8 bucks a pop these days, so I shouldn't have been too surprised to find this petite volume going for $20+.

It seems very well-researched, with lots of history for each breed. The section on Icelandic horses is particularly entertaining. The cover proclaims "Five-Gaited American Saddlebred, Tennesee Walking Horse, Missouri Fox Trotter, Peruvian Paso, Icelandic Horse, Paso Fino, and _More_". The "And more" is a dissapointing 7 pages covering 10 other breeds rather perfunctorily. Rather disappointing to me, a reader looking for more info on Tiger Horses (3 paragraphs) and the Rocky Mountain Horse (a rather substantial 5 paragraphs/about a page and a half). And while I know there are entire books about the lovely Lipizzan, I would have liked a mention in this one, as well.

For those of us who enjoy looking at pretty horses, this book is a disappointment. The photos are mostly small and all in black and white. Instead of a diagram of the various gaits, I would have probably been more educated by stop-motion photographs of the horse in motion, to watch their feet, with perhaps a diagram or description of the gait underneath the photo.

The writing is good, the research is fine, the description of gaits seems very comprehensive, but...there just wasn't enough!

This book is a hard-bound copy of the earliest edition (1995) and has been revised twice since then. This copy is indeed in "like new" condition and therefore, I believe, priced fairly.

It seems well written and was recommended to me by a friend and trainer who knows gaited horses well, so I'm happy with my purchase. The service was timely and the shipping cost, while half the purchase price of the book, seems to be the usual amount.

I can recommend both the book and the vendor.

Good book to have to show you the different gaited horses and what constitutes a gait.

Are you tired of aching after every ride? Do you dream of pain free riding? Liberation can be yours! Try an easy gaited horse! I made the switch, and I'm glad. This comprehensive book discusses all the gaited breeds-- Saddlehorses, Peruvian Pasos, Icelandics, many more. Explains what lateral gait is. Why suffer? Figure out which breed appeals and GO FOR IT!