Almost without fail, the horses are incredibly easy to handle. It is almost unknown for a Curly to bite or kick people They love people. They are intelligent, quick to learn, willing partners. They are curious little clowns at times. They can be used successfully in almost any equine discipline .The athletic ability of the Curly has taken him to the dressage ring, endurance trails, team penning, long distance driving, hacking, riding club events, gymkhana, western riding and showing.
Curlies excel at many tasks.
Most Curlies seem to have a floating walk and trot which make them smooth to ride. These gaited Curlies can roughly be separated into three groups. The first group is the foxtrotting Curly which is the most common of gaited Curlies. They result from crossing Curly horses with Missouri Foxtrotters. The second smaller group is Curlies performing a four beat lateral gait, usually a running walk or stepping pace.