Species Information Overview

Before you start training and showing your cat, you might like to visit CENTRAL STORE and buy some of the vital equipment available there!

You definitely want / need to do that, if your cat is deaf or has low temperament points. In those cases you`ll need either a mandatory buzz collar or muzzle.

Now, when you and your cat are ready it is good idea to start their SHEDU FUNDAMENTAL TRAINING.

There are usually plenty of events, in which you can enter your shedu into shows, races or explore with Shedu Universe with them!

You can see them all on our Shedu Eventing page!

But the best idea for Classic and Arabian Shedu cats is to start their racing career with ;

IFS - International Federation of Shedu Racing 

This depends mostly on the climate and weather conditions of the region, but every racing cat will need daily grooming, anyway. 

Strong and harsh brushes and combs are the best for grooming them. In hot climates it is best to shave your cat.

You don’t need to worry about bathing them too often, though, as like domestic cats, shedus clean themselves regularly and are usually very hygienic. So they won’t need frequent bathing!

Though it is smart to note that Shedus of other Sub species ( Like Asian Fenghuang and Asian Shugo's ) do require a lot more attention to their coats and shedus will soft and long manes need brushed out reguarly to avoid matting in manes and coats alike,

Though Basic Shedu Tack is fairly universal, different subspecies tend to have different designed tack suited specifically to work best with their body and movements.

For examples, we have linked Classic Shedu Tack below, as it is most 'universal' across all sub-species in general set up ;

OFFICIAL RACING TACK VS COMMON STREET RACING TACK

SPECIALTY DESIGN STREET RACING TACK

The walk is a four-beat gait that averages about 10-12 km per hour. When walking, a cat's legs follow the following sequence: left hind leg, left front leg, right hind leg, right front leg, in a regular 1-2-3-4 beat.

At the walk, the cat will always have one foot raised and the other three feet on the ground.

Ideally, the advancing rear paw oversteps the spot where the previously advancing front paw touched the ground. The more the rear paw oversteps, the smoother and more comfortable the walk becomes.

Walk is the king of all gaits. It is very important. And a lot of exercises requires walking, not trotting or cantering. All the obedience basics are taught on a walk. Each cat needs at least an hour of walking per day. (Under saddle or while being handled in hand - does not matter).

In most cases it is not a very comfortable gait when riding a Shedu Cats. It has big amplitude, rarely being ‘’soft’’ or ‘’graceful’’ like when riding most horses. But a collected trot or a very fast one is another case!

The trot is a two-beat gait that has a wide variation in possible speeds, but averages about 20 km per hour. A very slow trot is sometimes referred to as a jog.

In this gait, the cat moves its legs in unison in diagonal pairs. From the standpoint of the balance of the cat, this is a very stable and firm gait. Yet Shedu Cats prefer to go to a canter, instead of increasing their trot speed. They must be well taught and trained to perform a collected trot as well as a very fast one.

Very important gait for any Shedu Cat that is going to be a companion and not a racer.

Canter is similar to that of a horse, yet it can be much, much faster before it turns into a gallop (from 25 to 70-80 km per hour). The main and most important difference between the canter and the gallop - The Shedu Cat does not bend its spine as much when cantering as they do when galloping. So a canter is much more comfortable and ‘’controllable’’  gait for the rider.

This is the gait that the Racers are famous for, of course! It gives the cat its ability to run at maximum speeds of 100-312 km per hour. With a strong bend in its spine and such extreme speeds it`s almost impossible to stay on cats’ back without a proper saddle.