Re: A picture is worth a thousand words

[Linda Flemmer <bluewolfranch@yahoo.com>]

Pat,

Sounds like you are little confused as to what we're
saying...  Don't mistake allowing the horse to choose
the gait as letting him do darn well whatever he
pleases.  (Major would be a run away for the first 20
miles if we did that.)

I rate the horse...  We WILL go slow to warm up.  We
will go at the <speed> I choose, not what the horse
feels like when he's up and excited.

What I mean when I say "I choose the speed & the horse
chooses the gait" is this.
Let's say that I set a pace of say 9 mph for a
particular section of trail.  Rocket can choose to do
a medium trot or a rolling canter as conditions allow.
 He can choose the gait at which he is most
comfortable in that terrain at that point in the ride.
 No arguments on speed, or I step in & remind him.

Think to a time where your horse had, say, trotted for
a while.  Terrain & footing hasn't changed but he
wants to use some different muscles.  He breaks into a
rolling canter, then back to a trot some time later. 
He is choosing his gait based on fatigue.

Some horses will prefer a canter or hand gallop over a
big trot.  There seems to be a magical point where the
concussion is too great at the trot & they switch
over.  There isn't necessarily a change in speed,
though.

Of course, there are always times when terrain
dictates a diferent speed and a particular gait.  You
just have to remember the Old Dominion Club's saying
here in the East...  If you gallop, you only hit every
third rock! :-)   (In reality, what some of the front
runners gallop over some folks would lead over.  It's
all in what your used to.)

Linda Flemmer
Blue Wolf Ranch
Bruceton Mills, WV

--- superpat <superpat@gateway.net> wrote:
>  This idea of
> allowing the horse to
> choose the gait and or speed seems contrary to what
> I have experienced with
> my horses. If that is the case, they would be
> galloping hell-bent for
> leather at the start of every ride and would
> probably have to be pulled at
> the first vet check. It is my responsibility as the
> rider and the manager of
> our team to select the speed and gaits based upon
> what I may know of the
> trail and conditions(and my horse
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