Ridecamp: [RC] Born to Trot?

Article in this months Equus from a study done at Cal Poly.  Brings up the whole gaited issue again along with Arabians bred to produce a faster trot.  Very interesting.

"Cantering at a speed of 15 miles per hour requires less energy than traveling the same speed at the trot...."

"The average [metabolic] cost increase between the regular trot and extended trot for Arabians was 32 percent...."  

"...trotting at a high rate of speed is very challenging for any kind of horse.....If you've got a long distance to travel in a short time, trotting fast probably isn't the most efficient way to do it, even if you're on a horse bred for it."