From: JUDYK89@xxxxxxx
Sent: Sunday, May 26, 2002 10:13 AM
To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [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."
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I'm hoping this gets lots of replies, because, according to my heart rate monitor, I would definitely disagree with this, especially when doing long distance riding. But, since it's a new toy for me, I'm counting on those of you who are the experts to challenge this one. I've been assuming the extended trot is the way to go and that the canter is what tires out your horse. With three of my guys I get numbers in the 130's in the canter and the low 100's during the extended trot. At least that's what the heart monitor has been telling me.
