Ridecamp: Re: [RC] Born to Trot?

JUDYK89@xxxxxxx wrote:
> 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...."
Each gait has its most efficient speed for each condition. That is it takes
more energy to go slower (doing an exercise very slow is hard)  than the
that speed and more energy to go faster.  Each horse is a bit different.
I would expect that unless it was a racing standardbred a 15 mph trot is
pushing it hard in that gait. I would expect 8 to 12 mph is more of the sweet
zone for the trot. 
  
  
Also this has a lot to do with biomechanics and how the horse is built. I
remember Nina Warrens horse Ballad. It was a cantering machine. It would
get into a 10 to 12 mph rolling canter and go on forever. 
  
I would expcet breaking up the pace and changing gaits often is the way to
go in spreading the work load to different muscle groups and keep any one
set from getting stiff.
  
Truman
  
>