Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Thanks to you all.... I was looking for a general idea, and now I have 
one.

My last mare (that I rode many miles in five years,  was an arab/appy 
cross with an amazingly fast walk, especially for a small horse.  (She 
was 14 hands) She kept up with TWH's, so I was especially curious about 
them (Thank you Truman!)

The only time I actually timed her to my satisfaction at a walk, she 
averaged 7 mph.  How I wish I had that mare still!!!!  The horses I 
have now seem so sloooow at a walk!

I think most people simply don't work enough on building speed at the 
walk.  It certainly can be done, like any other gait. It's one of my 
pet peeves with horses... I abhor a pokey walk.  And if you pay 
attention, most horses are decidedly faster walking toward home, (or 
the trailer, or camp) than they are leaving.  In my opinion, if they 
can walk faster home, they can certainly do it heading the other 
direction! So, I ask it of my horses, a lot.  It may be that MY legs 
get more sore than theirs in the beginning (from constantly asking for 
more speed) but in the end, these horses will walk faster. (A riding 
buddy of mine used to call me "The Borg" trainer.... Resistance is 
futile! *grin*

Riding always in the hills, I have become an advocate for developing 
different speeds in every gait. You have to when you are riding up down 
and sideways. And developing different speeds helps the horses pick the 
best one for any given terrain.  Granted, this takes a lot of time, but 
isn't that why we do endurance? So we can spend hours and hours in the 
saddle? *grin*  That's why I do it, anyway.

Thanks again for the input guys..... And when I get to know my new 
trails and horses better, I'll let you know how they measure up!

Julie

PS.... The crocuses are blooming!  And I had a fly in the house a 
couple days ago!

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The two best drugs to have in your kit are Tincture of Time and a Dose of
Common Sense. These two will carry you through 99.999% of the problems
associated with horses and endurance competition.
~ Robert Morris

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