Hi Karen: I campaigned my TW in endurance for a few years.
They are smoother and drive some arabs to drink when you shift gears on them and
they cannot match the gates that the TW have (numerous).
Mine did have a tendency to crash and burn, i/e skin his nose
and the front of his knee's. He was heavy on his front end which I think is not
desirable for endurance.
Mine also was a heavier built and he was carrying 226 lbs.
with tack, recoveries were always a sweat, not predictable at all.
I was lucky that I had conditioned with what I believe to be
some of the best riders in the Tevis area, without this training I don't think
that we would have done as well as we were able to. Even top tenned, and he was
a stallion most of his ride years. almost did 700 miles one year as best as I
can remember. Finally pulled a tendon, recovered and on Tevis I couldn't figure
why we couldn't finish on numerous attempts. ( night
blindness)
I have meet other riders on TW riding endurance (light
weights) that have done well.
I still have him, still love him and he was my first horse,
he is one tough horse.
I have asked a few of the top gaited
endurance riders about any horses they know that have completed 50 milers
complexity in gait consistently. I am doing research on this as the whole
gaited horse in endurance is a pet project of mine.
*Will be very interesting to hear your
results. I have talked to Truman about this also, and a fellow who had done
Tevis on TWH some years ago. The imput I got was that you have to be
extremely careful in selecting a TWH, as some are extremely athletic and
surefooted.....and some are not!
Downhill they can make up time provided they don't get pacey. A
pacey horse downhill is extremely dangerous..it can fall down way too
easily.
*Going uphill is just as bad.....how I got one good scar on my face,
when a foxtrotter I briefly owned came crashing down to the ground going up
a very steep, narrow hill the Arabs just cruised up....put me off gaited
horses for a bit!
I LOVE gaited horses...they are fun to ride,
*My Arab/TWH was a great mare, smooth and tons of endurance. She
was pretty heavy bodied and her recoveries were not as good at the pure
Arabs...but she could go all day, was extremely smooth and surefooted.
I think gaited crossed on Arab is something not enough breeders are
doing.....
