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[RC] !! gaited horses- long term soundness!! - Ridecamp GuestPlease Reply to: Ray O'Donohue rno2m@xxxxxxxxxxxx or ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ========================================== Oh boy,yer gonna hear from a lot of folks on this one.Here's my 2 cents worth.This country is full of OLD (15-25 y.o.)TWH/MFT field trial horses who have many thousands of field trial miles under their belts and are still going strong.They do much of their traveling OFF the trail,in broken terrain.They are given okay care,but not nearly to the standard that endurance horses are given.They carry an average rider/gear load of about 200+ lbs.There are some,belonging to the pros and really active amateurs, who do,I am estimating as I type,about 3000+ miles each year;(no kidding)but most probably do less than half that mileage."Trail riders" who show up to ride in the gallery are frequently dismayed-they cannot keep up! (You endurance folks would have no problem doing that!)We average about 5-6 mph:a lot of brief fast cantering,a lot of fast walking,and a lot of standing,and a lot of fun. I have never seen a FT horse go lame or become unserviceable from wear and tear.My Chico,age 18,has had (something) going on in the right rear for the last ten years-but it never gets any worse. He has been field trialing since he was two (longer than me) and seems as strong and enduring as ever.People sometimes show up a field trials a leave with their heads spinning-they have no idea what a good saddle horse can do. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
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