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Karla wrote:

> But then were you able to stop getting suspensory injuries when you changed that? 
> Its funny cause I've been trying to get a bigger trot out of my younger horse. He 
> does prefer his canter/lope to a bigger trot and his heart rate does go down in the canter.
> 
 > -------Karla Watson

Hi Karla, 

I would definitely let him canter instead.   Yes, over doing the "big trot" 
has been linked to suspensory injuries.    Sand can do it too if you try to 
ride "at speed" on a horse that has not been conditioned for sand.   

If you have a horse that has a nice long natural stride, I'd condition that 
"big trot" for 4 years of LSD before asking for any speed.   10 years ago 
the thought was 2 years of LSD, but I heard the 4 years of dressage and 
LSD from person who should know...   that is if you want to work up to 
racing, winning, and also hope to continue down the endurance trail for 
years to come.    

However, that's not the only way to injure a suspensory.   I've had one that 
was either a roll / twist injury or an impact injury... ie the horse may have 
been stepped on by another horse.   I've had one that was definitely a strain 
from rolling a front hoof on a steep loose-rocky slope.    Both of these were 
"low" injuries.   One was actually the tendon sheath.   The other was the 
outside branch along the pastern.   

Both healed fine though.   Both of these were pretty minor.    Both injuries got 
the tendon injury protocol run through.   In both cases the horse appeared sound 
at a trot - looked good to put back to work - within 2-5 days of the injury... but 
of course the injury was still there.   They could both be found by carefully running 
your thumb along the site of the injury and watching the horse's reaction.   
Hope this helps,

Kathy Myers 
in Santa Fe, NM