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Re: [RC] Pacing - rdcarrie<<Rider awareness and an understanding of impact forces, coupled with oxygen efficiency/expenditure (as born-out by heart rate monitors), will go a long way in helping a horse go a long way.>>
Again, wise words from Frank.
Dawn in East Texas
-----Original Message----- From: DVeritas@xxxxxxx To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Thu, 20 Apr 2006 14:41:41 EDT Subject: Re: [RC] Pacing In a message dated 4/20/2006 12:03:52 P.M. Mountain Daylight Time, dragnin100@xxxxxxxxx writes:
Back before the heart monitors. But with them, the rider can actually see what gait the horse is more efficient at. I'd like to piggyback on Kim's earlier comments.
Heart monitors certainly have helped some riders understand what affects their horses' heart rates. I'd caution that the heartbeat per minutes factor is not necessarily the only, or the better, means by which to measure which gait to use when going down the trail.
The horse is a physical platform subject to degradation due to speed, terrain, ambient weather conditions, and so forth.
The trot is a safe gait for a horse to use, as the impact forces of dynamic, forward movement while bearing weight, seem to spend themselves evenly at each corner of the horse...particularly with a well-trained, well-conditioned horse.
The canter is, in my opinion, a welcome change for the horse whose rider trots the majority of the time. But, I feel it is a gait, because of how the impact forces of forward movement gather and release, which requires an ever-vigilant rider. Part of that vigilance, certainly, is the heart rate monitor.
But, it is only part.
Rider awareness and an understanding of impact forces, coupled with oxygen efficiency/expenditure (as born-out by heart rate monitors), will go a long way in helping a horse go a long way.
Frank
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