Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

As a former fox hunter, I was told (or maybe I read) "you are safer at trot because you always have two hooves on the ground".  With canter there is a point in time where all of the horse's weight is one hoof.  I think at canter it is easier for a horse to get "too much on the forehand" and combining that with the the faster speed increases the chance of a fall should the horse trip.  Add fatigue in and that only magnifies the situation.

 

I prefer to sit when the uphill foot is down, when travelling across a slope, it just seems as though the forces would be harder on the downhill foot.  I also ask for the canter lead such that the uphill foot lands last for the same reason. 

 

I used to teach riding years ago and only had one student quit that just couldn't "get" the diagonals; he was an adult.