ridecamp@endurance.net: Re: [endurance] endurance /self carriage

Re: [endurance] endurance /self carriage

Diane E. Nelson (nelsonde@ttown.apci.com)
Wed, 20 Mar 1996 12:48:10 -0500 (EST)

We have a couple of different concepts at work here. Trotting long and
low is more energy efficient and less muscle-stressing under load and
less concussive. You trade off a little speed in return for greater
staying power. You bring the back up and assist in the carrying
capacity of vertebrae not designed to carry loads.

Racing standardbreds are in completely different circumstances.
The heads-up posture is for speed alone, for one mile, pulling a
sulky. They use an entirely different set of muscle groups. The
trotters may or may not wear a check rein to maintain head set. The
check rein also helps, in conjunction with the contraptions that pacers
wear--names escape me right now--to maintain the gait.

Watch herds of horses in a bug-eyed panic, racing down a field, and see
if any are in a long 'n low frame. Probably not...they just need to
"oughta' here" and they will do it in that frame because it's fast & they
need to see where everybody is going.

What promotes "fast" in one sport can not be automatically translated
into "good" for another sport. You have to compare apples with apples.
No civil engineer is going to build a bridge based on a convex
frame--it's the ARCH that makes for strength (something the ancient
Romans knew)--it's the ARCH in the horse's back, assisted by a long and
low frame, that will help that horse carry a rider, and itself, over the
miles.

Diane @ Safe Haven

On Wed, 20 Mar 1996, David Sonnenberg wrote:

> If a horse trots better long and low, why are "trotters" forced to carry
> their head as high as possible. Within the harness world high and back
> are considered much much faster than long and low.
> furface@liii.com
>
>