wide gait in hind end

[Bierstedt <Bierstedt@aol.com>]

The discussion of gaits got me thinking of a recently published book called
"The Nature of Horses," by Stephen Budiansky. In a section on the mechanics of
movement, the author says, "a medium trot is more energy efficient than a fast
walk, and a medium canter is more energy efficient than a fast trot." He says
that each gait has an optimal speed, which horses naturally tend to favor.
"When traveling a these optimal speeds, the energy required to move a given
distance is the same whether at the walk, trot, or gallop."

In a way this makes sense, and yet, the implication is that a canter (at the
optimal speed) could be an energy efficient gait. But surely the trot is the
gait of choice for endurance? In reality, is the trot more energy efficient
than the canter, at least for distances? Is it preferred because it can be
sustained for a longer period of time? 

(Then there are the horses like my husband's appy, who cantered for the first
half of the 25-mile Twenty Mule Team Ride several years ago, but came into the
vet check in excellent shape. [Shame on these people with out-of-control
horses!])