RE: wide gait in hind end

[Mike Sofen <miksof7@gte.net>]

Joe, I support your opinion with the careful measurements I've made while training.  I'm lucky to board at a stable that is not only connected to over 40 miles of trail systems (in suburban Seattle no less), but we also have a 1/4 mile training track, so I can exactly determine speed vs distance vs heartrate.   

I use a heart monitor during conditioning rides/sessions.  At a medium trot (8-9mph), my horse will be at about 115 bpm (beats per minute).  At a fast trot (12 mph), he'll be between 135 and 145 bpm.  Moving to a medium canter (about 14-15mph), his rate will drop to 110-115, and he'll stay there nearly forever.  If I move him down to a medium trot from a period of medium cantering, his rate RISES to about 140-150 and stays there a while (I have no explanation for that).

If I push him up a long steep hill at a canter or a trot, he'll peak out (about 216 bpm) more quickly at the canter.  In both cases, however, once at the top, his rate recovers to about 110 in 60-90 seconds (depending on how hard we pushed and how many times we've gone up the hill).

When we go into an huge, ground covering extended (floating) trot, his rate goes way up - 150-170.  Again, he can stay there for a long time, but clearly it takes its toll (respiration is the obvious indicator).  I save that trot for those trail situations like mud or tricky ground.

Mike Sofen
Seattle, WA

-----Original Message-----
From:	Joe Long [SMTP:jlong@mti.net]
Sent:	Wednesday, January 21, 1998 8:25 PM
To:	ridecamp@endurance.net
Subject:	Re: wide gait in hind end

On Wed, 21 Jan 1998 22:45:46 EST, Bierstedt <Bierstedt@aol.com> wrote:

>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? 

Budiansky is right.  The most efficient gait depends on the speed you
are travelling.  Above a certain speed a canter uses less energy than
a trot.  This speed is different for different horses.  On a flat
trail I have cantered for 49 out of 50 miles.

You must also consider energy use per mile vs. energy use per minute
(or per hour).  A gait that takes the energy use above a horse's
anaerobic threshold will tire him quickly.  But the above is a reason
why both the horse and rider who finish at the end are often more
tired than those who finished up front.  Walking reduces the energy
use per hour, but not the energy use per mile.

-- 

Joe Long
jlong@mti.net
Business Page  http://www.mti.net
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