Re: Competitive Gaits

[Susan Evans Garlinghouse <suendavid@worldnet.att.net>]

Mike Sofen wrote:
> 
> Great reply, Susan.  Followup question:
> 
> In a horse who has an efficient canter and naturally breaks into it sooner
> than the horses we ride with that have fast trots, are there other downsides
> to doing more miles at the canter than at the trot?  Muscles, joints, etc?

The most recent data from Cal Poly indicates that joint strain and
concussion is also part of the trigger that makes horses change gaits. 
Beyond that, you have to use your own noodle to factor in whether you
really should be cantering alot---for example, if your horse is a little
dicey on one leg, you may not want to spend alot of time cantering so
that alot of strain is put on that leg during one lead.  Obviously, you
want to take footing into account.  The take-home point isn't so much
that one gait is better than another, it's that within each gait there
is a most efficient pocket of speed, and allowing the horse to pick that
speed within each gait is going to help maximize your efficiency.  Or,
as Truman put it in different words, pick your speed and let the horse
choose the gait.  (See, this really is an intuitive thing).


> Someone mentioned that the horses insides " jiggle a particular way at the
> canter" (to use technical jargon).

Interesting way of putting it ;-).  What they were referring to is that
a canter or gallop, the rocking-horse movement of the body throws the
viscera forward into the diaphragm at a certain phase of the stride,
making it easier for the horse to breathe out.  At the next phase of the
stride, the viscera move backwards, also moving the diaphragm backwards
and helping the horse breathe in.  All of this contributes to helping
the horse breathe more efficiently at a gallop than he does at a trot
and is also one of the factors that will trigger a horse to change
gears.
> 
> Nick will canter for miles (on the flat) at 12-15 mph at a heart rate of
> 105.  To do a 10 mile an hour trot, he'll be at 135-145.  I have been
> training him to do a faster trot, but it seems counter-intuitive to work at
> a gait that requires a higher heart rate.  He's a 14.3 HH polish arab.

Well, if he can travel faster at a lower heart rate, then that's an
indication that trotting at 10 mph is probably above his most efficient
speed at the trot---and that to be moving MOST efficiently while still
at a trot, you probably have to slow down a little.

But again, you have to put all this technical stuff into perspective and
first and foremost, use your noodle and know your horse!  Whether or not
Nick is a little less efficient at a 10 mph trot than he is at a 12-14
mph canter, there are *still* hundreds of reasons why a trot might be
preferable then and there---for every reason I could think up, Truman or
Joe or Julie could come up with two dozen.  Just use this stuff as a
reason WHY Nick has a lower HR at one gait than he does at another.  And
also why there's no such thing as just one gait "always" being more
efficient than another.  Like everything else, there's not much black
and white, and a whole lot of shades of gray!

Seeya,

Susan Garlinghouse