Re: Competitive Gaits

["Joe Long" <jlong@mti.net>]

On Wed, 10 Jun 1998 22:29:22 -0700 (PDT), K S Swigart
<katswig@deltanet.com> wrote:

>The stresses of the trot and the canter are different.  I personally
>prefer thos of the canter, but to say that cantering does not put
>additional stress on the joints, ligaments, muscles, etc. is not quite
>accurate.

This is also a good reason for changing leads periodically if you are
cantering for an extended time (and changing diagonals periodically if
you post).  It's also a good reason to ask for a gait change
occasionally, at least for a little while, even when maintaining a
steady speed on uniform terrain.  I didn't mean to imply that I
exercise *no* control over his gait!

If I am travelling along a road shoulder or along the side of a
crowned dirt road, I will also change sides of the road from time to
time.  This is because the surface is not level, but slanted down to
the outside (for drainage), and I want to change the direction of the
slant.

-- 

Joe Long
jlong@mti.net
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