Is the pace bad for a horse's muscles?
Awful looking isn't it? I actually own an off track pacing Standardbred, genetically predestined to pace, then forced to hold pace at the track by hobbles. I doubt that it is "bad" for him to pace, afterall, he was bred for that express purpose, but the more he paces, the less likely he is to be able to do any other gait. Someone before we got him had done quite a lot of work in re-training him. He has a nice canter, a horrible huge lurching trot and every now and then when the stars are all in alignment, a very nice soft stepping pace. Not surprisingly, no matter what he's doing in the arena, if I harness him to a cart, he reverts to hard pace. Nancy
