> "Cantering at a speed of 15 miles per hour requires less energy than traveling the same speed at the trot...."
15 mph. That's a heck of a trot... 3hr 20 min 50 miler...haven't seen anybody's horse trot that over endurance distance. They should have measured 10-12 for useful data. > "The average [metabolic] cost increase between the regular trot and extended trot for Arabians was 32 percent...." Wonder what it would have been at 10-12. ...trotting at a high rate of speed is very challenging for any > kind of horse.....If you've got a long distance to travel in a short time, trotting fast probably isn't the most efficient way to do it, I agree that after a certain point it is easier for a horse to canter...on a flat course and the heart rate often drops. But remember, we're dealing with lots of variable terrain. My horse is never allowed to canter downhill. Energy output is only one part of the equation. All the energy in the world is no use if you're pulled for lameness. The trot destributes the PSI better from what I understand. Personally, I find my horse does best if I alternate between trot and canter to let him use different muscle groups. At a place like Biltmore with lots of hills we trot the rugged stuff, walk the really steap stuff, and canter or hand gallop the really good stuff. I really don't think you can say the fast trot isn't a good gait if you're going to use a 15mph trot to represent the fast trot. Face it, nobody ever goes 15 mph on endurance distances at any gait. When's the last time you saw a 6:20 finish time on a 100? Angie ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
