In a message dated 9/7/02 5:13:09 PM Mountain Daylight Time, navion2@xxxxxxxxxxx writes:
The horse that went the longest was 14 hands carrying over 200 lbs., the next longest was 13.2 or so carrying about 190 lbs. At the start there were 198 horses and many well known, fast, tall horses
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If one is going to ride truly long distances, then speed of advance is certainly not an issue. With that in mind, it certainly seems as if the horses ridden more slowly would stay more sound.
Not wanting to really jump into any kind of fray, speed and its relative concussion would have to factor into any kind of extrapolated data.
Now, pit a tall horse and a shorter horse, with riders of the weight to keep the rider to horse's body mass ratio about the same, then send them off to ride five hundred miles in two weeks and perhaps some relevant data could then be gleaned...if the speed of advance was about equal.
Personally, I think shorter horses, ridden more slowly will stay sounder than taller horses, ridden more rapidly...with the occasional exceptions. :^)
Frank.
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