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Hi Christina: This is all part of the training process it is not a bad thing to let your mount canter at times to give the trot muscles to rest and the horse will also gain the ability to burn lactic acid that may have built up within it's body.

 

I have also allowed this cantering to occur, even in competition. While the trot is useful and as your mount gets additional experiences it most likely improve.

 

A few of us in CA. on part of the Tevis and other local trails have teamed up with very fast trotting horses that were able at times to trot in excess of twenty miles per hr.

 

This was gaged by the truck we were passing on a dirt road. If you can hook up with more experienced horse and riders even for short periods of time, your mount will watch what the other horses/mounts can do he will learn and follow as best as it can.

 

Remember in the beginning you have to take care of your mount and learn to read him and take care of him even when you have years of training as a team .

 

I began riding with a Tennessee Walker Stallion (Cesar) that had a very comfortable Canter along with the 9 or so other gears that he would use as he need that were just so much fun when he shifted gears next to very experienced riders on very good Arabians. Really pissed some of them off when he keep switching gears. Great fun for a very competitive rider and mount and comfortable.

 

Lo and be hold after a few tries on doing Tevis with him I found out that he had night blindness and were unable to finish Tevis as a result. (Great Horse) yes, he is still around sound fat and content with a friend at her ranch almost 30 now.

 

Then I received another Gift with Trooper, and lo and behold, he had many ability's to have a canter similar to my Tennessee Walker above his incredible trot in excess of 20 mph when needed to cover ground real quick, I used to let him shift into this canter and continue his speed using that gait to rest or replace his trot at times, me using no hands totally relaxed as well.

 

It is just like I was sitting in a rocking chair going like _ell on trails including single tract with good visibility (Another Gift to me and me to him from the Horse God/or other) .

 

Summary, explore all avenues especially when bring a mount up in training and look over and see what works as I know that all mounts do not have to do what the others are doing and you are conditioning additional groups of muscles, tendon's and all of the assorted cardio and lactic acid burning abilities.

 

Just my experience's

 

Steven

 

Previous Post

My horse has a very comfortable slow trot, which is very nice to sit to (but way too slow for competition).  I have been training him to extend his normal trot to cover more ground which has taken time and practice.
Now he can go for longer on an extended trot before he brakes into the canter...When he starts doing this I know he is getting tired and cantering is easier for him.


Christina McCarthy