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[RC] Chrystal's question on poky horses - Kristi Schaaf

Chrystal wrote:
So I have been wondering as I am riding this new horse
if it is possible to get them to eventually go forward
at a decent pace ( I am assuming time and conditioning
will do some of that)) but how far will/can they
improve?? To have a competitive horse do you need a
fireball that is going to provide you with lots of
campfire stories relating your "war wounds" /helmets
smashed/time spent in the hospital etc......-) or have
people had sane, slowish horses that have sped up???? 
Chrystal :-) 
___________________________

Chrystal -
I asked a similiar question on ridecamp earlier this
year because my new-to-distance 9 yoa Arab preferred
to jog trot down the trail at about 6.5 to 7 mph and
it was driving me nuts. I got some replies back that
said to appreciate that slow sane speed, and to expect
that it would gradually speed up as he got more fit
and experienced. And it has done exactly that. My guy
now will happily 'power trot' at rides, though not
enthusiastically while conditioning - yet anyway. So,
now I have the best of both worlds - a horse who can
jog trot when needed, and who can pick up the pace
when needed. He's still pretty green and I'm still
working on consistently keeping him in his most
efficient trot (about 8.5 - 9 mph), but it's been
really fun to watch his confidence blossom and his
trot get stronger through the summer. And I've been
told by experienced riders that this type of horse can
make a good 100 miler or multi-day horse because he
doesn't burn excess energy trying to go a zillion
miles an hour all the time. : - ) So, depending on
what you mean by 'competitive', your slow poke may
become a great distance horse! That's of course
assuming that you've ruled out any type of physical
discomfort as the cause for your horse's putzy-ness
(it took me awhile to determine that my guy wasn't
slow due to that type of thing). Just my
experience...I just know that I don't like to ride the
fireball type but some people live and breathe that
kind of ride....  

Kristi        

Life's a journey, so enjoy the ride (and try not to fall off)


     
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