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This is an interesting question. Since my best horse 6 100's out of 7 
was gaited with the Arab not having a 100 in him (my judgement but I 
know him) but still going strong at 19 I've thought about it often. 
First - and this probably won't be popular - I'm not sure there any 
horse out there except maybe Remington that can gait 100 miles and I 
think he trotted a good bit. Bruce might join in on this.  I let the 
mare do what ever gait she wanted and it was pretty much split between a 
nice long and low smooth trot, easy canter to hand gallop and a very 
fast walk. She would throw in a running walk every once in awhile but it 
was not the primary her gait of choice.

I think that gaited horses even if they trot they don't have as much 
suspension and probably don't have the mechanical wear and tear as a 
trotting horse might just  because of the suspension. However, it takes 
energy to go 100 miles or 50 miles independent of gait. At least in my 
experience I was a lot less tired riding the mare than I am the Arab so 
in that respect - I was probably easier on her which sapped less of her 
energy to compensate of the rider.

As far as lateral gaits many tend to be hollow backed - that can't be 
good over the long run.

Truman

Mellifluous wrote:
> One part of this discussion, mainly the part about rider skill having 
> an impact on things is hinging on trotting horses.  Lets see if I have 
> this straight.  The assumption being that an unbalanced rider that is 
> 20% of a horse's weight on a trotting horse will cause the horse to 
> work harder to compensate for the "sack of potatoes" that is bouncing 
> away.  A skilled rider that is heavier would have less of an impact 
> because they are more balanced and work with the horse.
>
> How would gaited horses play into this scenario?  While non gaited 
> horses are trotting, the gaited horses are gliding along with their 
> rider sitting perfectly still.  Would this make a difference?  Could a 
> gaited horse in theory carry more weight than a non gaited horse as 
> there is no trot and therefore less of an impact from the sack of 
> potatoes rider?  I can see the rider being balanced on the horse's 
> back having some impact, and I have noticed that many gaited riders 
> tend to have more of a "chair seat."  But still, does the lack of 
> bouncing have an impact?   Not to mention the way that gaited horse's 
> legs support the horse differently when moving?  Diagonal vs Lateral 
> vs Isochronal vs Pacing.  Which one is best to support a horse and a 
> heavier rider?
>
> Just some after dinner thoughts.
>
> Mel
>
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