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RE: [RC] cantering - Ranelle Rubin

Kathy, this horse is only 5. Cantering in itself is not a big deal, in fact I like to mix it up on long rides. What I am concerned with this horse is him "cantering to keep up" at age 5. You have to remember the first few times I took Fellow out with you the first year I had him?? He was 6 (or close to it-can't remember when we first rode together, but I bought him when he was 5.5), and we talked about not going too fast..? You were great about it. I carefully chose those I would ride with that year. I wouldn't even ride with my then boyfriend..!

I don't think you ride that fast on training rides at all. But if these folks are trotting faster than this 5 yr old can trot, causing him to break into a canter, then IMO, she needs to find someone else to ride with for a few more months at least.

When we let a horse's herd instinct overrule what is good for him physically, we put that horse in danger.

Ranelle Rubin, Business Consultant
http://www.rrubinconsulting.com
Independent Dynamite Distributor
raneller@xxxxxxx

916-663-4140 home office
916-718-2427 cellular
916-848-3662 fax



> From: sherman@xxxxxxxxxxx
> To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [RC] cantering
> Date: Sun, 10 Feb 2008 17:32:43 -0800
>
> Just curious...how long has your horse been under saddle? On the trails?
> If you've been riding for a couple years already at slow speeds, and
> your horse is settled and doesn't get hyper at faster speeds, he may
> well be ready for as much cantering as you like.
>
> My 14.1H 10 yr old has to canter to keep up with our bigger trail
> partners, too, and like your guy, once he found out he could do this
> easily, often prefers to canter than to trot faster. He doesn't get
> racy, is ridden with a halter and is totally controllable (with the
> exception of the occasional fit of head slinging), doesn't insist on
> keeping up if I want to drop back, and often when we drop back our
> bigger trail partners will slow down and wait. I don't have a problem
> with allowing him to canter, but I also make sure I go on many rides
> during which we canter only occasionally and so keep working on the trot
> as well.
>
> Kathy
>
>
>
>
> lately as I work to improve my horse's conditioning I find I have been
> riding more with experienced distance riders and am finding that my 5
> yo 14 hand horse does not have the trot to keep up with a seasoned
> Arabian distance horse.  He tries to extend his trot but gets all strung
> out and falls behind and gets upset.  Or, if I let him move up to a
> canter he can canter along easily at the same speed as their big trot. 
> He is still building this gait and what I wonder is if I condition and
> ride him regularly at the canter if this is an acceptable gait (meaning
> won't overstress or injure him more than a trot would) for a distance
> horse.  He goes all day at his 6 mph working trot but we can either ride
> alone or with the quarter horses at this speed, it seems like a great
> trot to me but when an Arab opens up into their effortless float down
> the trail big trot we catch a lot of dirt.  I also notice that the more
> I let him canter and the better he gets at it that he doesn't even want
> to try to trot anymore with a big mover but asks immediately to break to
> the canter.
>  
> Amy and Kobe(who has been watching You Tube of the Mongolian horse races
> and saw they all cantered the whole way and has decided that is the way
> he wants to go)(he also wants one of those awesome hairdos they sport
> with the forelock wrapped and sticking straight up)
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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Replies
[RC] cantering, sherman