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"I thought I'd just add a couple of my sense worth, after reading that =
one of you said he thought conditioning gaited horses required more work =
than others. I was told by a friendly old man in Austria with Icelandic =
horses that to move in one of their gaits requires much greater muscular =
strength. I guess I would rephrase that to say to move in one of the =
variations of the special 'gaits' requires greater muscular recruitment =
or effort to maintain the balance, whereas in the trot and gallop the =
weight is born body forward. He maintained that when the horse is =
sufficiently strong, it is easier for it to keep up the movement over =
time than the other gaits/ other horses in their regular gaits, which =
are more strenuous on the whole body; require more energy expenditure of =
the whole body, and I think of this in terms of aerobic activity and =
like to liken it to going up the stairs two at a time."
That is an interesting observation, but are we really talking strength =
or metabolic conditioning? The two are so interrelated, I don't think it =
is possible to separate them. It certainly is possible to emphasize one =
or the other, i.e. a weight lifter vs a marathon runner. Which =
conditioning program is more appropriate to endurance?
My experience is limited to Fox Trotters, so I can't speak for all =
gaited breeds. But I am not sure I can really buy into the concept that =
the Fox Trot requires that much more effort / muscle recruitment than a =
"regular gait". It does use the muscle system differently, but his gait =
is such an ingrained movement for the breed that I don't see a way to =
compare "strength" requirements vs. a regular horse. For Star, it would =
be real easy to argue that the "regular gait" would be much more =
demanding in that regard.=20
Certainly, the LSD conditioning has greatly improved muscle tone and =
resulted in more muscle mass (strength), but I think the more important =
issue is the conditioning of the metabolic system to be able to support =
a relatively high level of aerobic exercise for extended periods. This =
is the part that probably requires longer to adequately prepare a gaited =
horse ( maybe I should say, Fox Trotter ) for endurance.
If you substituted "over-all condition" for strength, your observations =
are certainly valid, and realistically, would apply to any breed. A =
horse in good condition is certainly going to have better balance and =
movement than one in poorer condition.
No Flames, just a little different viewpoint....
Bruce
Emmett, ID
=00
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