Efficient gaits question

[Lif Strand <fasterhorses@gilanet.com>]

The extended trot seems to be a gait that lots of people prefer for
endurance.  I haven't given it much thought until recently, because the
trot was "the gait to use" back in the Olden Days, and that's what
everyone did.  And does.

Now, the trot is a nice, balanced gait, and if people who post remember
to switch diagonals, everything is just hunky dorey.  HOWEVER I remember
a ride at Lake San Antonio (CA) when I was plugging along at a pretty
nice extended trot at the back of the pack after the hour check, and
along comes Virl Norton on a leggy grey, loping along real easy like,
deceptively easy like, since he passed us quite handily, politely
tipping the brim of his cowboy hat.  He apparently passed lots of people
that way, that ride, 'cause he finished way ahead of us and we only were
passed by one other rider!

That image has stuck with me for all this time.  I have been riding
horses that preferred to trot, so we have trotted.  However, when our
herd is moving around, I notice that there are horses that are more
likely to canter when the others are trotting, and some that will do an
extended trot when the others are cantering.

So, my question, at  last, is this:  If a horse naturally prefers a
certain gait, would it be better to ride using that gait (switching
diagonals regularly, of course) ?  Would there be some efficiency factor
involved?  Would an easy, ground covering  lope use less energy for a
horse that was good at it (preferred the gait) than an extended trot
(given that all other things were equal)?  Or what?  Lif

--
                                    ____________
Lif & Paul Strand   STRAND ENTERPRISES   http://www.fasterhorses.com
          Arabian Horses (looking for new homes!)
         Nutrition for People & Critters * WebArt
                     Quemado, NM  USA



=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.    
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/RideCamp   
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=