Re: RC: Efficient gaits question

[Lif Strand <fasterhorses@gilanet.com>]

Yeah, Maureen, it's always been my understanding about the trot,
endurance and the 2 foot on the ground thing.  But like I said, after
seeing Virl just loping away there, it seemed like my horse, who really
loved to trot and had a very fast one, like you described, was actually
working much harder than his horse.  Of course, that grey of Virl's had
real long legs, and my Froggie was just 14.3, 3/4 Arab 1/4 Welsh and
looked a lot like a cute pony (still does, at 26).

I know that I  have always used the trot with the horses I have started
and ridden endurance - and when I have asked for the canter they'd
pretty soon go back to the trot unless I continued to ask.  I have come
to think that part of that might be because I do almost all my training
at the trot.  So now I am thinking about doing a lot more training at
the canter (lope) to see how that goes.  Maybe if I am doing this with
one of the horses that seems to prefer the canter anyway, I can get a
nice, smooth, efficient  loper like Virl's.  Except not as tall.  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   
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=