Canter on tarmac - do you?

Not deliberately no whether shod or barefoot (I have one of each) whether people say its beneficial or not trotting is enough for us thanks, having had a horse have a spook and slip on the road whilst cantering off and me losing track of an afternoon I wouldn't do it.
 
Traveller59 said:
Definitely not on purpose

I would be concerned about slipping, I guesse thats not so much of a problem if you are shoeless, but mainly I would worry about other road users. I rely so much on hearing to know whats round the corner.
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LOL do you think shoeless horses are silent???

Thats very funny. My filly's hooves make a right clatter :D
 
Yep, I pick the stretches we canter on (for grip and slight uphill incline), keep it balanced and uphill, and of course the pony is unshod.

As my vet (and all my biomechanical knowledge) says - better on a hard flat surface than a deep or sticky one...
 
Nope - was always taught it would lead to leg/foot damage due to concussion. Also, the faster you go, the quicker you go down if your horse trips - not a great idea if you are on the road.

In fact these days I rarely trot on the road cos the potholes round my way are awful, so usually stay in walk on the road and only trot on if I need to get out of the way of a car.
 
I've cantered/galloped on harder, much tougher surfaces out on dry xc courses barefoot without a problem...

Smooth 'soft' tarmac is a dream in comparison. Why would you not? Sorry, just challenging some hard held beliefs about cantering on roads.

I was always taught not to as well but that was back in the 80's when roads were crap and gritty. The roads where I live now are pretty good in comparison and the reasons not to do it 30 years ago do not really have much relevance now.

Doesn't matter if you fall on a road or out on a rocky xc course. It's going to hurt. Actually, it doesn't matter where you fall... it's going to hurt, even on grass.
 
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tallyho! said:
I've cantered/galloped on harder, much tougher surfaces out on dry xc courses barefoot without a problem...

Smooth 'soft' tarmac is a dream in comparison. Why would you not? Sorry, just challenging some hard held beliefs about cantering on roads.
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The only "real" reason not to, as far as I can see, is the concern about traffic - if your roads are busy or very windy, it's probably not very wise. Round here we have lovely straight stretches which are often quiet - so very inviting :D
 
Tallyho I wouldn't canter on hard off-road surfaces either ;) but then I'm not a competitor so I am under no pressure at all to canter on hard ground :)

I wouldn't canter on a road for a number of reasons. Because even barefoot I believe it is probably still putting more wear and tear on joints than is necessary, and I would like to preserve those. Because I don't see the need, trotting is fine if I want/need to go faster than walk. Because it's less stable (2 out of the 3 beats are on one foot only) and I think there is more chance of a fall. Because I don't want to get into the habit on a barefoot horse and forget myself if I ride a shod horse. Because all the experience I want my horse to have on the roads is a calm controlled not too fast experience, and some of the horses I have ridden at varying stages of education have taken quite a long time to teach that canter is not YeeHah away we go at top speed, and is safer not to risk any excited memory lapses on the road :o

Whilst
 
To fitten my horse I hunt, barefoot, yes routinely. I wouldn't canter my spooky dressage boy, he has a spin that would land us both on the floor if he did it mid-canter.

I cantered up the hill behind a tractor that I had let pass me the other day and when the farmer looked in his mirrors as he got to the top of the hill he had the shock of his life realising that I was hanging onto his tail :D
 
Natch said:
Tallyho I wouldn't canter on hard off-road surfaces either ;) but then I'm not a competitor so I am under no pressure at all to canter on hard ground :)

I wouldn't canter on a road for a number of reasons. Because even barefoot I believe it is probably still putting more wear and tear on joints than is necessary, and I would like to preserve those. Because I don't see the need, trotting is fine if I want/need to go faster than walk. Because it's less stable (2 out of the 3 beats are on one foot only) and I think there is more chance of a fall. Because I don't want to get into the habit on a barefoot horse and forget myself if I ride a shod horse. Because all the experience I want my horse to have on the roads is a calm controlled not too fast experience, and some of the horses I have ridden at varying stages of education have taken quite a long time to teach that canter is not YeeHah away we go at top speed, and is safer not to risk any excited memory lapses on the road :o

Whilst
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Ok, but what about horses who still live in arid deserts and mountainous areas? They gallop and canter about up and down hilly rocks. You only have to check out the rocky mountain horses. The current stallion there, Cloud, is in his twenties and still galavanting from place to place with his herd.

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I'm not saying I "yeehah" around my village pretending to be pocahontas, but coming up the hilly village roads, I do like to get a move on especially if I'm in a hurry :) FWIW, my boy and I could amble around the village on a quiet sunday on the buckle just chilling out. I guess it depends on the horse and how you train it.

Anyway, sorry, I'm not trying to convince anyone to do what could potentially be a dangerous thing to do if you're not used to it. I guess I'm just sharing my thoughts :)
 
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My boy is currently barefoot and wears hoof boots on the fronts. I have no problems cantering him in short bursts on slightly uphill or level quiet lanes, the footing is lovely and smooth, where as the verges are lethal, but you cant tell until your practicably on them. Big lumps of rock solid mud, dips, rubbish and stones. It also helps that his walk-canter and canter-walk transitions are improving so i have no issues with brakes yet in case a silent ninja car comes silently from nowhere.
I have always been told never to canter on roads, but my thinking is that he has half an inch of rubber on his toes and so surely he cant be absorbing that much concussion.

When/if he has to be shod again, i would stick to slow trots and have to hack to land where i could canter him and if he needed more workload then i would prefer a slow steady canter on selected roads to a bone jarring trot.

Then again my horse must have iron legs. He once escaped and did a good five mile gallop down the middle of tarmacked roads and he didnt even have heat in his legs when i caught up to him, nor was he at all lame. He was fully shod too, and found it rather exciting! :eek:
 
No I don't, my horse is shod, and she is also very spooky, most spooky in canter, so it would be too dangerous if mid canter she decided to shoot off sideways and slip, or into a path of a car. :)
 
Nope, my SJs are shod and have a very bouncy canter coming through lots from behind. I would be concerned about concussion and the potential for slipping a hind leg under and tearing musculature.
 
I've always regarded planned cantering on the road as a complete no-no and unplanned to be stopped as soon as possible. However I am interested in the comments about barefoot cantering on roads - mine is unshod but I'm still reluctant to try it (45 years on "no" conditioning I suspect).
 
Well if you are tempted to try, just be sure to try it somewhere quiet and uphill first and see how you g from there just doing it bit by bit. No need to go mad.

I used to quite like to practice my collected canters and flying changes on the road. It was gripper than the grass "school" we had. I don't think my horse found it exciting, it was just another "bizarre thing that she does".... Like going "sideways" :)
 
Loving the debate. I'd always thought it was a no-no, but experience and lots of reading put me in the 'it seems to do them good' camp.

Plus:
Wears their hooves naturally, so hardly have to trim.
and they behave the same whether they're on road or grass. :o)

I have to add that the kids were good riders on mature ponies that they trust, on a quiet country lane.
Also, (and obviously, but it's still worth saying) I wouldn't canter/trot hard a youngster, as their bones are still strengthening, their balance is questionable and they haven't proved themselves sensible on the road...
 
Quite a lot of ponies in Bath are barefoot. Most people around here ride up and down hills trotting and one or two canter. I know a few of the riders. Some use boots but many don't. I did for a while until I was more confident. Now they have been donated to another transitioning boy.

It's just normal around here I guess.

A few have shoes on obviously but most people I meet are shoeless. Or hacking is the Cotswold way and most of that is pretty rocky but there are bits that are pretty good. We used to have "kind" access to a big field but we don't have that anymore so have to take the opportunity wherever we can really.

This is what our ride can be like...

 
Pale Rider said:
The hoof is supposed to expand when it is placed on the floor and to contract when it is lifted up.
When it expands, it fills with blood drawn into the hoof. When it contracts it forces blood up the leg, away from the hoof.
The bottom of the foot should have a thick sole, un constricted heels, a very large and thick frog. and internally a massive fiberous digital cushion.

When you shoe a horse, you stop the expansion and contraction. Therefore you increase the strain on the heart and restrict the blood flow to the hoof.

You cause the hoof to become atrophied in as much as the heels constrict, the sole becomes thin and the frog gets smaller. The internal digital cushion becomes spongy and weak.

Therefore when your horse is shod, because of the atrophied condition of the feet any trotting, cantering or galloping on hard ground or roads will have a detrimental effect as there is no shock absorbtion left in the foot. Video shows the shock wave travelling up the leg of a shod horse even in walk on hard ground.

Conversely, a healthy barefoot horse can easily absorb the impact of cantering or galloping on a road surface, which is perfectly natural and normal. :)
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very interesting! Am glad my farrier talked me into going barefoot before it was popular.
 
I personally wouldn't, as where I live, the roads are very windy and my mare isn't too confident in traffic yet, so I just need her as calm as possible when doing roadwork. When out on a group hack, we have unintentionally cantered along the road and after that, she was completly fired up and we still had a lot of road work to do, so she was even more spooky than normal. So with my own, no I wouldn't :) but have no problem with others doing it.
 
Pale Rider said:
The hoof is supposed to expand when it is placed on the floor and to contract when it is lifted up.
When it expands, it fills with blood drawn into the hoof. When it contracts it forces blood up the leg, away from the hoof.
The bottom of the foot should have a thick sole, un constricted heels, a very large and thick frog. and internally a massive fiberous digital cushion.

When you shoe a horse, you stop the expansion and contraction. Therefore you increase the strain on the heart and restrict the blood flow to the hoof.

You cause the hoof to become atrophied in as much as the heels constrict, the sole becomes thin and the frog gets smaller. The internal digital cushion becomes spongy and weak.

Therefore when your horse is shod, because of the atrophied condition of the feet any trotting, cantering or galloping on hard ground or roads will have a detrimental effect as there is no shock absorbtion left in the foot. Video shows the shock wave travelling up the leg of a shod horse even in walk on hard ground.

Conversely, a healthy barefoot horse can easily absorb the impact of cantering or galloping on a road surface, which is perfectly natural and normal. :)
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there are many papers for and against this theory
 
Guilty as charged....!

But mine are hardened hunters and are introduced to some steady cantering on the roads as part of their fitness programme.

Interestingly out hunting, both mine choose too canter on the roads rather than a fast trot. They are shod all round but do have road nails for extra grip.

There are a lot of arguments for and against, but as mine remain sound season after season (touch wood), will continue to do it.

For the OP with a barfoot pony especially, I can't see a few short bursts of canter doing any harm.
 
Nope. Not intentionally, anyway.

Mainly for their legs, but also, the roads I hacked out on at home are narrow, bendy and sunken. They aren't the place to be going fast.
 
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