Has anyone here never galloped their horse?

I used to gallop alot more when I was younger - it seems so limited these days where you can go.

I sometimes take mine to my friends as there is a gallop near to her. Two years ago I kept my boy just off a beach and I think we probably did everyday if it was suitable! Summer was a nightmare... too many kids and dogs. Winter was best. He was in such good condition and I think galloping really helped as it's so good for them.

I think galloping is the easiest gait! It's like sitting on a magic carpet!! :D:D:D
 
I think the age of the rider is as big a factor as that of the horse! I'm in my #whispers# mid-30s and I wouldn't go flat out anymore like I did in my teens. Self-preservation kicking in maybe?
 
I would've loved to have galloped my horse - my yard has the perfect grassy track for it, and he had impeccable brakes, but I was just always too nervous to let him go for it. I don't know if he had that fourth gear anyway to be honest - he was never much of a speed demon and I never saw him go faster than a gentle canter even when he was hooning around with his fieldmates. I wish I'd tried it at least once though. I had been planning to take him to the beach for the first time this summer, would definitely have tried it there.
 
monkeybum13 said:
I think a lot of people say they gallop but they just do a fast canter. There is a clear difference between canter and gallop which some people don't grasp.

I don't mean that people on this thread haven't galloped but I know a lot of people in "real life" that say they gallop etc but they just canter fast.
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That's what I was thinking and I was pleased at the amount of people on this thread who have said, actually, no.

People say it so much. They come back from routes I know where there is no space to gallop, and say they have. Often someone will talk about a hack I've actually been on, and said we galloped, and I'm astounded as it was at most a fastish canter.

Galloped mine far more frequently than I'd ever have wished to. Have to say most times it happens to me it's not my choice, I'm either riding behind someone with wood for brains, taken off with or hunting, and each time it's been on completely unknown ground which does unnerve me, or on known ground but with not enough space to stop, on a horse who jumps gates and walls for fun. Would love to have the opportunity to just let the beggar go on a sand gallop or the like.

I don't know if it's just mine, but I do find once he's in gallop he doesn't really give a fig what I'm doing, he goes a bit feral.
 
Not current boy but we do t have anywhere large enough to do it. On my ex racer we were at a yard with gallops and yes we galloped pretty regularly. As others have said, that extra gear is a massive jump up in speed and the movement is completely different, I used to feel that my feet were almost touching the floor!
 
not on my current boy. he's 8 and he is the most well mannered ride ever, his canter just floats along, can canter him field after field and its just amazing. whilst very bouncy and powerful canter i just dont think he's got it in him to tear about at a break neck speed! even in the field he just bobs along in his lovely collected canter!!!
 
Have galloped 2 ex racehorses and OMG what a feeling!!! Nothing beats it!! I can't explain the buzz I got from it, nothing compares to it and the eyes watering past your temples. I loved it!! :D

Was lucky to have great hacking and lots of beaches to ride my mare on, but bless her, a big chunky cob's gallop wasn't quite the same - still great fun though!
 
There aren't very many places near to us where you can have a good gallop. When I was younger we used to take them up to the old railway tracks which were PERFECT for it - nice soft dirt surface and went on for ages - but they got closed up for good a few years ago and there's no sign of them being opened up again. When I went on my own it was generally just for a good, fast canter, but in groups of 3 or 4 horses we used to fly along :D. The only other place is a large field owned by a nearby riding school which is open for riding. It's a good, uphill run and is long enough for them to be tired out and drop back to a canter by the time they're 3/4 of the way up. I don't go up there too often though as it's a fair bit of road work. Every now and then it's good to clear the pipes though :D

In regards to the mistaking a fast canter for a gallop - I suspect I probably did that when I was younger! I didn't really know the difference and gallop sounds a lot cooler ;). I can still remember the first time I galloped my mare and I couldn't believe a horse could go so fast! She's pretty quick on her feet though like all Arabs and we've never been beaten in a race, even by our TB friends :D
 
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