Letting your horse gallop

[Skogenson]

I have a difficult enough time getting ours to trot, let alone gallop! We have four Belgian Draft horses and each are being trained primarily as work horses - forest horses. Nevertheless, I find myself somewhat exasperated at their slow, plodding nature. Does anyone else find their Belgian to be disenclined to trott and walk at a very slow pace? Am i alone in this?

 

[tallyho!]

If only she would......... coming from a racing background and my father laughing at me saying I shoulda bought a tb yes... I'd love it if my horse galloped. She too flipping scared to so I have borrow other people horses for a "bow the cobwebs" session.

Took her t'beach once thinking she'd go mental..... I am not kidding you... she didn't break out of a trot the useless wench.

Highly frustrating when all you want to do is go fast.

 

[ycbm]

I have a racing bred thoroughbred who isn't very interested in galloping!

I wonder why they never raced him ?


Skogenson please can we see some pictures? SEL has a Belgian draft.

.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

My Dartmoor was always the butt of the jokes at shows ... he can't gallop to save himself! I have tried everything with him and the more you urge him on the more he curls up and bounces!

My tb's on the other hand! Needless to say I am one of a very small handful who will let their exracers truly stretch on in the show ring! Most people are too scared to!

 

[Mule]

I didn't know some horses can't/ don't like to gallop. I've never come across that. (Although now that I think about it, I remember this thread from the first time around)

 

[JFTDWS]

The only belgian draft I know gallops very fast indeed

 

[Cob Life]

I can't wait to be able to get out and give the cob a gallop! I'd like to try taking him to the gallops or the beach

 

[AandK]

Love a good gallop, am looking forward to trying out top gear on my exracer once he’s fit enough!

 

[Skogenson]

I have a racing bred thoroughbred who isn't very interested in galloping!

I wonder why they never raced him ?


Skogenson please can we see some pictures? SEL has a Belgian draft.

.

Here are some pics from today and last summer...

 

[ycbm]

What magnificent horses! Thankyou for those.

 

[Goldenstar]

Do you let your horse 'go' from time to time?

Don't get me wrong mine will canter around a field or even walk if its to wet, but if the grounds good i'll have a canter and let them go for a good gallop on a loose rein then bring them back. Its good for fitness and they love opening up. We have a nice steady hill which makes a nice canter and then a gallop up the side followed by walking the fields to cool off, specially when i'm trying to get their fitness up.

I'm surprised how many friends don't or have never (ever) let their horse gallop properly. A friend said its to dangerous for their legs and they like being in control all the time and don't want their horse to hurt themselves, she said when they 'go' the horse is just running with no control.

Never thought of it like that.. I suppose moving at fast speed is dangerous, but then again doesn't jumping have a dangerous side like everything these days.

These riders event so I was more surprised!

There is litttle need for most event horses to do a full on let down gallop until they are quite far up the levels .
the horse is a flat out ( the clue is in that saying, flat out ) gallop is pulling with it’s shoulders something we want them usually to avoid doing .
Galloping TB’s is one of the greatest joys you can have on a horse galloping J was the best feeling .
As they let down and come into four time as they move from canter to gallop they are more at risk they can adjust themselves less easily they are harder to pull up and steer there’s a risk in galloping .
I only have ID’s now galloping them is not that much fun I canter them in a going places canter and now and again let them go as fast as they like which is not the same as fast as they can there’s little point in doing that .
using inclines in fitness work means that most horses can be got fit with out going as flat out as they can .
the horse is gallop is one of nature’s miracles everything operated to push the lungs in and out the weight of bowel punching forward empties the lungs how magic is that .

 

[PapaFrita]

My ex racehorse, PF, did not need to gallop with me on top. She was very good at it, and frankly, it was a tiny bit scary as a thoroughbred galloping is nothing like any other horse galloping. I do take LC for the occasional gallop although he also likes to buck. F galloping is lovely. Like going very fast on the autobahn in a Mercedes Benz. I gallop when a horse needs a bit of a perk up from working in the school or hacking out.

 

[Red-1]

I never 'let' them gallop, but I do sometimes ask them too. IME (from a 14yo on a hot, aged pony) if you 'let' them gallop it soon becomes out of control and something you sometimes get by surprise. If you ask them to gallop (and then subsequently let them obey) then it has a whole different feel.

One of mine did a lot of gallop as she was required to do steeplechase as part of 3 day eventing. She was strong if not disciplined in my approach, so even at gallop she had to learn to adjust off weight and intent. My otters horse then did a whole lot of gallop too, as a companion hack. Not as much as her though, as we could split them up so Mr Red's horse could do some schooling in one part of the field whilst I galloped round the edge.

I did use the gallops at the race college too, but you had to trot round first to note where the rabbit holes were. Then a canter round, adjusting speed. Then some gallop... woooooosh! Then some more canter/trot etc maybe a few more intervals of gallop indispersed with canter.

The gallops at Harvey Smith's yard was a shock to the horses, I think they rose and fell by 1,000 feet or something. There were fences there too, spaced to encourage them to jump from a gallop (for the steeplechase phase). One lap of them and they were done for.

I also gallop on the beach, but it is a beach with no quicksand. The there beach I use, I would only do a strong canter and then only once having trotted the route and following the footsteps.

I would sometimes gallop out hunting and team chasing too, but then it is important that t is disciplined so the horse could do a short space of gallop and then be back under wraps quickly. That would be a short burst. It would not be a flat out gallop though, that was really only done on the gallops.

 

[Charmer91]

When stubble fields appear I make the most of it and let the horse choose the pace. However more of often than not she's happy to have a good canter and not a full gallop.

 

[Teaboy]

On a conditioned horse I’m more than happy to gallop them - with my TBs it’s having enough space to do so that’s the problem, you get to the end of a long track pretty quickly!

 

[Tihamandturkey]

Nothing like the feel of a TB in full gallop ?