Trotting on roads...do you?

No I don't - but the old girl has one flat foot and wears pads on both front feet. My choice....nothing more.

Your opinions......I have a friend (a French (sorry) Franch man) who has 2 Polish Warmbloods - driving horses, and he always tells me when I visit, that these horses never have problems trotting on the roads. The reason is that they are not ridden, but driven?! I didn't argue, but one of them has a huge splint and he does trot them an awful lot, much, much more than I would consider 'normal'.

What are your views (particularly the driving folk)?
 
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I have cantered up the road when out hunting on a couple of occasions (excitable horse: arms like chewed string.
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). Did my big lad no harm at the time.
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Sounds familiar
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Also, it would take me forever to get anywhere if I didn't trot on the road.
 
Yep. Always have and always will. Never had any of our horses suffering detrimental effects from it either. Most horses that seem to suffer problems appear to be those that do more school work (ie work on soft ground) hey but maybe that's just coincidence.

Vibrations and concussion actually does help to strengthen bones. The same applies to humans as a certain amount of concussion helps increase bone density. All our horses all seem to have nice firm tendons too. Th only reason i would not trot on a road is if it's downhill and a bad (ie slippery) road surface.
 
Yep, we drive and always trot up hills as it is much easier for the horse. Would not trot down hill in carriage though.
 
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Your opinions......I have a friend (a French (sorry) Franch man) who has 2 Polish Warmbloods - driving horses, and he always tells me when I visit, that these horses never have problems trotting on the roads. The reason is that they are not ridden, but driven?! I didn't argue, but one of them has a huge splint and he does trot them an awful lot, much, much more than I would consider 'normal'.

What are your views (particularly the driving folk)?

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My old Dutch head coachman said one of the things about driving horses is that they generally move a little better than a riding horse as they're not hindered as much as a riding horse. Plus their's Xstone less weight on their legs.

The only leg problems we've had were due to conformational defects (one with boxy upright feet, vertical pasterns combined with a welsh cob slamming trot under a shire x body and another with one hindleg slightly twisted out who liked to canter at walking pace!) which more than likely would have happened whether trotted on the roads or not.
 
We have a heavy weight cob, a shireX dartmoor. he was broken to harness and used as a trotter at 3 years of age. he has continued driving, and works for many many hours sometimes. he trots, and then trots more. he is now 18 and has absolutely no problems with his legs - so far *fingers crossed*
 
I trot on the roads with Jack because he seems to love it. Its his fastest pace and he is out in front the whole time.
Really the only thing that made me slow him too a walk was the rate he kicked out his toes when shod, and that because it means money!!
Now he is barefoot he belts along at the same pace happily on smooth tarmac, but not on gravel or stony paths, - basically I guess I let him decide what the pace is.
I did worry about concussion factors etc and but he has never been lame and is more comfortable without shoes than ever before with them.
Trotting is suppossed to harden the legs, and past horses I have owned especially in my youth when I used to charge them around without a thought to soundness ( we did in those days) were always fit and never lame.
Perhaps we focus too much on everything today.
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Yes - of course. I try to keep to a steady pace unless out competing and chasing the clock when sometimes you've no choice but to do a bigger trot on the road, but I'd never get my horses fit if I didn't trot on the roads. My 21 year got his 5000 mile lifetime achievement endurance award last year - so clearly trotting on roads hasn't done him any harm, as he's still sound and competing. I'd much rather trot on the road than on deep or slippy going, or on rough and unlevel terrain - risk of concussion beats risk of straining or tearing a tendon or ligament IMO.

The only time I wouldn't trot on a road is if the road was slippy or on steep downhills.
 
Never do. I dont hack though! But I used to hack all the time until one of my ponies went down with concussive laminitis - I still blame myself for trotting him on the roads as a kid. I never would again.
 
I certainly do, but don't trot downhill.

I make sure I trot at a steady pace with my horse in balance and as off the forehand as possible (for a cob, that's not always easy!)

My horse already has signs of ringbone in her feet upon x-raying two years ago. However, my vet assured me that she would have the same signs whether I trotted on the roads or not. Walking on the roads still causes concussion through their joints.

She's not lame and he doesn't expect it to affect her as it's non-articular. Apparently foor x-rays of most horses like her at the same age would reveal the same findings. It's just wear and tear.
 
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