ladylisa
Well-Known Member
I trot when there are no cars coming in either direction, and i still canter on grass verges.
Trotting on roads
- Thread starter Lill
- Start date
Tierra
Well-Known Member
As Kat said, the rubber shoes dont have any "give". So, for example, when going downhill, where as metal shoes will slide slightly, the rubber shoes dont - they just stick which can then cause more jarring.
The YOs basis for trying them was a good one - human athletes jog about on roads for fitness but use very cushioned and specialist training shoes.. I guess she was just trying to apply the same logic
The YOs basis for trying them was a good one - human athletes jog about on roads for fitness but use very cushioned and specialist training shoes.. I guess she was just trying to apply the same logic
Bossanova
Well-Known Member
I trot up hills only, occaisionally on flat surfaces too.
I wont ride my horse in a hard field, tarmac really does concuss the legs and I'd rather not take that risk.
I wont ride my horse in a hard field, tarmac really does concuss the legs and I'd rather not take that risk.
pottamus
Well-Known Member
I do steady trotting on roads every time I ride as we have no access to bridleways here. I do low level endurance so I have to build the miles up in order to get him fit...and yes it is all on roads! So I have done 4,6 and 10 mile fittening rides on roads...all in trot apart from the downhills.
Some don't agree with it but there you go...it is all I can do with no off roads routes and in order to have a horse fit enough to do his job.
Both my vet and farrier say it is fine so long as you take you time building it up, keep it steady and have a horse with generally good confirmation and bone.
Some don't agree with it but there you go...it is all I can do with no off roads routes and in order to have a horse fit enough to do his job.
Both my vet and farrier say it is fine so long as you take you time building it up, keep it steady and have a horse with generally good confirmation and bone.
vicijp
Well-Known Member
I dont really understand the phrase 'hardens up the legs', its something that doesnt mean a lot to me.
People that wont trot on the roads are probably the ones that canter on firm ground, there really is not a lot of difference.
I think that to an extent you should never trot on a surface that you wouldnt canter on, canter is a much more rounder action that trot, with less concussion on all body parts. But then, I dont really believe in trotting on the whole.
However, I do trot on the roads, albeit very steadily. Nothing can compare to trotting up a big, steep hill with their heads down and their arse underneath them(helps to get a fresh ones back down). Does wonders for attitude and puts the beginnings of fitness on them.
Any roadwork I do is minimal. Most will do a week or 2 when coming into work, then progress onto grass and the all weather, usually straight into steady cantering work(basically slower than a good trot).
People that wont trot on the roads are probably the ones that canter on firm ground, there really is not a lot of difference.
I think that to an extent you should never trot on a surface that you wouldnt canter on, canter is a much more rounder action that trot, with less concussion on all body parts. But then, I dont really believe in trotting on the whole.
However, I do trot on the roads, albeit very steadily. Nothing can compare to trotting up a big, steep hill with their heads down and their arse underneath them(helps to get a fresh ones back down). Does wonders for attitude and puts the beginnings of fitness on them.
Any roadwork I do is minimal. Most will do a week or 2 when coming into work, then progress onto grass and the all weather, usually straight into steady cantering work(basically slower than a good trot).
Gingernags
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
Interesting, I asked my farrier who said "it strengthens the legs, and these people who only ride in schools are doing their horses no favours when it comes to taking them out for competitions" He went on to say that people should slowly build up the trot over a period of time and be sensible.
He blamed more tendon related injuries on sand schools being too deep and had a huge rant about that
[/ QUOTE ]
Thats really interesting! I do a fair bit of road work and yes, trot on roads but not flat out and in moderation, and a fair bit of fast work on baked hard tracks when I was fittening her up, but the ginger one has been jumping all summer on rock hard ground - I mean I have only let her do say ten shows this summer, but her legs are totally clean as a whistle and we've had no problems.
The only problem was a bruise on her toe but the farrier said that was to do with the dry weather then rain swelling her foot and the shoe pinching - nothing to do with jumping.
I know a lot of people have struggles with soundness with the ground - and they use sand schools a lot - I don't use them at all. All schooling has been in the field - on baked hard ground.
RSPCA site.... says it all eh? We'll not look at cruelty cases til they are down and nearly dead... oh but don't trot on roads or your horse will get lammi...
Interesting, I asked my farrier who said "it strengthens the legs, and these people who only ride in schools are doing their horses no favours when it comes to taking them out for competitions" He went on to say that people should slowly build up the trot over a period of time and be sensible.
He blamed more tendon related injuries on sand schools being too deep and had a huge rant about that
[/ QUOTE ]
Thats really interesting! I do a fair bit of road work and yes, trot on roads but not flat out and in moderation, and a fair bit of fast work on baked hard tracks when I was fittening her up, but the ginger one has been jumping all summer on rock hard ground - I mean I have only let her do say ten shows this summer, but her legs are totally clean as a whistle and we've had no problems.
The only problem was a bruise on her toe but the farrier said that was to do with the dry weather then rain swelling her foot and the shoe pinching - nothing to do with jumping.
I know a lot of people have struggles with soundness with the ground - and they use sand schools a lot - I don't use them at all. All schooling has been in the field - on baked hard ground.
RSPCA site.... says it all eh? We'll not look at cruelty cases til they are down and nearly dead... oh but don't trot on roads or your horse will get lammi...
Bossanova
Well-Known Member
How does a farrier know what causes tendon injuries??
It has been proven that you cant strengthen a tendon, only damage it. Therefore the theory that concussing the leg is good for tendons is false. You can strengthen bone through controlled loading but ten don doesnt work the same.
Of course trotting a horse in a deep school isnt good for tendons- mainly due to uneven footfalls and strain lifting out of a holding surface (just like you wouldnt trot in mud)
It has been proven that you cant strengthen a tendon, only damage it. Therefore the theory that concussing the leg is good for tendons is false. You can strengthen bone through controlled loading but ten don doesnt work the same.
Of course trotting a horse in a deep school isnt good for tendons- mainly due to uneven footfalls and strain lifting out of a holding surface (just like you wouldnt trot in mud)
Parkranger
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
Nothing can compare to trotting up a big, steep hill with their heads down and their arse underneath them(helps to get a fresh ones back down).
[/ QUOTE ]
Couldn't agree more with this quote!
Nothing can compare to trotting up a big, steep hill with their heads down and their arse underneath them(helps to get a fresh ones back down).
[/ QUOTE ]
Couldn't agree more with this quote!
kayleigh_and_rocky
Well-Known Member
i second that!
Tempi
Well-Known Member
i trot up the long hills in our village on bloss, and down them if the roads aren't very dry. trotting downhill is really good for balance, a couple of horses i exercise at my yard cant trot downhill as there owners never bother and they are so hard to balance properly.
Doublethyme
Well-Known Member
I 've always trotted on roads in the past, but have to say am now in two minds and a little more undecided about it nowadays, having witnessed three of my friends horses having navicular/coffin bone problems.
Its not the tendons you have to worry about on the roads, its the bones in the foot. The concussive forces of shoes on tarmac are huge and because the shoe is a fixed solid object on the bottom of the foot, it prevents the foot working how it should to absorb shock, thereby the shock isn't absorbed by the proper mechanisms and continues up into the bony structures of the foot, and in many cases, particularly with horses with poor confirmation, causes awful irreparable damage.
I still do some trotting on roads, although TBH don't have to do road work as have off road hacking, but my mare is barefoot and either ridden out bare or in boots and pads, so I don't worry about the concussion so much nowadays.
Its a difficult ones though, as I do think its great for fitness etc, as someone else said above, slow steady and in moderation is probably fine, does make me cringe nowadays when I see people hammering their way down the road at full speed though, even though I have done it many many times in the past.
Its not the tendons you have to worry about on the roads, its the bones in the foot. The concussive forces of shoes on tarmac are huge and because the shoe is a fixed solid object on the bottom of the foot, it prevents the foot working how it should to absorb shock, thereby the shock isn't absorbed by the proper mechanisms and continues up into the bony structures of the foot, and in many cases, particularly with horses with poor confirmation, causes awful irreparable damage.
I still do some trotting on roads, although TBH don't have to do road work as have off road hacking, but my mare is barefoot and either ridden out bare or in boots and pads, so I don't worry about the concussion so much nowadays.
Its a difficult ones though, as I do think its great for fitness etc, as someone else said above, slow steady and in moderation is probably fine, does make me cringe nowadays when I see people hammering their way down the road at full speed though, even though I have done it many many times in the past.
CobMania
Well-Known Member
We have no choice but the use the road a bit as the yards area for hacking out is up the road a bit. We have to go up a large hill to get to it, and thats the only part of the road I would trot on.
How the views on horses have changed! when I was younger, we werent allowed to walk the horse on the road if it had no shoes!
How the views on horses have changed! when I was younger, we werent allowed to walk the horse on the road if it had no shoes!
Bex7
Well-Known Member
I trot on roads but the he is a cob with a reasonable amount of bone. I also trot on roads up hill to increase fittness.
x
x
teapot
Well-Known Member
always trotted for short bursts when taking the kids out - otherwise a hack mainly in walk would be boring for them.
The more experienced groups I'd take around the farm so to get to it, there wasn't that much road work. The younger kids, we stuck to the lanes. And not once did I ever have a pony go lame on me
The more experienced groups I'd take around the farm so to get to it, there wasn't that much road work. The younger kids, we stuck to the lanes. And not once did I ever have a pony go lame on me