Trotting on Roads

UnaB

UnaB

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Who does it? Who doesnt?

I dont unless i absolutely have to (ie on narrow road to get to a place to pull over to let big lorry/tractor go past) as im paranoid about damaging legs or slipping on the roads. My horses are unshod so they shouldnt slip but i worry! I like a nice relaxing, steady hack anyway now im getting old :D
 
Lol @amymay, fab image of you trotting down road now sans horse :D

we trot all the time, well lots anyway, my knee seizes up otherwise and got to keep it fit somehow particularly when its wet as we have no school. oh and pony has the most annoying slow walk ever at times :rolleyes:
 
No I try to avoid it - avoid riding on roads altogether really, but i'm very lucky to have lots of off-road riding. I have a very good friend is a Vet that does endurance riding to a relatively high level she did some research into what road work can do to horses and the damage was quite suprising so we tend not to.
 
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I trot on roads, have one shod and one unshod horse. I only dont if there is a specially slippy patch with the shod one, he stilll slips even tho has road nails. But road work is only 20% of the hack and we do nearly all trotting for our rides (Haffie and friends Fell pony so good at trotting!)

Its never caused them any probs.
 
I don't like trotting on roads if the horse is shod (unless it's to get to somewhere safe!) as a shod hoof has less shock absorbtion, but I don't see any harm trotting a horse that's bare foot :-)
 
My pony was on and off lame the entire time we had good off road hacking (ie not doing much roadwork), now he's back in 'town' he's been sound for over a year, despite the mountainous hills which the vet told us to avoid! We trot a up the odd hill. I think it does them good.
 
We can't avoid it!! We are in London and we ride to Richmond Park which takes over an hour on the road. It is usually safer to keep moving!!!

On our short hacks I also trot on the road. Old Monty was 29 and stiff and he never had a lame day even with his road-trotting! :)
 
Theres a big difference between short controlled trots and the 'hammering round the block as fast as you can' trot I see so much of locally. I know people have multiple horses to exercise but to do your entire ride flat out on tarmac is, IMO, damaging.

I can see no purpose to exercising competition horses this way in an attempt to get them fit. No competition I know involves extended periods of fast trot on a hard surface....so why train that way??
 
I do trot on roads. My horse is only shod at the front and never seems to slip. So far (fingers crossed) I have never had any problems with lameness etc.
 
I try to avoid the roads as much as possible but when I do have to ride on them, I do trot. I don't see the harm in it so long as it isn't prolonged periods of trotting and I would never canter on the roads.
I wouldn't trot a horse in icy conditions or one that had issues with it's joints and legs but for a perfectly healthy horse, I see no problem with it.

Police horses seem to cope with it fine so I don't see why any horse I'm riding couldn't :D
 
Mines unshod and we trot on the road all the time, doing more now as we are trying to get fit between us!!!!

He's never gone lane or had heat or anything, and if asked on the road trots much better than in a school or a field.
 
Always working trot up hill, it builds bone density in the same way road running does for humans. I would trot for excess period of time (anymore than maybe 10 minutes) and I definitely wouldn't allow an extended or (more commonly) out of control trot.

My girl is 25 this year, she's been trotted on roads her entire life as part of endurance training. She sound as a pound without any indications of arthritis, seems the road trotting didn't do her any harm what so ever.
 
I have no issues trotting on roads as long as it is a steady controlled trot. Horses who are naturally (or simply just allowed to go) on the forehand I would avoid trotting as there will be a significant increase in the concussion experienced which can cause serious issues. But it is the same as humans. If you sprint down the road in no particular style it is going to hurt! Whereas if you jog and are careful of your balance it can actually help in building muscle/tendon strength in comparison to running on grass or a running track.

Road work is essential in keeping horses sound IMHO, there is a reason why tendon injuries seem to be far more common in horses who ae only worked on a surface. Its why when bringing a horse into work from completely unfit you should always (where possible) do several weeks of work in walk on the roads to help build up the tendons and muscles in preparation for harder work.
 
We have always trotted on the roads and I always will. we have never had a horse lame as a result of road work ever!

The vibrations of trotting on a hard surface helps build bone density so therefore helps to strengthen legs.

It is very interesting how people think it is bad for the horse's legs. The majority of claims we get in for lamenesses in horses are those horses who do a lot of school work in soft arenas. Working a horse regularly round and round in circles on a soft surface causes much more strain and stress on the tendons and ligaments than trotting on a road does. Then the people who do all this school work expect their horse to withstand jumping and galloping on not so soft ground. This, from my expericne anyway = lameness issues.

Ok, yes you can slip on a road so you do need to be sensible and take precautions but the actual trotting itself is not the problem.
 
Hated doing it when my horses were shod - the concussion and the high risk of slipping - but now they're all barefoot I love it! I canter too - it's fab to not have to worry and road work is brilliant for strengthening feet. It terrifies me seeing the speeds some people trot their horses down roads... even riding in walk on a shod horse on a road would be something I'd be reluctant to do seeing how slippy all the roads are round me.
 
I do a lot of road work, especially in the week. I make mine walk out, and never let them dawdle (which isn't usually a problem LOL). If I do a 50 minute road walk, 40mins would be fast walk, and 10 mins would be trot. I tend to walk them up hills rather than trot them, as it builds the top line up better and is low impact.

I have never had a horse go lame through anything work related (only from things like foot abscesses, being kicked, charging through the field fence, etc), yet more people I've known who mainly do schooling and very little roadwork seem to have more problems than I've ever had with unsoundness. Just an observation.

One of my horses is 33 and he's retired. He's had a lifetime of doing a lot of roadwork with me. He's quite arthritic now, but he's 33 so he would have probably naturally become this way anyway. I don't know, but at his age, he hasn't done badly.
 
I trot on the roads regularly; I always have. All my horses have been shod all round. None of my horses have ever had a lame day in the time I've owned them *touches wood rapidly*, and as far as I know none of them have gone on to have lameness problems (except maybe the odd cut/infection, I mean nothing to do with concussion/joint probs etc!) when we've sold them on. :)
 
i guess people will always do what they feel has served them well.....i never trotted on the roads when i had shod horses either and (apart from one field accident where two horses collided and flipped over) iv never had a horse *do* a tendon etc. therefor i dont see a problem with no road trotting and will continue not to do so. as i feel its served me well in the past.

those who always have, without issue, will also continue to do that as they feel that has served them well if you see what i mean.

i do make mine do a good strong forward walk, no dawdling and i do agree that is good for feet and legs but knowing how sore even a gentle jog on tarmac makes my knees/ankles, i worry that the negatives outweight the posistives once you get up to trot, and i would NEVER canter a horse on the road.
 
Yep, it is part of the daily routine for many of the Household Cavalry horses I help exercise, police horses and Royal Mews horses, all shod doesn't seem to cause any problems. If they are coming back into work from being lame they tend to build the road work back in slowly and start with a walk ex on soft surfaces first
 
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