Anyone have any idea how fast a horse and pony will walk, trot, and canter when being driven?
Yip
Will or should?
Hey, Rudy!
On the average, how fast do they w/t/c?
I’m talking about pleasure driving on the roads, not a$$-whooping in competition.
Yip
Yes.
Do you mean you don’t know and would like to know on average what a horse should be able to do?
I think it really depend on not only the individual but breed as well.
Moon will walk quite slowly but get him in to a trot and he will hit a comfortable brisk speed and maintain it even on a loose rein until I ask him to slow or he gets tired.
Breed makes a difference in speed capability, stride length, how easy they maintain it.
We had some smaller half-Arabs that could walk and trot easily with the huge striding Warmblood breeds. The girls just had enormous length of stride, with at least a foot of overstride at the walk. I had the first one as a pleasure horse, trained her to drive since she was the “bombproof horse”. It took better than a year to find the second to make a Pair and that was just an accident we saw her, accident that they matched. We looked at over a dozen, any color, nothing could walk to keep up with her. Gait size was just genetics at work, both mares came from big moving, bred horses.
We got a pair of Gelderlanders, and their walk and trot was AWESOME. Extended, the trot could make your eyes water!! Super cadence to all their gaits, so regular and well matched as a Pair.
Our present horses are chosen for their big movement. Husband has the eye for detail, makes the choices when we shop for a horse. They have no problem making times on course at CDE, though a bit fast at the lower levels so we have to be careful. This is where the QH shuffle gait comes in handy! Hardly any forward but no break of pace!!
You might want to look at the speeds in the ADS rulebook, for what is allowed on the levels in CDE marathon. For some animals speeds might be fast, as you go up the levels. You have to train some animals to make speeds allowed, not their natural gait.
You could always have a car follow you, see how fast you go while in each gait to get a milage number. My friend had a horse who would go 40+mph as she raced her husband in the car down the dirt road!! That would make your eyes water too!
You can also measure a trail or field and then time yourself and get your MPH that way.
Competition speed for HORSES is 14 kph
that calculates to 8.5 miles per hour
comes to about 7 minutes per mile
I used to train for a 5 mile road loop in 35 minutes
Too bad its so unsafe to use the roads around us anymore - we mostly drive only the fields around our barn anymore.
For the HORSE - not advanced - walk its about 6 miles per hour or 10 min per mile
Just for some comparison - people tend to walk at about 20 minutes a mile and a 7-8 min mile run is a good (but not winning) competition speed
Wagon Training, we planned for 4mph walk on our routes. Had horses or mules/donkey pulling, no oxen. Lead Teams are chosen for good speed at the walk, since others should not be overtaking them, having to be held in. Fighting to hold a fast moving Pair or Team, takes all the fun away.
I know the pedestrian folks had a difficult time keeping up with the 4mph. And this was on modern roads, smooth, hard surfaces. I think the walkers of old time Wagon Trains must have been following oxen!
Timing your route to get an equine going at the speed needed, can be difficult if they are not naturally long-strided. I have heard and read about folks with some ponies trying to make correct time, have to work at it the whole drive.
Measured routes, checking time, then condition of horse, tells us when the conditioning is taking effect as we progress towards a competition or goal of fitness. And this takes place over a LONG time of conditioning, 90 days or more from winter, mostly inert horses!
Thowas, yes, exactly!
Cookie is a drafty haffie type, 14.2 with medium legs. They would be considered shorter rather than longer. Her stride is probably normal for her breed and body type. She has an actuve, purposeful walk, actually all 3 gaits, but does not overstride ever.
Thanks for the posts, everyone!
Yip
