hard ground - quick poll

[Alameda]

gentle/collected canter better or worse than trot?

[Butkin]

Probably collected canter but in truth I'd go for a walk and trot on the road where at least every foot fall is even.

[AlpinePony]

If it's shod - canter.

[SaggyCeratops]

Either. Just be sensible.

[ToxicMoxie]

I'd say canter is worse, more loading at faster speeds. But how hard? Asphalt?

[LowRegNumber]

Trot as weight always on two feet. In canter it falls onto just one meaning all shock/impact and any twisting from uneven ground is magnified iyswim? having said that I try not to even trot on the road to avoid concussion!

[Alameda]

I don't like cantering on the road AT ALL, although it happens sometimes I just feel a bit gloomy about how hard the bridleways are, it might as well be concrete. Do realise there is no pleasing some riders, but as usual it has gone from too muddy to too hard almost overnight. Feels like a conspiracy to make me discover the middle gears between amble/flat out.

[LowRegNumber]

Oops, I didn't mean I canter on the road (except when drag hunting when dm forgets how to trot/walk altogether ) I meant I try not to trot on hard ground or roads iyswim. Obviously dm likes to have some say on the subject too though and slow is not often what she says

[Callisto]

Depends on the ground - if it is rutty and uneven I wouldn't go faster than a walk, if it is fairly even and has a covering of grass then I wouldn't worry about slow canter. The problem with cantering on roads is not only the hard nature of tarmac, but how slippy it is. There are some back roads where I hack out that you can't even trot on.

[SaggyCeratops]

I think it all depends on if they are barefoot or not.

[Alameda]

haha barefoot

one is, one isn't - just to be awkward

[manzi18]

cantering is less concussive - well that is what I was told by my trainer :0)

my trainer said that the Prussian army, back in the day, did lots of research into how many of their horses broke down, depending on whether they kept at a canter or trot. trotting caused more breakdowns.

But what do I know :0)

[LowRegNumber]

Yes it is def better for concussion but I think (with no evidence at all ) that trot deals with uneven ground better iyswim? The roads near us are like that too callisto, so slippy even walking downhill with a shod horse is more like skating.