Muscles: Should You Ride Fast or Slow?
Not ALL horses benefit from riding so slowly, though. For horses that have become restricted in the lower back and hips from draw reins or aggressive bits, or horses entirely lacking conditioning, it is more useful to ride in a faster tempo. At a faster trot, the back muscles have to become more tensioned to balance the exaggerated motion of diagonal pairs of legs swinging.
Every horse is unique, and so is the speed that most suits their workouts. So how to you tell which is best for your horse, fast or slow? Ask yourself at which speed the horse’s back feels more springy and soft. Then, have someone knowledgeable observe you from the ground and note these three measurements when riding in different speeds:
- When does the horse track up the best (hind hooves stepping fully in to the foot prints of the front hooves) – when he goes faster or slower?
- When does his tail swing from side to side with optimal looseness?
- When do his top neck muscles relax sufficiently to “bounce” lightly in rhythm with his trot strides rather than appearing hard, smooth, tight?
If you are still unsure which speed suits your horse most, ride the following two figures at both speeds to get clearer. Ride a large figure of 8 in both slow and fast trots. And then ride a large square in both slow and fast trots. At what speed was your horse less wobbly on his line of travel and steadier in his topline posture?
