Do you trot on pavement?

[My2Minis]

I was always told never to trot on pavement when I used to ride big horses...and now that I drive am wondering how trotting on pavement is for the little ones. I haven't been doing it-- then I saw some youtube videos of minis driving and they were trotting up the road and along asphalt trails.

So, what do you do?

 

[BannerBrat]

[SIZE=12pt]What are your worries about working on pavement?[/SIZE]

If you're worried about wearing down his/her feet then you can research and invest in some hoof boots. Or have his/her feet trimmed a little longer.

If you're worried about concussion on the pavement you can do a few things to help if you plan on working on pavement consistently. First off is look to make sure she has a good a hoof trim. Watch her walk and see if her hooves land correctly. Here's a link that explains what I'm talking about more in detail. Heel First Landing I think a correctly landing hoof does wonders to absorb concussion from pavement.

Another thing you can do is put him/her on a joint supplement with glucosamine and MSM which will help her joints repair themselves and keep the pavement from leaving lasting damage.

I think it's up to you to make the decision, I work on pavement from time to time, I don't particulary like to but I don't think it's totally horrible, I just prefer grass/dirt.

Also another thing to keep in mind is that pavement can be slippery in certain conditions.

Carts roll easier on pavement.

 

[Fanch]

I trot mine on payment, but not all the time. To get to and from the arena we travel along the road and theres quite a few nice paved roads for pleasure driving. I think it won't hurt if its just for brief periods of time and when possible keep them on the bolevards.

 

[My2Minis]

[SIZE=12pt]What are your worries about working on pavement?[/SIZE]

Thanks for the replies

I'm worried about concussion to joints, not feet so much. Carts do roll so much easier on the pavement, especially this time of year when everything is soggy and saturated. We have a nice road but no other place to drive this time of year, and the road has no shoulder so I have been trotting some on the pavement, but no more than a few steps and then pulling him back to a walk. (He wants to go).

(edited: I just realized I said I didn't trot in my OP- I don't do it except when the little guy gets spunky and goes into a trot and I pull him up...)

 

[MinisOutWest]

I come from the big horses and I do not even walk my minis across the pavement! Think of the times you have seen me driving my horses at all the shows- only on dirt! too much concussion on the legs in my opinion. then think of them slipping on the pavement or spooking and taking off on the pavement. Not good. But that is just my thought.

 

[Ferrah]

I will only walk on pavement. I don't like to run on pavement (and I wear shoes!), so I don't think I should make my horse run on pavement either.

 

[Kendra]

No, wouldn't trot on pavement, especially not on a regular basis.

 

[Minimor]

I don't/wouldn't trot on pavement either--I don't think they need the concussion on their legs, and pavement is too easy to slip on. It's walk only for me.

 

[Keri]

I do all the time. I don't have a huge pasture to work my horses in, so I take my seasoned ones out on the road and work them. These horses don't spook at dogs, etc., etc. Never had problems with my horses working them on it. They are all on joint supplements to ensure they are in good shape. But I'll walk, trot and extend a trot on the road. I mainly just walk and do a light trot though (but work them on an extended trot for a couple minutes to be sure they got it for show). Like I said, never had problems in all the years I've done it. My horses have never showed any signs of being hurt during or after their workout.

But you have to remember some horses are tender footed naturally. So they just can't work on the road. My horses all have hard feet (kind of like their heads sometimes

). But care for you horse properly and you'll not have problems. If I had a better place to work them, I would. But I don't.

 

[My2Minis]

I do all the time. I don't have a huge pasture to work my horses in, so I take my seasoned ones out on the road and work them. These horses don't spook at dogs, etc., etc. Never had problems with my horses working them on it. They are all on joint supplements to ensure they are in good shape. But I'll walk, trot and extend a trot on the road. I mainly just walk and do a light trot though (but work them on an extended trot for a couple minutes to be sure they got it for show). Like I said, never had problems in all the years I've done it. My horses have never showed any signs of being hurt during or after their workout.
But you have to remember some horses are tender footed naturally. So they just can't work on the road. My horses all have hard feet (kind of like their heads sometimes

). But care for you horse properly and you'll not have problems. If I had a better place to work them, I would. But I don't.

The little guy I'm driving now is not spooky and is very well-trained with good feet. He likes to go... I have nowhere else to drive besides the roads, either.

 

[Fanch]

Are you sure that there isn't a place nearby that you could work them. I too battle with not having a place of my own to drive. I used a church soccer field for 2.5 years till all of a sudden they weren't fine with it. I don't even want to get started, but it quite upset me as I hadn't done anything wrong

Anyways, I serched around and found a smaller less adequet place, but the owner of the little fenced area says I can do as I wish with it. For this ring I have to travel about 1 mile more or less. Maybe if you do some serching around you can find a simliar place close to you that someone would let you use.

 

[My2Minis]

Are you sure that there isn't a place nearby that you could work them. I too battle with not having a place of my own to drive. I used a church soccer field for 2.5 years till all of a sudden they weren't fine with it. I don't even want to get started, but it quite upset me as I hadn't done anything wrong

Anyways, I serched around and found a smaller less adequet place, but the owner of the little fenced area says I can do as I wish with it. For this ring I have to travel about 1 mile more or less. Maybe if you do some serching around you can find a simliar place close to you that someone would let you use.

I'm sorry you lost the soccer field as a driving place! There are some empty pastures up the street I am going to ask about and an outdoor arena nearby I may be able to use in summer, but these are swamps from November through June, sometimes into July. I have been driving at a trot on my front lawn, which is fairly well drained, considering how the rest of the property is. But it's very small.

My own pasture is wet now, and I don't let horses on it over winter. But I can use part of it in summer. The road is convenient because it's high and dry and is a dead end.

 

[Bluerocket]

There is a park about a 30 minute drive from us where we drive. They have 6 miles of paved road and many many acres of land. It is for sport use as well as equestrian use. There are sections where we are not permitted to go (soccer fields and the like) but most of the rest is allowed.

We do trot on the pavement. The horses find it to be the easiest to pull the carts. We do not trot where there is traffic - bicycles, people jogging, cars etc.. and also walk where we anticipate spooking. This is a job trot (slow trot) not a fast one. We also go cross country there.

Not too many years ago I remember reading several articles in magazines like equus about strengthening bones, joints and tendons by working your horse on hard ground - working up to a significant amount of time. Starting slowly - but it was supposed to be good for them in the long run.

Our horses are barefoot. Our farrier has often remarked what excellent shape their feet are in.

JJay

 

[hobbyhorse23]

I agree with JJay- while I start cautiously, avoid pavement work when I can and work up to it over time when I do utilize it, for a mature animal who has had years of basic work I think it can increase bone density and potentially benefit their overall fitness. I'm talking top athletes here, horses who are being asked to trot 13km for CDE and still come in sound and energetic at the end, not your normal 3 year old or trail driving horse. Pavement can be slippery and hard on hooves so of course you must take precautions against wearing down the hoof wall or any potential muscular strain or injury from a slip. Wearing hoof boots is good, so is working OFF the pavement as much as possible!! None of us likes pounding the pavement but for many of us it's the only way to get to the few places we can work our horses and there's no sense pussy-footing along for the natural life of the horse if they're comfortable and ready to go faster.

My riding horse was never allowed to trot on pavement, but he was about 750lbs heavier and carrying a rider to boot and he always made it clear that he found it uncomfortable. I think the larger the animal, the harder pavement work probably is on them and the more it should be avoided. That wasn't too hard with a riding horse as he could easily fit on most of the verges where my cart cannot safely go! I led my 4 year old mini down the road at walk and trot for a long time when I got him, then long-lined him, then drove him, at first mostly walking on the pavement and trotting when we reached grassy verges. He's very tenderfooted but I always got the impression that it was more his joints than his feet that found it uncomfortable to move out on pavement just as it had been for the riding horse. However after a few years of off-road conditioning work and regular pavement drives he stopped pulling up when we reached those cross-streets and then started to show me a true "road trot" on the pavement all on his own and got annoyed if I tried to pull him up. I kept his feet longer to help with the wear and post-trimming tenderness and I know that helped, but I think his legs had toughened and were ready for it.

I take the yearling I've got now for walks down that same road and we always do a little trotting in hand up the hill on the way back home; it doesn't seem to bother him any more than it did Kody. I figure in a few years when he starts driving he'll have a good foundation laid for bone remodeling but I will not ask him to trot on pavement hitched until he wants to and then only when I think it's more than bravado speaking. On the one hand I don't want to wrap my horses in cotton wool; on the other hand I think it's important not to let them overdo it. Use your common sense, spare them when you can (which is 99% of the time) and never force a horse to trot on pavement but if they want to and the conditions are good then I really see no harm in letting them. Just be sure to pull them up as soon as they start to flag and don't let them overdo it.

Leia

 

[MiLo Minis]

Horse's hooves are designed to absorb shock and concussion from travelling at speed on hard ground. If your horse's feet are in good condition and unshod you shouldn't have any problem with travelling on asphalt (cement is another story) provided you work up to it gradually. Shoes only add to concussion and prevent shock absorption so they are not the answer. The biggest problem is that our horses, on a whole, are kept on SOFT ground and don't see much in the way of rocky/hard terrain except when we do take them out driving so their feet are not in the best condition they could be.

Keeping them properly trimmed and consistant exercise on hard ground will allow them to travel more easily on paved roads. Gravel roads, unless well packed, are more likely to be tough on their feet because of the chance of bruising from random sharp stones.

 

[Sandee]

I don't trot mine on pavement if I can avoid it as I have the fear of them slipping. For some reason two of my three driving horses have had their feet go out from under them on pavement therefore I always try to keep them at a walk. They don't seem to remember the slips and are willing to start trotting but I'm the nervous one. I'm fortunate enough to have a large pasture to drive in. My biggest problem there is always having to cut pathways as the grass gets so high it drags against the cart and makes pulling harder.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I always trot my boy on pavement. It is part of the road where we regularly drive. Part pavement, part gravel, part dirt. The only time I have known him to slip was several years ago before I started using my present barefoot trimmer. I don't think his feet were trimmed properly. He seems very surefooted now.

We don't generally encounter concrete surfaces.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Just a quick question- I use the terms concrete, asphalt, pavement, cement and blacktop interchangeably. It seems like other posters here consider those very different things.

Can you define them for me? It might matter as to whether I'd trot on it or not!

I WILL NOT trot on that slicker-than-snot concrete like you'll find in a convention building...heck, I don't even like to stand them on that stuff, nevermind walk or more. Blacktop (the smooth tarry stuff with no gravel) can be slick after the rain but is pretty kind to their hooves so I don't worry about it unless it gives me reason to. The pavement around here is the kind with gravel in it so as long as the gravel has been pretty well ground into the road I'll trot on it.

Leia

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Some old town streets are concrete and some older sections of highway. Runways are concrete. I've done parades in towns with some concrete streets and I don't trust it to trot on. Concrete roads usually have tarry lines in them where they are patched. They last many times longer than asphalt, so even though they look rough, they usually don't get replaced.

Asphalt is a petroleum product and has "give". Concrete is a rock product and very hard.

 

[RhineStone]

Concrete has cement and gravel/aggregate in it. It is generally more "white". Asphalt and blacktop are the same thing, generally more black, used a lot for driveways and some county/state roads around here. Not as hard as concrete. Pavement is a general term: not gravel.

Personally, I think that people worry about it too much. While I wouldn't "pave" my arena, I don't stress out about trotting my horse on pavement anymore than I would be concerned about taking a jog down the road myself on it (other than me having a heart attack about the jogging part

) I wouldn't do it for miles, but a "get from Point A to Point B" is not going to kill them. We have to complete a parade through town for one of our shows to be considered for the "High Point", and I haven't heard of any horse that has gone lame from it in the 5 years or so we have done it. Of course, you don't trot the whole way.