It is very much like endurance riding.. but in endurance rides, the horses are allowed to canter or gallop. Are the horses in competitive trail rides only allowed to walk or trot?
The pace of a competitive trail ride is conducive to walking and trotting but you are not limited to that. When to canter of gallop is up to the rider and is usually done to maintain a certain average pace. There can be judged points where the competitors are asked to canter in a certain lead and then come to a stop. When a rider get off trail, sometimes they find it necessary to gallop to get back on trail and to catch up with the other riders.
@@leverage2279 That request is usually made by a horsemanship judge who is looking to see that you know your leads, can cue your horse for them and can stop your horse without yanking on your horse's mouth and doing it all as a team. This is an advanced maneuver that may be asked for in the Open and Competitive Pleasure divisions.
It IS fun! If you want to get the flavor of an NATRC competitive trail ride without having to do a lot of conditioning on your horse, attend one of our rides with the Leisure Division (LeD). You can come to the ride, compete, and go home all in the same day!
