Here’s what 2007 Pan Am team silver medalist and five-time Royal Agricultural Winter Fair indoor eventing champion Waylon Roberts suggests for developing a feel for the right pace.

“It’s about learning through experience. You must be able to make the horse go forward and come back and be able to control every stride. You don’t want to have to constantly kick to keep going, or get run away with. You want the horse in a stride and rhythm that carries it efficiently across the ground.

At home, find an area where you can gallop. Measure out 450 metres and ride it at a gallop. See if you can cover that distance in one minute. That’s training level pace. If you only have 225 metres available, see if you can ride the distance in half a minute. For other levels, check your omnibus (see chart) and figure out what speed and distance you should work towards.

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