Horses strides vary greatly .. remember back to Skip Away .. who had one of the weirdest strides going .. that horse really picked up his knees .. would bring them all the way up to his chest as his stride was beginning to unfold. However, Unbridled's Song .. I used to refer to as "lazy legged" .. simply because it never seemed like he picked up his knees as all. These extreme cases, and everything in between is what can make it easier or harder in identifying lead changes .. along with those long days that wear a person down from being sharp!
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Would going around the turn on the wrong lead be 'harder' than running through the stretch without changing?
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In my opinion .. YES! The only reason the "right" lead is correct on the straights here in American racing is because the turns are left, requiring a left lead for optimum balace and efficiency.
When a horse is moving solely on a straight path .. there is technically no correct or wrong lead.
The right lead for the straight runs is meant to off-set the fatigue which would result from the horse moving strictly on his left lead the entire trip.
The most common comparison .. would be a person carrying luggage. Imagine carrying a heavy bag in your left hand and you have a mile to walk to get to your gate at the airport. Most likely, you are not going to keep the heavy bag in your left hand the entire way. You'll switch to ease fatigue. For the horses, their changes are more defined .. for balance and efficiency.
Now .. take the comparison one step farther .. suppose you're really late for your flight .. you've gotta run hard to the gate .. and still might not make it .. that bag is going wherever makes it easier for you to get to your "finish line." That's how I consider horses who have the tendency to switch off to the "wrong" lead in the heat of battle.
What's even more wild .. is when you see a battle to the wire .. where one horse swaps leads .. then within 2 strides or less .. the competitor swaps out too.
Also .. horses on the wrong stretch lead will sometimes change back to the correct lead after crossing the wire when the pressure is eased.
And the reason they are referred to as leads .. is because of the leg that reaches out the farthest .. the lead leg is the leg that is "in front" .. to put it in racing terminology.
