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Leads are all about balance and comfort for the horse.
As already discussed, turns are where leads are crucial. On a turn left, the horse's legs should strike the ground: Right Hind, Left Hind, Right Front, Left Front. This puts the horse in it's best balance to negotiate the turn. The tighter the turn, the more the horse needs the correct lead.
In training horses for disciplines such as jumpers and dressage, the horse is put on very shallow turns and asked to canter along on the incorrect lead. The purpose of this training exercise is to enhance the horse's balance. The reason for the shallow turns, is to not stress the horse's body.
The only "reason" in racing for the horse to run on the right lead (Left Hind, Right Hind, Left Front, Right Front) along the backstretch and homestretch, is to offset the work of the turns, relieving fatigue. As previously mentioned, leads are truly meaningless on straight lines.
In all my years of riding and training, we've always classified horses as preferring right or left leads. At some schools, there is usually a lesson horse or two that are just horrible with one of their leads, so caution is always used with directions at the canter.
Get to know the horse to know whether racing on the wrong lead is a problem, a habit, or a strength. Lead changes require effort, and sometimes a horse just simply may not have the energy to produce the change.
For a look at a lead change in slow motion, though not racing, here is a video from youtube. The difference between racing and non-racing, is where the change starts. In race horses, the lead change starts with the front legs and then catches up on the hind legs. Here in this video, you will see the horse change the hind legs first, with the front legs to follow.
[YT="Lead Change Slow Mo"]iUgnXKK0ris[/YT]
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Last edited by Observer; 12-25-2011 at 03:52 PM.
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