I can now fly in Lakeland. I wondered what the riding maps do, so I bought one for bicolor gems and did a test.

With the Lakeland Riding map in my bags, but not "Used" I rode and flew a set course.
Then I "used" the Lakeland riding map and rode and flew the course again.

No change. The times were the same, as measured in the recorded video, for both riding and flying. Within a margin for error.

So, can someone explain this result? Do riding maps only do anything before you can fly? Yes, flying is faster than riding - 70 sec to ride vs 40 sec to fly on the course I set. But it appears that once you can fly, you get the boost for riding and don't need the map even if you want to ride.

Does someone have a pointer to a reference for the details?
Thanks.