On 1/7/07, Kim Morton <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > That's true, but how is the breed supposed to be > promoted? I wouldn't think that generally a gaited > horse is really great at jumping.
Stonewall is really a great jumper but I had to discourage it because he started jumping unexpectedly at the least thing, like a pile of poop in the middle of a trail. When I had him taking jumps in the arena where we used to board, he would gait around, then as he saw the jump was coming would break into an easy canter, speed up from there and jump. At the SSHBEA (spooted saddle horses) versatility show there was a jump course, and the first jump was over a barrel laid on its side. All the SSH jumpers cantered, and they are very very nicely gaited horses! I wish the icelandics would start a versatility program! because so many people like me, enjoy stuff like training my horses to trail obstacle, stand on stumps/pedestals, back up thru a maze etc. I think in Europe they can go ahead and do things their way, but here in America where so many people trail ride icelandics, it would be nice to have some healthy wholesome competition to show off the breeds true versatility. Janice -- yipie tie yie yo
