--- Karen Thomas <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> > You assume that gaited horses can't canter cleanly?
No I wasn't. I'll tell you what I would want for jumping and you can take out of it whatever you want: a horse who could control the speed of trot and canter easily, you need to line them up in the right place to take off and you have to control the length of stride, and speed etc. I would want a horse who could keep themselves in trot, who do not change just because of a movement from the rider or going around a corner. It's really that simple. It's mainly because I wouldn't want to get to the jump and have the horse go tumbling over it, not because I want to jump in the Grand Prix. At a clinic with a A rated instructor from Germany there was an Icelandic who had no gait at all, the instructor said "You should use that pony for jumping.", except he said it in German. I agree, that was a really pretty pony, tall, long legs, and a good trot. > I don't believe that - (that gaited horses can't canter) Neither do I. > > >>>> I'd rather see less trotty Icelandics rather > than be able to promote > them as jumpers, > > Sina is NOT trotty, not by a long shot. Don't take it personally, I don't think I said Sina was trotty. I would say Snorri is on the trotty side, he trots most of the time, but he was gaiting the other day when he got excited. Dari is definitely trotty, it's almost his only gait with variations:) I am not going to get excited about saying what my horses can and cannot do. They are not perfect, I am trying to find jobs for them that fit right in to who they are, like Dari gets to guard the pasture, he chased a calf out back where they belonged. I honestly believe that "gaited horses" are not the best choice for jumping. Let's just leave it at that, so if you've got a strongly gaited Icelandic, maybe don't sell them to someone as a hunter pony, that's all. Kim
