Hi Laree >I got knocked down a lot - between my >Zilco harness, no blinkers and a helmet instead of a dress hat, I was >a real rebel and fighting against the current. The judges would give >me great comments on my horse and then give me low scores.
I can relate to your situation. When Christine took Valur into Battle of the Breeds in the 80's she was the only horse in the obstacle driving competition to not wear blinkers. There went Valur trotting happily around the ring, through the cones, looking casually around him and he was 4th. Most of the other horses were so stressed looking and shying at things because they hadn't seen them until a certain point and were then surprised. When I started my stallion, Segull, driving I didn't use blinkers and will decide whether I want to add them later. I think that when people don't take the time to acclimatize their horses to different situations and take the time when starting them to drive then blinkers MAY be a kind of short cut, but not one I would want to use. Robyn Icelandic Horse Farm Robyn Hood & Phil Pretty Vernon BC Canada www.icefarm.com
