On Sat, Mar 03, 2007 at 08:30:19AM -0500, Karen Thomas wrote: > What do I mean when I talk about allowing a horse some "dignity"? Here are > a few of my examples.
i think those examples are wonderful, excellent horsemanship. i also think that ALL horses deserve them, not just icelandics. and what you call "glitz" some people (me, say) call "art". i loved cavalia, which was certainly not without its share of glitter, and i don't think it matters a whit to me whether it improves the marketing of andalusians or quarter horses. i guess i don't care much about the marketing of icelandics on the whole, either. i very much look forward to seeing if stjarni makes a good parade horse (parade training at my barn starts next month, in preparation for the local memorial day parade), and i don't much care if you don't like seeing him walking down the road in his red, white, and blue. (yes, it fits him well.) > expect a strongly/laterally gaited horse to be shown in classes where w/t/c > are expected - if you do, be happy with whatever "trot" the horse gives you, > regardless of judge's expectations. Don't try to learn to post the trot on > a horse that is trot-challenged - find a horse with a strong trot to learn > on first - and never try to teach someone to post the trot on a > trot-challenged horse. i think this ESPECIALLY applies to all horses. for instance, some examples of the carriage breeds -- i am thinking of haflingers -- have had the canter just about bred out of them. i think such horses should be treated as walk/trot horses only, and trying to force a canter out of them is just mean.) stjarni was trot-challenged only due to his training; i think his previous owners did not love trotting the way i do. at this point, after a few months with trot-loving me and a bunch of good advice, he picks up the trot readily (from walk, tolt, or canter) and stays in it as long as the footing's good, and does it beautifully (albeit quickly; he hasn't learned to rate it yet). i may indeed try to teach some people to post on his trot later this spring (i'm now quite on my own, and he's my only school horse) but we'll do that on the lunge line and see how it goes; if he doesn't keep the trot easily it i will recommend they take a few lessons elsewhere until they can post well enough to keep stjarni happy with it. --vicka, owner of a 14h chunky tank ;)
