>>> Clinicians, trainers, etc., aren't correct in everything they do.
And even they have their quirks and mishaps. I had been reading many horsey magazines (Equus, Practical Horseman, Dressage Today...) for 15+ years when I bought my first Icelandic. I was used to reading articles, even by some of the best-known clinicians in the world, where they'd offer a lesson in print. It was quite typical to see a series of pictures illustrating the article, and the caption of the first might read something like, "...and here Faithful Steed is beginning to lengthen his stride at trot nicely, but unfortunately, he shied at something outside the ring just a second before the picture, so you can see that I'm off balance and my leg has slipped forward..." then the caption for the next picture would comment on how the rider recovered...or the subsequent problem it caused, and how the horse reacted. I remember one series years ago by Carol Lavell and I think she was riding one of my favorite horses of all times, Gifted, and even they showed a couple of missteps. Seriously, I think it helps me MORE if I can see some "don't" pictures along with the "do" pictures. If I only see perfect riders, then it's going to be hard for me to make the jump from riding as imperfectly as I do, towards where I'd like to be. When I first subscribed to Tolt News, I saw a really bad picture of an Icelander clinician riding a horse, so I eagerly read the article, expecting some commentary on what was going on, to explain the "don't" picture. Unfortunately, there was no explanation...I don't know if the writer just didn't know that she/he was picking a bad picture, or if the clinician normally rode that way. It wouldn't have worried me had there been a good explanation, and had the writer or clinician explained what was happening, but the picture was simply there, leaving me to believe it was typical. Needless to say, I never went to see that clinician. Anyway, the picture in the Anatomy in Motion clinic might simply be explained that the rider is demonstrating a hollowed back as a "don't" at that moment, or it could be that the rider has an old injury making it difficult for her to ride any other way...or maybe she simply isn't aware that she's doing it. I just hope they covered it in the clinic, and maybe they did. Karen Thomas [EMAIL PROTECTED]
