>>>> In Tennessee Walking Horses the tendency for modern award winning bloodlines is to be pacey and in Missouri Fox Trotting Horses, the showring is awarding those animals that have animation and reach and landing so closely on the diagonal, they are almost hard trotting!
My fear within the Icelandic breed is that the show stuff rewards both extremes more than the middle range - I know that some of the so-called "four-gaited" horses are just marginally gaited by the standards most educated pleasure riders would use. And I also know that, too often, "five-gaited" is a euphemism for pacey, and while there are some sweet horses who make good trail horses who are also pacey, I don't know of a single person who really likes a very pacey horse. Since evaluations don't look at the natural, unencumbered horse as he naturally gaits at liberty, I'm afraid that too many breeders don't really know what they are dealing with. Thank goodness a few use common sense and their own standards rather than mindlessly following standard that most buyers don't care about. Karen Thomas, NC No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.467 / Virus Database: 269.6.2/781 - Release Date: 4/30/2007 9:14 AM
