>>>> Like this. There's no doubt that these Icelandic horses do oodles and oodles of gaits on their own, when left to their own devices. They ARE gaited horses after all, and there are an infinite number of individuals out there, some very trotty, some very pacey and many in the middle. But, the horse in that first picture Judy sent was "left not on his own." He head was very restricted and the rider stiff. Not only that, he appears to be in a show, or training for a show, or in an evaluation, so it's not likely a young horse's first time under saddle. The picture of the horse at liberty is different. The horse in the picture you sent is at liberty, and appears to be "prancing" for lack of a better word. He's perfectly free to do whatever he needs to do with his head - to see any scary predators, to use his back as his conformation dictates, etc. I have pictures of my horses playing that are doing no previously named gait, because they are playing...or a stallion that's showing off... or a horse that's been startled by something...or a baby whose joints are still rubbery and flexible.
If a horse doesn't something because it's just him - something coming from his mood, his conformation, whatever - that's one thing. A good trainer/owner/rider makes notes of what the horse does naturally and acts accordingly, ignoring some gaits and encouraging others. But when a horse is forced into a frame, especially when restricted from the front, you'll have problems. So, it's not literally the gait that bothers me. What bothers me is the rest of that picture - I believe Judy has used the word "context" before, and I think that's expressive. Karen Thomas, NC No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.472 / Virus Database: 269.8.0/819 - Release Date: 5/26/2007 10:47 AM "The greatest enemy of the truth very often is not the lie- deliberate, contrived and dishonest -- but the myth -- persistent, persuasive and unrealistic." "All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." ~ Arthur Schopenhauer [] The video every Icelandic Horse owner should have: http://IceHorses.net/video.html [] Lee Ziegler http://leeziegler.com [] Liz Graves http://lizgraves.com [] Lee's Book Easy Gaited Horses http://tinyurl.com/7vyjo [] IceHorses Map http://www.frappr.com/IceHorses [] IceHorses ToolBar http://iceryder.ourtoolbar.com/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IceHorses/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IceHorses/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
