It's not
> a kind
> thing to do the horse though, it will definitely cause long-term
> problems.
> The euphemistic way of explaining it away is that the rider "needs
> to free
> the horse's shoulders to get him to gait." Of course a horse needs
> his
> shoulders free to do any gait - walk, trot, canter too. But,
> "freeing his
> shoulders" sounds so much better than "making him hurt in loins"
> or "making
> him hollow his back."
A horse doesn't need a saddle six inches behind the shoulders to be
"free."
>
>
> Karen Thomas, NC
We put the saddle two fingers behind the shoulder...that seems fine
for our horses....6 inches sounds a little crazy, I have not seen
that of course I live in a land far far away from so much that
happens. When introducing riders to the Icelandics they usually
have a habit of putting the saddle on top of the shoulders...so we
teach them to put it two fingers behind so that the horse will be
comfortable doing its gaits, all of them.
We just matched a rider to a gelding this past week, so we have been
putting in some miles, it has been so much fun seeing a new person
fall in love with the breed.
Skye
~~~~Fire Island Farms~~~~
Breeding Quality Icelandic Trail Horses
Certified Farrier Services
'Natural Balance' Shoeing and Trimming.
Founder, Navicular options for your horse.
808-640-6080
