>>>> Sadly, her horse got hurt and stayed home from the last ride. I seriously >>>> considered leaving Hunter home too, but ended up loading him instead. Did >>>> the yo yo game first and he hopped right on the trailer and (without >>>> steady eddy) was absolutely calm at the start, walking politely out the >>>> first 1/2 mile or so. He was also happy with leaving the vet check at >>>> a walk.
I believe the same folks who started Sue's Kolur started Cary's Skjoni under saddle. Skjoni is as calm and easy-going as they come when Cary rides him out alone, or when I ride with him on one of our horses. But, last year when we all went riding together in the mountains, Cherie on Kolur and Cary on Skjoni, both geldings went into a slight "hyper" mode at the beginning of the first two rides. In this case, I don't think either Cary or Cherie were particularly nervous or uptight, but I suspect that somehow, the two geldings picked up each other vibes. Maybe they even were ridden together at some point in their past lives - maybe in the typical Icelandic style of "butt hits the saddle and we're off to the races." They settled quickly though, and by their third ride together, they were just as calm at the start too. Whatever it was, I'm pretty sure something triggered an old memory for Skjoni. I think a lot of folks would have called Skjoni and Kolur "goey" at that time, writing it off to their "just wanting to go" - but sitting on the back of the pack on Eitill who was content to march to his own drummer, it didn't look that way to me. They both struck me as more than a little uptight, more like they thought it was EXPECTED that they go fast, more than them actually wanting to go fast. Karen Karen Thomas Wingate, NC No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.476 / Virus Database: 269.10.22/923 - Release Date: 7/27/2007 6:01 PM
