>>>>So people in the US would actually pay $1500 to BREED from that? And has that guy ever had a riding lesson in his life? ... Folks here criticise the way you see trot ridden by Icelandic riders, but my god, there's something to really complain about.
Yeah, that's horrible riding. But, you know how it goes with show trends. Things evolve and winning takes over as opposed to riding or concern for the horses. Sad. I have the old "gold standard" of saddleseat equitation video, by Helen Crabtree. Someone gave it to me about 18-19 years ago when I first got my TWH - remember, VCR's hadn't been out so terribly long then, so there were precious few horsey videos of any type then. I watched it once and thought it too "prissy" and extreme for my needs, and didn't look at it again until a year or so ago. I was actually surprised when I looked at it again a year or so ago, to see how well the "young ladies" in that old video rode, posting as properly as imaginable, backs straight, and only slightly chair-seated. This is just another big ignorant redneck buffoon... unfortunately they seem to abound on every continent. But, I have to notice one thing about your comment. This is a stallion video. So, what does the way the horse is ridden have to do with how much the stud fee is? I mean, one would hope that any horse would have a better rider than that one, but if you're looking for a stallion, you should be looking at the HORSE, not the rider. Bad riding isn't transmitted genetically, and neither is good riding. At least they did show him at liberty and being ground driven, although I'd like to see him without those long feet, bell boots and side reins - and of course, with a better rider. (FWIW, I wouldn't pay $1500 for stud fee to breed my mares to ANY stallion personally, but I've seen some Icelandic's priced close to that, ones that I wouldn't breed to either.) Karen Thomas, NC
