>>>> Newbie piping in...... So--the way Clout moves, those big, high-stepping moves are not natural?
Hard to say. I'd bet there is a good element of "naturalness" to the suspension in that horse's trot. Some horses just innately have a lot of suspension. And by suspension, I mean the "hang time" in the middle of the strides. Arabs and Saddlebreds are known to have a lot of suspension, as are warm bloods. Generally, I think Icelandic's have very little suspension in their trots, although some have more than others. It's not showy, but it makes their trots generally very easy to ride. But, there's another element that should be separated from the suspension...what you call the "high stepping moves." Do you see the "knee action" or what Icelandic-types call "lift"? That is most assuredly enhanced. How? Well, for one thing, he's wearing bell boots. Park type trainers in the USA make no bones about using bell boots to enhance "action." It really doesn't even matter so much if they are weighted, but the very presence of something around their pasterns makes them want to lift out of it. And...did you notice that the horse's feet are long? They are. Not stacked like TWH, but the entire hoof is long. The shoes are bigger than keg shoes too, but not the sort seen on Big Lick TWH. It's there though, and there's no doubt it affects the way of moving. Honestly, this horse isn't showing nearly the evidence of enhanced knee action as many of the horses in the pictures from the recent Icelandic World Championships. I don't like the enhanced action of this horse, but sadly I've seen worse, recently, in our own breed. Note that suspension is generally considered a desirable trait in dressage horses, while "knee action" is generally considered faulty and a waste of energy. It's certainly not a desirable trait in a trail horse. People often compare the Icelandic show enhancements to the TWH stuff, and defenders often puff up in pride that we aren't like that. To me, though, this is a more accurate comparison. The long feet of a show Icelandic is more on par with a Saddlebred's feet, and so are the bell boots. I've talked to several vets who will tell you there is at least as much lameness in show Saddlebreds as with the TWH, other than the out and out soring. I'm talking about the tendon and ligament damage that can result from a horse's limbs being out of whack for extended periods. The final consideration (that I can immediately think of anyway) is that this horse is a stallion. There's a lot of testosterone in that strutting. Not only that, but most show-Saddlebreds are kept in small dark stalls, only brought out for training and showing. When they hit the light of day, they are invariably startled, so that only adds to the animated and showy image they desire. To me, that's as abusive as the stacks and almost as abusive as the soring. A horse shouldn't live in fear when he sees the world. I think emotional abuse is equally bad as physical abuse, maybe worse. Karen Thomas [EMAIL PROTECTED]
