On Mon, Sep 10, 2007 at 04:56:05PM -0700, Judy Ryder wrote: > > it'll be interesting to see him among other icelandics after we cleaned > > up at the open-breed two-phase :) > > > Are you going in natural? (no noseband, no shoes, no boots, treeless?)
i don't know yet. noseband: stjarni usually wears a loose caveson. i see no reason to remove it, and i think it looks cute. he wears a french-link snaffle, essentially the same bit i tried him in before i bought him. he will def. be barefoot in back; has been for ages. i am currently trying him barefoot in front, mostly b/c our farrier sucks, but i'm not considering him well-transitioned yet and may decide to re-shoe him in front before the show. if it's already past frost by then he *will* be shod in front, for borium. no boots. i got him a pair of bell boots for jumping, but he hasn't really seemed to need them even as we've progressed to 2' and barrels, and i doubt there will be classes over fences anyway, so no. i'm currently working on making adjustments to my treeless saddle, as stjarni's winter coat is coming in with some white hairs underneath where the free-swing stirrup "butterfly piece" lies, indicating rubbing or soreness, although he still is never tense there under massage. but the hard-use stirrup attachment has never been in the right place for me, and the hrimnir (also not really sized right for me) fits stjarni very well. if i'm not satisfied with the stuff i'm trying (with kaaren's informed guidance) with the sensation by the time of the show, we'll use the hrimnir, stjarni's back being more important to me than my leg position. --vicka
