>>>> Guess that depends on which part of the country you live in. Out here, reiners are pretty common. So not only should you not make generalizations about Icelandics, I don't think you should do the same about disciplines.
Actually, Susan, I know some reiners in this area too, but they don't ALWAYS wear the special sliding plates. In fact, my cousin, who owns the trails that adjoin ours, and who we regularly ride with, has had two reiners to the World QH Congress. One is the bay QH that has been in a good many of our trail ride pictures. (But that was before he realized the damage from the futurity-type pressures - he gave up reining probably 12-15 years ago...because he DOES think it can be pretty extreme.) Sliding stops can be VERY hard on horse's joints. So, yep, while I'm no reining expert, not by a long shot, I do know a LITTLE something about reining horses and the long-term effects of a sport that can easily cross the edge into "extreme." A lot of sports can cross that line... But my question wasn't about DISCIPLINES...my question was about BREEDS and farriers. Not how the horses are USED. Karen Thomas, NC
