Hi Vicka >>i think taking the lessons made all the difference in the world. i got good feedback on what stjarni was doing with all those legs and how it sounded and felt. then i was able to make sense of it, and work out ways to communicate with him what i wanted and when.
There is no question that taking some lessons really helps - especially because you didn't come from a background of gaited horses. I find that the people who come to look at horses that have ridden gaited horses have little problem finding the tolt. Interestingly the two very different groups that sometimes have problems are some hunter/jumper riders - they can usually make any horse trot and not on purpose; and western pleasure riders who are used to taking no contact and having horses go with little self carriage and very strung out. I am not saying all of this type of rider but IME most of them. With a few lessons they can learn. >>(though he still falls back to a four-beat tolt and will not trot in some cases of high excitement, such as a dressage test, alas ;) That is pretty normal IME, when they are excited the tolt comes out. Robyn Icelandic Horse Farm Robyn Hood & Phil Pretty Vernon BC Canada www.icefarm.com
