> >Have they done any research of horses running on ice? > Not formal research that I know of.<<
Mic, Here's an example of some informal research: I rode out the other day (before this last snowstorm), the dirt roads were clear down the middle with ice and snow on the sides. I tried to keep Mosa in the middle on the dirt (she's barefoot right now) but she kept drifting...and the thought occured to me that she WANTED to walk on the ice- so I let her choose her path and I was right...she wanted to feel it and explore it, and figure out what that footing felt like- so she walked about 100 yards on one side on the ice and then switched over and did the same on the other side...then she decided the dirt was ok. She did her own research. She did the same thing last year when the stream overflowed into their pasture on one side and froze like a little pond ---she spent days playing on the ice, trying out different directions and different speeds until she was satisfied. She very obviously enjoyed the ice. Ashley
