>>> I do believe that this is part of the reason that the breed does not enjoy more popularity in North America. The incongruities between what is being said and what is being done are recognizable by people who know horses.
Throwing aside the health risks of the horses at "ice tolts", the goofiest thing to me about them is who the heck is going to identify with that as a sport? Gosh, very few areas in the US are cold enough to guarantee that ice on lakes/ponds remains frozen deeply enough to safely support a 1200 pound animal/human pair - assuming one has access to ride on such a lake/pond in the first place. And who the heck is going to rent an ice rink and take their horses ice tolting? I think there is only one ice rink in Charlotte (population 650,000), and I doubt they will rent it out for horses - and imagine the cost! (I can just hear the suburban moms of the little figure-skating Olympic hopefuls screaming about the poop-contaminated ice!) Ok, so I'll never competitively show jump - but watching a hunter-jumper show MIGHT inspire someone like me to want to hop over a couple of little jumps in the arena, or over a log on the trail. I'm never going to be a haute ecole dressage rider, but watching a nicely performed dressage test can inspire me to work on flying lead changes and clean gait transitions. I'll never be Pat Parelli or John Lyons, but they always inspire me to work on my "playtime" with my horses. I'll never drive a four-in-hand, but I still think about getting a simple cart for my guys. Ice tolts don't inspire me to go out and do anything. They just make me shake my head - the whole concept is just so out of touch with my reality. Karen Thomas, NC No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.19.15/1248 - Release Date: 1/28/2008 9:32 PM
