On Mon, Feb 11, 2008 at 09:19:49AM +0000, Mic Rushen wrote:
> >you'd think a shorter horse would have less
> >"power" but he seems to have more power in a canter than my big horses
> >have in a gallop.
>
> It seems to be pretty rare for Icelandics to manage a nice slow
> collected canter. Ability, or training? The latter, I think, though
> some 5gaited horses find it really hard.
i've ridden two five-gaited icelandics (stjarni and litfrida from the
vermont icelandic horse farms) who had darling slow canters.
both are way more available on the trail. litfrida liked to canter
uphill, and would do so in a very smooth, gentle, slow manner, and would
always drop to her walk two strides before i wanted to :)
stjarni i think had not been ridden in a ring much before i got him, and
when i first started riding him seemed to think that cantering in such a
tiny space was sheer madness ("but there's about to be something IN THE
WAY!") at any speed. he has a very long stride anyway, and his
preferred canter is not quick-strided, but it is fast and not all that
easy to turn, i think. but doing a lot of trail riding where he is one
of the faster-gaited horses, but needing to stay behind shower (the
ex-racehorse barnmate who likes to lead or race, but not follow) he's
developed this precious, silky little canter i call his "catch-up
canter". it is slow, and clearly designed to maximize his time at the
canter between my asking him to tolt or trot at the front of the (by
then usually trotting and a few cantering) rest of the group, and
getting close to shower, where of course he has to slow down again. it
feels very different from his ordinary canter, which is not more
energetic, just covers a lot more ground with each stride. now if only
i can convince him he can do that in our ring....maybe come spring.
i do not claim either photographic evidence or enough expertise in what
you mean by "nice slow collected canter" but i'd call both of these that.
--vicka
