>>> I've been studying the slo-mo and it seems to be wavering between >>> stepping pace and saddle rack.
I believe that's likely. I didn't take the time to freeze-frame, but just looking at the non-leg clues: the rider's seat is not leaving the saddle at all, and the horse looks extremely smooth to ride. But, you can see a slight side-to-side motion in the rider's upper body. Whatever you call it, that sort of lateral gait is a long way from hard pace, and can be a great gait to ride - that's one of those spots where I sure wouldn't quibble whether someone calls it step-pace or saddle rack. He holds it for long periods too - I saw him break gait a few times, but not many. >>> Considering that some horses can't turn like that, I think the horse did >>> a really good job at it with no logging on the reins or head by the >>> rider. Yes, but even so, abrupt turns like that are hard on a horse's joints. Even non-abrupt turns can be hard on his body, so it bothers me to see it ridden like that purposely. Looks like a very nice horse to me, at least from what I can see in the video. I watched this on my teeny-tiny laptop screen. The reins look slack, and I don't see any shanks on the bit. Is that a snaffle? Karen Thomas [EMAIL PROTECTED]
