>>> Don't let it bother you Lorraine. Even if he really truly has NO >>> intermediate gait and never will, many people (me included) love a horse >>> with a nice trot. We had a visitor this Spring who chose her Icelandic >>> expressly because he was inclined to trot. She wanted to do dressage.
And I'll confess: I've done everything I can possibly do to TRY to breed for Icelandic's with strong natural gait, and I believe we're getting it in our foals. But you know, just for ME, for MY riding, breeder-duties aside, I'd love to have a three-gaited Icelandic. Seriously. One I could just trot and trot and trot on...and never worry about gaiting. Trotting is such good aerobic exercise (for the humans) and a great thigh builder. Yet who is my favorite riding horse? Sina - with whom it's almost impossible to get enough suspension to her trot (which actually stays slightly foxtrotty) to manage to post to. Karen Thomas, NC
