>>> If we all expected (or hoped for) the same thing from a horse, there'd >>> only be one breed. I was attracted to Icelandics for a long list of >>> reasons one of which is the fact that trot is often a gait they do >>> naturally. I know some people who ride gaited horses choose gaited >>> because they hate posting, but I love a good trotting horse.
Not only do a lot of Icelandic's trot naturally, but it's a stated part of the breed standard. Now, obviously I think a lot of the breed standard is questionable - breeding for knee-action, etc. - but trot has been in the breed standard for a long time, and doesn't appear to be a Johnny-come-lately fad...does it? If it hadn't been, I wouldn't have remembered that first article I read about them (from the early 1990's?) when I broke my back in 2002. By then, I'd FINALLY realized that Holly was a great horse, not a defective one, in that she can trot and gait. Not only did I appreciate Holly, but I wanted another like her. Of course, breeding for gait isn't an exact science (and there are too many people who don't even try to understand the science component anyway) so when a breed standard includes trot and pace, you'll probably find individual horses with all gaitedness variations in the middle, and in both extremes. Caring horse owners will pick the horses that best suit their needs, and not try to force a particular horse to do what they want, no matter how hard it is for the horse. Viva la difference! BUT...if the horse trots, the rider should learn to ride the trot in a compassionate way, be that sitting or posting...but NOT banging on his back like a pogo stick. >>> In fact, I can't think quite how that would work. At the top of every >>> hill I would stop for a minute and change my stirrup leathers? I'm >>> really too lazy. I don't know why you'd need to change your stirrup length. Posting ideally should be very subtle, with your butt barely leaving the saddle. (Someone on another list recently described it as your back pockets leaving the saddle.) I try to ride with my heels under my hips regardless of the gait, but the older I get, and the more injuries my poor hips and back have had, the harder that becomes. (Cary has even more trouble than I do.) The only time I'd change my stirrup length would be to go over jumps of 2+ feet, and maybe not even then. And somewhere today, I read someone referring to posting as "standing in the stirrups." Oh no! If you stand on your stirrups, or brace on them when sitting, you're very likely to be putting undue weight under the stirrup bars, or stressing the horse in some area. This is true with treed and treeless saddles. Most of us who started riding in traditional "English" lessons (Nancy...?) probably remember learning to post with no stirrups at all! (Oh, the agony at first!) When posting, your weight should be across your inner thighs, with your abs and lower back getting a workout. Karen Thomas, NC
