>>> I think I'd be really intimidated by riding for Liz Graves or any other >>> clinician, but if I actually found a clinic anywhere near me and decided >>> to ride, would I be able to take Hunter who can't be ridden with a bit? >>> I would love to understand his gaitedness better than I do. He seems to >>> do every gait known to man except hard pace and hand gallop.
I can understand wanting to watch someone before riding with them, but the last person you'd ever have to be intimidated with is Liz. That's her forte - dealing with regular folks like us, not necessarily show riders, just sincere people who really want to do the best for our horses. My friend, Shirley, rode Trausti for me in one of the clinics, and she went to another level for Shirley. But, she can also change to relate to a good ol' husband type like Cary. Cary is NOT big on riding in clinics. In fact, he'd NEVER ridden in one pre-Icelandics. He also rode in one at Robyn's, a Centered Riding clinic. BTW, she's a big "tack minimalist." At the first clinic I sponsored here two years ago, there were several riders in sidepulls. Janice rode Teev in one last year. If the rider is riding in a shanked bit, but is using it tactfully and the horse is going well in it, she might not say anything. But, if the horse is unhappy, and she thinks the bit is an issue, she'll tell you. She typically carries several of her own bits for riders to try, but she doesn't sell bits. The ones she likes best are generally easy to find, standard bits. >>> Probably make more sense to take one of the Icelandics whose gaits are >>> more straight forward. Not necessarily. It depends on what you want to do and learn. You might be very surprised what she could find in Hunter, and that could be an eye-opener. But, if you want to pick one or two gaits to focus on at first, it can be easier if you pick an easier horse. Karen Thomas, NC
