What a lot of topics already. I hardly know where to start! Steve and I have had Orthor-flex saddles for years. He has a modified American Outback and I have a Dresseur. They are great saddles and though mine was made with my Morgan in mind, their design allow thems to easily transfer to the no-withers Fjord. I do use a crupper and breast collar when trail riding in any kind of terrain other than flat. I was going down a steep hill one day and my saddle went up Tank's neck. Very awkward!
Suzan, how nice to hear from you and Petra. (we have been stall neighbors at the Blue Earth Show). Will you be a Blue Earth this year? I am sorry to hear about your foal. And Unna, when you talk about your sadness always brings tears to my eyes. Cantering a Fjord - well this has been a tough one for Tank and I. His big problem was that until we moved 18 months ago to a place that had a real pasture, Tank had never really had the opportunity to canter and he was having real trouble with it. I found that by taking him out on the road where he had lot's of room (we have fairly quiet country roads), I could eventually get him into one for a short time. My best successes have been riding behind a horse that gets ahead and Tank won't be left behind or like Paul said cantering him in harness where he doesn't have to worry so much about balance. I also went back to some basics with him to help him feel more balanced. He still often launches himself off with a little buck when he canters, but this Sunday he took a canter depart under saddle from a walk and I was one happy person. He needs to canter more to get a better sense of balance and he needs to canter in a large enough arena where he can learn to turn, but one step at a time. Stopping a Cantering Fjord - This has not been a problem for me with Tank. Thankfully, he is fairly obedient. However, we have had this problem in the past with our first horse, our Morgan, Pferd. We finally solved it when we learned about "doubling." Ilona, this can only be done in a snaffle bit, but it is quite effective. Doubling simply means making the horse turn back into himself. Teach your horse about it first at a walk and trot and then when he gets out of control at a canter or gallop, use it on him. To double - shorten one rein, while letting the other rein slide (you want to command the horse the turn sharply and you don't want both reins the same length). Shorten the rein until the horse cannot help but bend and turn which forces him or her to slow down or stop. Every time the horse does not listen to your halt command in any way at whatever gait, double him. You will be surprised at how much leverage you have on his nose. Pretty soon, you will find that they give in and they don't find running off so much fun. You cannot use a shank bit for this, the nutcracker effect on the horse's mouth will cause a lot of pain and horses don't think well in pain and you don't have the same leverage factor on his nose. We learned this from our first great discovery of book learning and horse training from the Mary Twelve Ponies book, "There are no problem horses, only problem riders." I will look this up tonight when I get home and see if I need to improve my description for you. This is a great trick to teach any beginning rider. I was reminded of this only a few weeks ago when my visiting granddaughter had a problem with Tank who wanted to return to his mates. She began to get afraid because he was not listening to her. I taught her the doubling trick and pretty soon she felt in control when he wasn't listening to her because she could make him do what she wanted - and she is only nine. Good luck! Cynthia Madden, Coordinator Office of Sponsored Programs & Research University of Nebraska at Omaha E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
