This message is from: misha nogha <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Okay Ladies, Alex, Gayle, Karen and Anne, all of you who encouraged me to trace clip my horse and who are now yucking it up behind my back. What you didn't add was the warning label. "Please note, trace clipping an already peppy horse in the fall can have similar results to putting nitrous in your fuel tank."
I should have known the other night, when my vet rode up on his horse and said, "Nice racing stripes." Admittedly, Ingmar was a little chargey that night, but I thought I would use that impulsion to get great trots, and yes, even canters at the sidepass, wonderful extension, beautifully arced 20 meter circles, we finally got to bending together. All was going well until I heard the instructor call for everyone to execute a clean, canter depart. I thought, "Well perhaps he is a little chargey. but--well, maybe that would help us not take any extra steps. All was going well, we cued up at the fence, until I felt this strange sinking sensation in Ingmars haunches, as if an arrow might feel, notched in the string, and firmly and quickly pulled back and up at some unknown target in the sky. I thought, oh, don't forget the mental picture, but before it was fully formed, the bowstring was released and Ingmar shot high into the air, came down in a buck or two and headed out in a dead gallop around the tiny arena. The arena wall seemed to come up fast as I attempted to sit back down, (remembering my instructors advice, stay centered int he saddle), no problemo, if I could find the darn thing. I thought perhaps Ingmar had seen the wall of death show at some local fair where the guy in the Indian motorcyle climbs the wall and circles sideways, through centrifical forces. We did make an amazing 45 degree angle turn (smallish arena) and ended up at a rapid canter instead of dead run. Through it all I could hear people saying, Wow, those Fjords can really go! Next time I hope to demonstrate the Canter depart and not the gallop depart. Wonder if I can glue that hair back on? Misha at Shota Fjords http://www.eoni.com/~mishamez
