>>>>> oh, i was meaning to post this -- he rode stjarni the other day, and said afterwards that he liked him very much, but he still "felt better balanced" on and preferred a *smaller* horse (like our dear old 12.3 molly!) i'm trying to persuade him that he should ride some more icelandics :)
>>Was her barrel a different shape than Stjarni's? That brings up another good point, Judy. Generally, we talk about weight-carrying when we talk about bigger adults riding Icelandics, but after a point, you do have to consider the torso/leg lengths of the rider too. Those affect the vertical balance points of a rider, and extremes - as in an over-6' rider on a pony - that can create a drag the horse must compensate for unless the rider remains very balanced and quiet. I know Sue's thin but very tall husband (6'7" I think?) easily meets a good weight for Kolur to carry, but he has to be very careful since any tipping to one side will create more drag on the horse than if I (5'0") were to do the same kind of riding. Cary (6'2") is USUALLY fairly careful about not using his upper body unnecessarily (by leaning into turns unnecessarily, etc.) but when he's taken his occasional lesson lately, that's been his focus. He's limited to what he can do with his legs, due to the hip issue, but he CAN control his upper body. Karen Thomas, NC -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.432 / Virus Database: 268.16.9/623 - Release Date: 1/11/2007 3:33 PM
