Since the subject of mechanically enhanced knee action has come up, I remembered this picture I saw from the recent Icelandic World Championships. http://gallery.mac.com/jtfreeman#100035/DPP_0241&bgcolor=black
Can someone tell me what I'm seeing here? Is that horse kicking himself in the elbow with his front hoof? Or, is his leg contorting outwards, such that the bottom of his foot is out beside his elbow? To me, it looks like the latter...? Is that natural? Is it painful? Will it cause eventual damage to ride a horse like that? Why possible benefit is there to asking a horse to move that way? Would you want to breed a mare or stallion that NATURALLY moves that way? Karen Thomas [EMAIL PROTECTED]
