>>>> You are certainly braver than I am. Every now and then I will drop my >>>> stirrups coming back into the ranch, but I certainly don't drop them on >>>> trail. That you can do this is a nice testament of good-minded. >>>> well-trained horses. ... Don't you have killer deer or crazed >>>> squirrels back there?
Sure we do...plus foxes, an occasional owl that flies up across the trail about 10 feet in front of us! (That's my personal favorite. Nothing makes me jump quicker than a huge bird taking flight practically in my face.) No bear, no moose, and no cougars though. I actually can feel MORE secure without stirrups, since riding without them encourages me to brace. >>> (Just read this - it's not quite true - we do stand in our stirrups >>> when ascending very VERY steep trails, a position similar to one you >>> would be in jumping a 3 or 4 ft jump. The theory is that it freees the >>> horse's back up. I'm not quibbling over someone who does something like that for a short period, if it's done for a reason, and if you think it's helping the horses. I've mainly been talking about the kind of riding we see in the Icelandic show ring - remember the subject line... There aren't too many bears or steep hills in any show ring I've experienced. If you need to brace in a flat, groomed arena, something is indeed amiss! Karen Thomas, NC
