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[RC] travelling *funky* - rides2farIt's called "crabbing" and he was probably looking for a way to extend> without his hinds hitting his fronts. >ggg< He'd have needed eyes in his rear feet to hit his fronts...they were all over the place themselves. I give whomever lots of > credit> for riding this guy those 1000 miles and in particular the 100. I rode him the first 500 miles. You had to have a short stirrup, and give a little extra umph forward as your tush met saddle or you'd get a double bump. You had to keep squeezing him forward or he'd have just as much movement, but sort of start doing it all in one place. The movement just got vertical instead of horizontal. His neck was short and a bit upside down. He looked a lot like a camel on a cartoon. (Maybe I can find a photo to scan and one of you can post it. This needs a link! >g<) When he went up a steep hill he never seemed to lean forward much and you had the feeling he was going to start falling backwards. It was a junior (Rebecca Houts) who rode him in the 100. I think she ended up with a total of 1000 miles on him. She was a good rider, but gave up endurance not long afterwards. I always wished she'd tried it on at least one other horse to see what it *could* have felt like. I think I deserve just as much credit for completing the Edgemont 50 on him as she got for the 100. He was such a crappy hill horse I led him up most of that *steep* mtn. ride. Darned near killed me. In my memory that ride was close to impossible. I wonder if I'd have even noticed it on Kaboot. I > rode a> friend's horse to try and re-school her and she crabbed on top of travelling> hollow-backed. She'd wear me out in 15 miles. One thing I can't stand is> riding a crooked horse. I wouldn't have dared to fix one thing on that horse. It was a miracle that any of it worked and if you'd changed anything at all the whole plan might have collapsed. I'd attribute that to their brain. They're > so> single-minded it never occurs to them to stop. (Maybe that was your > Isaiah> too?) I still think the brain is the most important element. Oh no. He was not especially forward. He's very happily a kid horse now...obese and totes around some little kids. He had a 28 resting pulse and great recoveries. Heart monitors were useless on him since his gait was his limiting factor. He did some funny things. I wish I'd bothered to take a photo of him towing kids up hills on their rollerblades. They'd just grab his tail and he'd plod on. One day loggers had knocked down about a 12" diameter tree on the mountainside and mud had washed down next to it and made a bog. He looked at the bog, looked at the mud, and then just stepped up on the tree and walked it like a footlog to the other side. Kaboot was green at the time and just hopped up and walked it behind him. Not as easy for Kaboot since he didn't rope walk. >g< I also > think that whomever rode Isaiah is a heck of a horseperson. Those of us who rode him had never ridden a good Arab. He was the first for both of us and we thought that's what Arabs felt like. I doubt I could do it again now that I know better. Hmmmmm... maybe it was the same person who says any pasture potato can do a 25? Hey...he may have proved any old pature potato can do 100! >eg< Angie ________________________________________________________________ The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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