Well, I owned and rode for 18 months a 14.3 straight Egyptian gelding,
extremely competitive, a going machine with a heart that must be as big as a
bucket. He was inbred on Shiko Ibn Sheikh. Who's he? Rio's grandsire.
This little horse had the widest, flattest withers Steve/Kathy at SR
Saddlery ever fit a saddle for (so they said when they refit my saddle for
him). I just wasn't doing him justice so gave him to a 15 year old daughter
of a friend. Nothing wrong with him for endurance.
The little "mutton withered" horse I mentioned earlier is a half sibling to
and last foal from dam to Judy Houle's Shatir. Dam was a granddaughter to
both *Raseyn and *Serafix, he just happens to physically resemble his sire
more in type -- I did my research before purchasing him altho my heart was
lost and getting him was a foregone conclusion as I prefer to ride a horse I
have a special bond to, anyway Haflingers do compete successfully in
endurance and I'm told they do it well enough to qualify for team in UK. My
little gelding is just 3 so still time to lose some more baby fat and change
but he'll always be similar in structure, I love him anyway and will compete
in endurance with him -- long time knowledgeable endurance people that are
friends have supported me in my decision saying "of course he can do it"!
We have a new gelding my husband is riding, straight Arab and has in his
close up pedigree Fadjur, Bay Abi, Bask, Serafix and also Witez II and
Ferseyn. He too is pretty mutton withered and flat backed, but wow can this
horse move and with no conditioning yet he hardly breaths!
Marisa wrote:
> Things to use as mounting blocks are a convenience, and I use them when I
can, but they are
>not always available.
My now 26 year (retired) gelding used to side pass (on his own) over to me
as I climbed up on fences, gates, trucks, large rocks, downed trees etc to
mount (I have knee problems so sometimes have to climb off onto things too)!
I also stand up hill when I have nothing else to use (in other words put the
horse in the hole!)
> You know, stand next to horse holding reins in left hand and facing rear
of horse. Then swing
>right leg up and over and land in saddle?!
Mind, I used to be able do that running mount from behind and the pony
express mount at a gallop but what was disgusting was that I couldn't swing
up on my 14.2 mare from the side at a stand, all this when I was a skinny
teenager. Then the big insult was when I had to watch our 'other' daughter
when she was 14 swing up bareback onto the 17.3 TB she used to ride: faced
backwards, reached for the sky as she grabbed his mane, steped back and then
would swing her right heel up and hook it over his withers at which point
she was nearly hanging upside down, then squirm her way up. To bad we never
got that on film, probably be worth winning the $100,000 video!!!
Hey, get on anyway you can that works for you and the horse and ride, ride,
ride! But most of all: have fun doin it!
Karen
Atascadero, CA