Hi, everyone.
Kerstin asked me to post this so you can see her horses, as she has got a "so-slow" internet connection!
I have to say that I spent the most fantastic day with them on the 17th.
Kerstin offered me the chance to "borrow" one of her horses to test ride the Trekker Flexible Saddle I want to buy. Not only did I love that saddle, I received a very special gift from them.
I was shown the horse intended for the test, and Marc rode him for a few minutes in cordeo only. Then he asked if I wanted to try! Well, I screwed up all my courage (the horse is very baroque, and has a strong presence) and chose to try.
So, I walked over to the horse, and greeted him, and told him Mark said I could have a little ride. Tom lifted his head and glared at me down his nose as if to say "How rude! We haven't been properly introduced and you think you can just jump onto my back because Mark said it's OK!"
Well, when my giggling subsided I apologised for being far too familiar so quickly and asked if I could scratch him anywhere. He promptly turned his head and bit at his barrel, so I scratched there. He showed me another, and another, and another, etc. After about 10 minutes (my fingers were starting to cramp - hahaha) he sighed softly and turned his back towards me. WOW! What a feeling.
So Mark helped me mount, and we did a little walking and trotting in the paddock. This was the first time I "surrendered" control to a horse, and man-oh-man, I can't wait to do it again!
Then we saddled up, and put a bridle on Tom (bitless - of course) and Mark and Sultan took Tom and I for a jaunt through the coutryside. I really tested that saddle! I don't think there is any style of trot that Tom didn't show me, and I have a sneaky suspicion that he's even invented a few!
He has the typical, high-knee-action, super-fast, huge-and bouncy trot that many Friesians have. Also he can jog, slow-trot, working-trot, soft-and-smooth trot, sideways trot, suspension trot, triple (which is trotting with front while walking with hind), over-the stones trot, different-tempo-every-stride trot, almost-backwards trot, really-really-fast-downhill trot, 2-strides-trot-and-1-stride-walk (with as many number variations as you can think of), I-can't-hear-you-I'm-following-the-dog trot, trot-pirouette, and I few I don't know how to describe! What a magnifent, wonderful creature he is!
Of course, Mark was giggling at me most of the way! We did reach an understanding - I chose where to go, and he chose the pace! Not once did I feel unsafe or nervous, although I was initially quite intimidated.
Thank you so much, Tom!
Here's a video of four of Kerstin and Mark's five horses. Sorry, the fifth horse wandered off in the opposite direction while I was preparing the camera.
http://s256.photobucket.com/albums/hh19 ... inMark.flv