EK>You better believe it. When I took my beginners lessons after the
  >10-yr break, I learned more in 6 months than I did in 6 years of
  >'owning' and going by the book. I like western for romantic
Isn't it amazing how much you know when you're  young, especially in
your teen and 20's.  How is Western more romantic than English?
  > Shemmeek is a 16-hand+ Arabian with no papers, but a spitting
  >image of the picture of a Shagya arab in Wynne-Edwards "The
  >Ultimate Horse Book." He is ~8 yrs old, I have 'owned' him for 2
  >years now, and we are both still improving bit by bit (I am the
  >slow one). He is not perfect conformation-wise, and has a rough
  >trot to which I am fairly well used to now (collection helps).
Sounds pretty.  It seems to me that the more perfect the conformation
the less perfect the price.  I'm the slow one too.  Smokey is very
patient though.  Smokey's trot is unusual.  He  occasionally throws
and extra step into his trot and canter.  Riding a 3-beat trot really
throws you off.
EK>His best feature is that he is a rel "people horse" and pal. He
  >will respond by whinnyig to my call - pasture or barn, and will
  >come, sometimes at a gallop. When he calls from his stall, I am
  >the one who trots up the isle to get him. He heels better than
  >most dogs, even off halter.
Sounds like Smokey.  I usually don't have to go out in the pasture to
get my horses.  They meet me at the gate.  It can be scarey when the
pasture is full of horses and the other horses decide to join the race
to see who can get to the gate first.  At that point I step out and wait
on the other side of the gate especially if the lead horse is looking
back over its shoulder at the other horses.
EK>Well now, sorry if I bored you with a long spiel, consider it
  >charity to have listened to my ramblings. I am surprised at
  >myself that I have to babble that much at my age (or is it
  >_because_ of age, now? :-)).
I certainly wasn't bored.  You were talking about one of my favorite
subjects.
  >Lyons, wish he would come to Canada sometime and that I could
  >afford the money. Still, even unskilled riding is better than no
  >riding at all (kind of like sex, right?) As for pistol shooting,
Lyons is great especially for a beginner.  You don't have to know much
to benefit from one of his symposiums.  I thought he did come to Canada.
Debby
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