Oops - sorry - just hit send on a blank e-mail... >>>> That's true, but how is the breed supposed to be promoted?
I think some things just don't need to be mentioned so much, one way or another. One of those things that bother me is the 30, 35, 40, whatever mph claims. Who cares? No one I'd want to sell a horse to would want a horse that goes that fast, and frankly I don't believe Icelandics go that fast for long enough stretches in normal circumstances to matter. It just strikes me as some macho chest-beating...over ponies. Go figure... The jumping thing is another. I see the breed as sort of neutral re: jumping-potential...a few horses can do pretty well, more can do it just passably, and some won't be able to do it well at all. In other words, the paciest ones probably won't do too well, but past that, you're going to see a cross-section - not so terribly different from what you might see in Arabs or QH, or other breeds not known for producing "jumping specialists". >>> I can't imagine very naturally gaited horses being able to jump too well. I used to jump and I don't think I would want to try approaching a jump without a clean trot or canter, you really have to pace them to get them to take off at the right place, if their gait isn't clean, that could be a disaster. You assume that gaited horses can't canter cleanly? I don't believe that - I think that's an old myth, that canter is mutually exclusive from gait. My Mac (TWH) has always struggled with the canter, tending to go four-beat or cross-canter, but he is pacey - not ideally gaited by my way of thinking. Most of my Icelandics - even five-gaited Sina, Trausti and Brunka, have very nice, clean three-beat canters. We've jumped Sina and Falki in the ring over hunter type jumps and they do quite well, lifting their knees and rounding their backs like any good hunter should. It looks like all the babies are going to canter easily and freely. Most hunter or jumper classes are done from a canter, except for the little kids classes, which are done from the trot. No one would even need know that Sina is gaited in a hunter class, and she's very strongly gaited. I wouldn't go so far as to PROMOTE the breed for jumping, but I certainly wouldn't discourage anyone from trying it with their Icelandics. As I said before, many of the hunter ponies I met were also family pets and trail horses, who only showed part-time. As for trotting - there are some strongly gaited horses whose range of gaits include a pretty strong trot - Trausti to name one - but not many hunter/jumper classes depend on trot anyway. >>>> I'd rather see less trotty Icelandics rather than be able to promote them as jumpers, Sina is NOT trotty, not by a long shot. She can and will trot but mainly she has an awesome canter. I think it's selling the breed a little short to assume they can't have good canters...Getting horses who gait AND canter well is a high priority to me - not so much to jump as just to be good, athletic horses. My TWH mare has a wonderful canter, AND a lovely trot, AND a lovely running walk, and she could jump some, so I see no reason to exclude Icelandics from the sport, IF they can do it. Falki IS geared to the trotty side, but he's also gaiting on his own now, freely offering a foxtrot that's nice for the trail. And besides, the breed standard does say that the horses should be able to trot. I don't believe it's possible (or even desirable) to hit the breed standard every time, with every foal, but trot is in the written description of the breed. (Just not to the exclusion of the gaitedness...) >>>> there are plenty of pony jumpers out there, I don't really disagree with that, but a lot of families need/want a horse who can dabble in some different kinds of fun activities at low levels, even showing a little - a versatile, sensible and sound family pet. That's the niche I see Icelandics filling - not so much providing "A"-show hunters or jumpers. I think there is a niche for a lot more of those kinds of " family jumpers" than the "serious" show kinds. Karen Thomas, NC -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.432 / Virus Database: 268.16.7/618 - Release Date: 1/6/2007 7:47 PM
