Karen Thomas, We are very pleased that someone like you purchased Skjoni from us. We are glad that he went to someone with the patience and ability to deal with his problems.
When we first purchased Skjoni.... We paid over $11,000 for him as an un-trained four year old....... He would have been worth more if we received him in the condition he is in now..... so a gelding in the $12,000 to $15,000 range is not unrealistic......That being said the only reason you were able to purchase him at such a reduced rate...... because we certainly lost money on him.... was as brand new horse owners we did not have the knowledge or expertise to deal with his trust issues...... It was so bad, at the end, that one breeder on this forum said that he should be euthanized..... I would not let that happen because he was such a wonder horse not under saddle......That is why you paid so little for him.... For the record I would love to have him back.... Now the reason why the price of Icelandic horses are dropping is because of the indiscriminate breeding that is happening in North America..... Anyone with a Mare and a Stallion think they are breeders..... regardless of the quality of their bloodlines or confirmation of the breeding stock......Most horses that are breed in North America would be eaten in Iceland.... You may find that thought distasteful (no pun intended) but that is why this breed of horses is so special..... Yet in less than one generation North Americans have destroyed the quality of this wonderful breed. Since I am on my soapbox..... They are called Icelandic HORSES only because they are horses not ponies...... Only in America is a pony defined by height and not ability.... The Icelandic horse is the only horse that is 12 to 14 HH and can carry a 250lb man (or Woman) for hours unaffected.... That would kill most ponies... The rest of the world calls them horses why do Americans have such a problem with this..... If you meet someone on the trail and they say "what cute little ponies" why do you feel the need to correct their ignorance or arrogance.... You know they are horses and your horse certainly knows what it is... so why do you have a problem with what other people think. As for Gudmar..... He has forgotten more about Icelandic horses than most of you will ever know..... I am sorry for you, that you have to trash a man for what he says not because he is wrong or un-knowledgeable but because you don't like what he says or simply don't understand his culture.... If Gudmar sat down with me to discuss horses I certainly would feel privileged and I would sit-up and pay attention.... That was a bit of a speech and I did not even touch religion or politics...... Thank you for listening.... have a good day Christopher
