Stef, this is a very note-worthy topic!
> That's something I try so hard to pass onto students, is empathy for > the horse. But, I don't know that it's teachable... I don't know that it's teachable; probably is. But what is more likely to happen is peer learning by example (peer pressure :-)). With the Icelandic Horses, peer pressure was at a very high level on doing stuff the icelander way. All we have to do tho, is to use our brains and figure things out (we have many many highly educated, and smart Icelandic owners!),.... what is right for the horse... and not just following what someone else says to do. We should think about the Youth Program.... why would we send our children to learn a rough way of handling, riding, and training Icelandics? Why would we support a registry that only allows icelander-style training, riding, and tack, and evaluations that may not be based on natural gait and good science. Shouldn't we speak out against running the horse on ice? Shouldn't we *not* support people and organizations that view and use the horse as a commodity? Let's put our thinking caps on and figure out why we'd support a program whose goals are not in the best interests of the horse (in other words, no empathy for the horse). Judy http://icehorses.net http://clickryder.com
