--- In [email protected], "Karen Thomas" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I think Judy's original question was why have the numbers of some of the > other breeds introduced to the USA about the same time as Icelandic's grown > much more than the numbers of Icelandic's. > Before I acquired my gelding, a friend bought a yearling gelding. She was advised to send him to OK to an Icelandic trainer when he was mature. When I was shopping seriously for an Icelandic, many of the other customers were novice adult riders (new potential horse owners) and the horses available were mostly imports.
We, on the list, all know how awesome Icelandics are, but.... I think that the low numbers of Icelandics in North America is a direct result of what we have discussed on the list many times. Adults in the U.S. don't generally ride ponies. The training that the imported horses received in Iceland is not generally the same kind of training that novice riders receive in the U.S.. Gaited horses are neat, but there are many other gaited breeds to choose from that are less expensive and are trained for a North American pleasure rider. If someone is interesting in showing, there aren't many opportunities to show Icelandics and/or gaited horses. And, if someone is interested in pleasure riding there aren't many Icelandics available in North America to choose from. Catch 22... I have met a few Fjords and have ridden 3 on a semi-regular basis before I had my own horses. All are nice, solid animals with mostly mellow temperments. Their respective owners never said anything about sending them to a Norwegian trainer or worried about finding a Norwegian saddle. At the Midwest Horse Fair, the Haflinger demo was geared toward showing the "all around" horse. People were riding western and english and some horses were in harness. In general, the Fjords and Haflingers I have seen are a little larger than the Icelandics that I have met...14+hh vs. 13hh..i.e. almost horse size vs. pony size. Both breeds are also on showbills as draft ponies at the county fairs here in upper michigan. Plus, people can show them in local light horse open shows as well. The price of Icelandics might be high, but I think it is the cost of everything else that turns off a potential customer (travel to and from the far away barn, shipping the horse, specialized training, specialized tack, etc.). Why spend the extra money when you can get a TWH (or a Fjord or Haflinger) locally. -Kristen
