>>>> We, as a group, are pretty much already on "the road to the horse"; we don't really need them. It's just that horses are being hurt in the meantime, and people are spending money on learning to ride and train in a way that is not good for the horse; eventually they will have to spend more money and more time to learn better ways.
One thing that bothers me about the references to the TWH's and other US gaited horses - most of the less-palatable "American Gaited Horse" habits began as traditions from a period when people didn't know better. Sure, the worst of the Big Lick stuff started in the 1950's and 1960's as show fads, but some of the other stuff we see: long shanked bits, riders leaning back, feet forward - well, people rode like that because they didn't have access to dressage lessons...Sally Swift hadn't written her book...there were no magazines like The Horse, Equus, and The Perfect Horse...there was no internet, no searches on www.thehorse.com ...there were no Parelli or Anderson Home Study programs...no RFD-TV ... there was no amazon.com to order books and videos on any conceivable equestrian/equine topic within a couple of days. It most certainly doesn't make it right - traditions never justify harsh treatments of animals - but at least you can see how the traditions started...basically, in ignorance. We have no excuse for being ignorant any more. The HUGE difference I see with Icelandics...? For the most part, they only came into the USA AFTER the HPA act was passed...after good veterinary care became accessible to most people...after the level of knowledge access had reached more than a minimal level. I got my first two TWH in 1988 - and by then, most people in my area saw their treatment (as show animals) as cruel and abusive. Yet, the Icelandic breed didn't even start to really gain in numbers until after that time. In other words, we in the USA have not been able to claim ignorance since Icelandic's arrived here. As Judy said, people who care enough to learn in the USA have been on "the road to the horse" for way too long to backslide for the sake of the traditions of other countries. We (those of us who care) THANKFULLY know enough to abandon some of our country's own misfortunate "traditions" within our own breeds, and many people have been doing so for decades now. Why should we not expect the same level of horsemanship for Icelandic horses? Karen Thomas [EMAIL PROTECTED]
