On Mon, Jul 30, 2007 at 09:14:00PM -0700, Judy Ryder wrote: > >> Have we heard a trainer, breeder, or seller of Icelandic Horses claim > >> that > >> the horses can carry a 300 lb man all day? > > > > i've never heard an icelander make such claims. > > Here's an excerpt (attached) from an article written from an interview with > Steinar, Diddi's son.
i'm sorry, but i have the world's most primitive mail reader here, so i can't see an attachment? could i ask you to quote the relevant bits? > That's just one instance; I believe it's been stated by other imported > trainers with the amount at 250 lbs. > > On one breeder's site, in regard to a horse for sale, it includes the > following comment: > > "the professional trainers from Iceland that saw her say she could easily > carry 350 lbs". but not all day. > In a horse magazine, one importer says: "Icelandics are powerful enough to > carry a 300-pound man over tough terrain on long trail rides." ....i think some of these terms are insufficiently defined: "tough terrian" and "long trail rides". for most people at my barn, an hour of trail riding is "long". since my trail-riding buddy turns out to be one of the diehards, for us it's become four or five hours. both his 20-year-old quarab and stjarni seem to like this a lot, and except on very hot days they come home cool and comfortable. (we give them liniment baths when it's gotten icky out.) and how well does the theoretical 300# rider *ride*? > > i love your webpage with tips for horses for large people! i will be > > printing this out and posting it in my barn for the benefit of some of > > our larger riders and people (like me!) who sometimes have large people > > riding their horses. > > Great; thanks! thank you!! to share my own experiences with stjarni (an icelandic of considerable bulk: 14hh, weight-tapes 1000-1100# (i should do this again), 9" cannon bones, and in work about 1-4 hours a day, five days a week, several different riders): i have one beginner rider who weighs around 240#. she's still on the lead line at the walk, as her balance is poor, but we're working on her strength-building so she's actually *on* for up to an hour. stjarni's shown no signs of soreness or discomfort (i massage him after every day he gets ridden, pretty much). he's careful with her, as he is with all his beginning riders. i also have an advanced rider, 190#, who has ridden stjarni over fences in the ring and out on the trail for as much as an hour (say five or six miles) with no problems (stjarni LOVES this guy :) i would be willing to try letting him carry a 300# rider, and let stjarni tell me (by his willingness, his expressions, and his tension under massage) whether or not he was uncomfortable. but i wouldn't say offhand it wouldn't work, and of course stjarni isn't the biggest or strongest icey in the world, either. but i think the biggest factor might be the rider's ability to balance well and make stjarni's life easy; the "well-packed, well-fitted backpack model" :) --vicka
