>>>> planning on buying a pony in a few years when my daughter is old enough. Can anyone tell me a little more about these ponies. Are they easy keeper?
First - welcome to the list! There are plenty of easy keepers in this breed - but if the one you happen to find and like isn't, you deal with what you get, right? :) >>> How are they around children? I think a lot of that will depend on how they were trained, as well as there being some variation within the breed. If the horses was started somewhat "Icelandic traditionally", then he will likely be too fast, and without suitable "finesse skills" for a young child. More and more of us are trying to train our horses more suited to "typical" American expectations, so be sure to check around. >>>> Are they gaited? Can you do "basic" english...on the bit..soft rounded back working from behind? MOST are gaited...but occasionally "gaited" can mean pacey, and those individuals usually aren't the best choices for hunter/dressage type English riding. The nicely gaited ones should be able to trot too, but the whole subject of gaits is pretty complicated - pull up a chair and stick around for a while! The "breed ideal" should be gaited, but there are some awfully nice three-gaited horses out there, and often they are priced a little lower. As long as no one has tried to force those three-gaited horses (or marginally gaited horses) into gait, they can be awesome horses, for trail and for versatility use. >>> What do these ponies cost? Here's a warning - if you see an Icelandic for sale at a very low price, ask LOTS of questions. Occasionally, you can find a good one at a rather low price, but most often, there's a reason for the price. For a child, an older horse can be great, and if that's the only problem, then I wouldn't hesitate to buy one. Just ask A LOT of the normal, pre-purchase type questions, try any horse you might be interested in (the more times, the better), and take any seller claims with a grain of salt. We have some great, reputable sellers in this breed...but unfortunately we have our share of "horse traders" too. Personally, if I were you and I saw a horse advertised as having had "show training" - I'd run as fast as I could the other way. (I am an ex-horse-show-mom who made a mistake in the first horse purchase for my daughter, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone. I can think of particular Icelandic's that I wish had been my daughter's first pony, but some would have been a bigger mistake than the mistake we made.) >>>Can a 135lb person ride them? I would say that MOST healthy Icelandic's (note that I said "most" and "healthy") can easily carry 135 pounds - and a notable number can carry a good bit more. It all depends on the individual horse. My 235 pound husband rides an exceptional Icelandic, but there are some individuals in this breed that I wouldn't want to see him on at all, and others for only short rides. I have about 15 riding age Icelandic's now, and only one would I question the horse's ability to carry more than, say, 135-150 pounds. (He's had an injury.) Again, welcome to the list, and feel free to ask as many questions as you like. I LOVE this breed, and I hope you will too. :) Karen Thomas, NC
