>>>> I took my little friend, Breyer, out with me to model.
BTW, I've never seen a neck like this on an Icelandic, and I see no reason to breed for one. I like Icelandic's for what they are, and Icelandic's have, in general, pretty short necks. We aren't looking at horses with any serious potential as dressage horses, so who cares? And a horse doesn't have to have an ideal conformation to do a little low-level dressage anyway, and that's all I'm interested in...if that. If we breed "for" something that is so out of character for this breed, we will inevitably have to breed "against" some of the best traits that have made this breed what it is. In one of the books or articles I was reading yesterday, I ran across a comment that, push come to shove, there are usually fewer problems with a neck that is on the short side, as opposed to one that is really long. I tend to agree. I've seen those swan-necked Arabs and Saddlebreds, and they look like they have lots more potential for "evasions" if ridden wrong, and I can't see any advantage to that. Karen Thomas, NC
