Hi Judy, Having bought horses and tried horses from quite a few farms in Iceland I would say that while there is definitely a strong similarity in how they train, there is a huge difference in the outcome.
>>>I don't think that many people actually follow thru in using new things that they learn in clinics from foreigners. Peggy Cummings has never been there but Susan Harris and Peggy Brown have been. Magnus looks at lots of different methods and tries to incorporate them. I am not sure that having Monty Roberts there is a bonus, personally and yet he has had a huge influence in the training methods. At Holar they teach the round pen to start horses and that came from him. >>>But they do, Skye. Sorry, but there is very very little variation in how they train, ride, handle horses. I know what you mean by the training, being similar but what about the huge variety in NH training methods that all go under the same umbrella, they have the same basic philosophy and methods but from what I have seen and experienced in the horses response it is clearly different. So why can those methods all be lumped as acceptable but none from Iceland? While I have seen lots of things I don't like in Iceland - I have also had older trainers come over and give 'heck' to younger trainers for things they didn't like such as a horse I was trying (nearly 20 years ago granted) that must have gotten his tongue over the bit and the trainer had a strap holding the tongue down (not unlike what they do with Standardbreds on the track). The older trainer walked over took the strap off the horse and threw it on the ground, berating the younger trainer in Icelandic about what a terrible thing that was to do with a horse. I think that takes some guts and is looking to be an advocate for the horse. And while I am sure it happened there are some things I have never seen in Iceland or from Icelandic trainers - I have never seen them "get into a horse' the way I have seen some trainers at expos - shaking a rope to run them backwards every time a horse makes a mistake, running them in circles until they come to the person, repetitively lying a horse down (for 45 minutes) to prepare for a 'show'. Judy, I definitely appreciate your continued advocacy for horses and feel that you have a lot more openness to accepting what US trainers do than anything an Icelandic trainer could do. Robyn Icelandic Horse Farm Robyn Hood & Phil Pretty Vernon BC Canada www.icefarm.com
