>>> Janice you have Walkers and Icelandics -- it would probably be difficult to choose which you prefer so I'll ask what are the differences, other than height?
I'm not Janice, nor do I play her on the Internet, but I'll give you my unsolicited two-cents worth. This might be an interesting test so let's see if Janice has a totally different answer! She has two Icelandics, one rideable, but several TWH/McCurdy/racking horses. I've only had two TWH, but 20 or so Icelandic's... Gaited horses are very common in my area, but I've never seen so many in groups like Janice shows in her pictures. Our perspectives could be quite different! There are some VERY nice TWH out there. If I hadn't had Holly, I would have never looked at Icelandics. But, I honestly think you're going to have a tough time finding so many mellow, non-spooky TWH's to pick from. There are some that are, more of the "old fashioned" lines like Mac and Holly. But there are also some pretty hot and high-strung TWH out there, some that I don't care for so much. I once thought Holly was about as non-spooky and fun to ride on the trails as any horse I'd ever meet...but since then, I've met Sina, Melnir, Falki, Skjoni, Trausti, Saga, Svertla, Flekka. ... the list goes on. Note that none of these ever had any show-type training at all. Coincidence? I can't say. Training can have a huge impact on how we see the horses. It's very easy to confuse "nervous" or "untrained" or "in pain" with "goey" or "spirited." Eitill is probably my most reactive Icelandic...and I think he's more in the range of Holly, who was once my standard to judge by. I wouldn't call them spooky, just not the "ain't skeered of nothing" kind of horses like Sina and Melnir. I know that some Icelandic's aren't so easy-going either, but I think you'll find more to pick from in this breed than in any I've seen. Where I'd consider Holly a really sensible TWH, I'd consider her only so-so as an Icelandic in terms of reactiveness/spookiness. It all comes down to the individual of course, so I'm sure there are some TWH I'd like better than some Icelandics. If I couldn't for some reason keep my Icelandic's, I'd certainly be happy to look at a TWH like Holly. But, as long as I can find so many Icelandic's with these traits, I probably won't ever look at another TWH. There are a lot of pacey TWH, but there are also a few that trot and gait really nicely, like Holly. It sounds like Nancy has one with gaits much like Holly's. You probably won't find a three-gaited (w/t/c) TWH though, certainly nt many, while there are Icelandic's who are described as "four-gaited" that I don't consider to have much natural gait - but they can be excellent horses too, if you aren't gait-obsessed. Gaits are gaits, whatever the breed, so just look at the individual horse. Every breed seems to have some with good gaits, some with bad, and some so-so. Keep in mind, I've had "favorite horses" at various times who were a TWH, a QH and an App, and my daughter's favorite was (is) an Arab. But, I've had MANY "favorites" who are Icelandic's, and in a relatively short time. This is the first time I've every really experienced "breed loyalty." Karen Thomas [EMAIL PROTECTED] No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.485 / Virus Database: 269.13.8/993 - Release Date: 9/6/2007 3:18 PM
