> many years, the only thing that has really mattered has been the > gaits.... so the training method has come to > concentrate on the gaits, redefining them so that the riders get the > highest marks in competition..... ie, so they have a clear beat, high > action and speed from the horse.
That is a very interesting subject. I would wonder why they haven't expanded their knowledge about gaits (accepting all the gaits on the gait spectrum, allowing the fox trotting Icelandics to fox trot, as well as run walk), including understanding more of the basics such as the biomechanics, how conformation relates to gait, natural gait training, and going for more finesse, rather than just the fluff of action and speed. > Lately (in the past 50 years or so) Icelandic-style trainers have been > cherry picking from lots of different methods, but many are still only > really after training methods which will get better gaits. Yes, the cherry-picking is good, but I see a lack of understanding of what they are picking. For instance, the dressage... why are they going straight to rollkur? or applying more mechanical aids, in general not only in regard to gaits, rather than less. How about the shoulder-in at tolt? It can't be done, as we have seen, and biomechanically, there are certain exercises that are for suppleness, which can't be applied to gaits, especially rack / tolt (it actually defeats the purpose and builds in a brace). >>>> there are many, many more "ordinary people" in Iceland who are working > hard at other aspects of horsemanship who also deserve recognition, > and not to be tarred with that negative "Icelandic-style training" brush. We need to see them; they need to be willing to show what they are doing. If we don't see it, how do we know what they are doing? An example: for the gait book, one gal who wanted her horse to be spotlighted in the book is having her horse trained at the place of an Icelander. She asked if I would go there to film the horse in gait, and I said yes, sure. The Icelander would not agree to being filmed. Remember the one Icelandic guy who was doing Monty Roberts stuff in a video on the internet? I wrote to him asking why he had a ground person pulling the horse with a lead rope. He couldn't explain what he was doing or why or what it was going to accomplish. If they are doing good stuff, they need to put it out there for review. Interesting that none of them have done so, or will agree to do so. Judy http://icehorses.net http://clickryder.com
