>>>. This is very discouraging. I thought the Icelandic was a "natural horse." Seems they have a few things in common with the TWH.
There are elements in some circles that may be similar to TWH abuses, but unfortunately, you find some abuses in about every breed and discipline. The truth is that PEOPLE own horses, and people come in a variety of styles. Breeds are pretty much entities that humans made up - horses on their own don't really seem to notice breed lines. Thus, you can find some awesome "natural" TWH, just as you can find some "natural" Icelandics, and some disgustingly unnatural practices in both breeds. Same with some dressage warm bloods, some QH, Apps, Arabs.... As long as humans are involved with horses, you will see as wide a variety of training methods - good and evil - in one breed as with another. The main difference I see with traditional Icelandic methods is that Icelandic-trainers didn't grow up like our kids grow up, with all sorts of equine sports visible. They seem clueless about how many little girls go through the hunter-jumper phase, for instance, and they don't seem to understand why a kid taking hunter lessons might also want some cowboy boots to wear on the trail with their little friends. There's basically only one kind of showing in Iceland, only one equine sport, other than trail riding, whereas our kids can see rodeos, dressage, polo, reining, hunters, jumpers, endurance, trail trials, steeplechases, competitive trail rides.... And even the Icelandic trail riding traditions are much different from ours. They typically ride one horse and "pony" one or more spare horses, riding hard for an hour or two, then changing horses. Most of the trails I know can support ponied horses, and my trailer certainly isn't big enough to carry spare horses for my husband and I to take to trails, so that we can switch out horses all along. Iceland is a very small country, with little traffic, and few trees. It's VERY unlike the USA that most of us live in. Their traditions simply don't translate well to the realities of life in the USA. >>> It is so hard to find a qualified instructor who is also kind to their horses. I think it depends a lot on where you look. If you look only for "breed trainers", yes, I think unfortunately that is very true, no matter what the breed. When a trainer is overly focused on the breed, he/she is much more likely to try to force the horse into the breed mold, whether that individual fits the mold or not. What you should look for, IMO, is someone who's willing to see each and every horse for what they are, and take advantage of that horse's special gifts. A three-gaited (trot only) Icelandic may not be everyone's first choice as a gaited horse, but I've met a couple of strongly trot-oriented Icelandic's who were awesome trail horses...and the strongly-trot oriented ones are actually more versatile. If I could roll back the clock and buy my daughter's first pony, knowing what I know now, I'd look for a horse as much like Falki as possible. Falki is super-dependable, with clean w/t/c gaits, and he can jump easily and in good form. He has gaits, but he's not the most strongly gaited horse you'll find. But versatility? You can't beat a horse like Falki. Kids like to goof around with their horses, doing a little bit of a lot of things. (Don't worry - I'm not trying to sell you Falki. Anna on the list bought him this fall, and I don't think he's for sale...) I know many Icelandic-style trainers would have insisted that Falki tolt from the get-go, or certainly soon after his training began. Luckily, Falki never had any forced gait training, and he's unspoiled, and was able to find his gaits on his own timetable. In contrast, I think about Tivar, probably even less strongly-gaited than Falki, but who developed ulcers after being "tolt trained" early in his life. Tivar is still an awesome trail horse for Janice, even if he is gait-limited. And the other side of the coin is that, while smooth gaits are certainly tempting to those of us who love to trail ride, especially us middle-aged-and-up riders, the most strongly gaited horses often struggle to do the sports that kids like to dabble in. So, a strongly gaited horse may be very boring to a kid. (I'm speaking from experience...Emily enjoyed riding our TWH gelding - Mac- around the farm, but her heart belonged to the three-gaited horse she could jump, occasionally run barrels with, and who could take her into the dressage ring...) >>> Is there anyone in Southern California who knows of a good trainer? I live in OC but would be willing to drive 1.5 hourse either way for the right instructor. Have you started collecting some good books and videos? Even if you don't think you're the sort who learns well from books and videos, it would be good to start watching trainers of different styles and philosophies, so you can start finding your own comfort level and interests - without one-on-one pressure from any given trainer. I'd suggest that you expose yourself to a variety of styles and sports, to see what appeals to you and your kid. The Parelli Seven Games video is a good one to get a feel of natural horsemanship, but there are also good videos by Lynn Palm (a versatility rider, who has shown western, dressage, driving, hunters, and about everything else.) There are others too - those are just a couple of names to start with. The more you expose yourself to, the more you will be able to see through the trainers who rely more on words than actions... Karen Thomas, NC No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.17.6/1192 - Release Date: 12/21/2007 1:17 PM
