Hi > And WHY do we see so many Icelandic-style riders holding their reins to > their crotch like that? That looks downright weird to me.
I don't know and I agree. What I have noticed from having people from different countries who ride Icelandics visit my farm is that how they ride really depends on which Icelander clinician is popular in their country. This was especially obvious in riders from the Nordic countries. Many of them have what I call the clothespeg seat - they sit like an upside down "V" which means they kind of use their body as a fulcrum because they are not around the horse. The ones I have had don't hang on the reins but they use their body in an interesting way to influence the horse. At least that is how they ride when they arrive but we do a lot of work to give them other experiences. Robyn Icelandic Horse Farm Robyn Hood & Phil Pretty Vernon BC Canada www.icefarm.com
