>>>> which started off being a merry, happy beastie who held his head up >>>> through spirit, and went quickly because it was fun, but has >>>> degenerated into unhappy horses hauled into position and expected to go >>>> flat out.
What strikes me as really odd is that many of the Icelandic's who hold their heads up naturally to gait (often saddle racking) have noticably short, thick necks. I don't have a problem with that - if it's what they are conformationally built to do, then so be it. But, the oddest thing to me is that lately, the evaluations have been rewarding longer necks. Why should we want to change the necks? Why do we need longer necks in this breed? It's not exactly like gaited horses are suitable for dressage or show jumping, other than maybe at some of the lowest levels. Karen Thomas, NC
