>>>> Isn't it amazing that he would be brought in by the USIHC to teach here? I mean, use plain old common sense in watching his horses and riders ride, and anyone can see the unnaturalness of it.
And isn't it just amazing that people think that you have to have "special" trainers to train Icelandic horses? That's just nutty...but I have noticed that almost everyone who says that has no prior experience with gaited horses. I love my Icelandic's and I've never had such complete breed loyalty to a breed. But, my goodness, gaits are gaits, no matter what the breed. You evaluate the gaits of the horse in front of you at the moment, and ride THAT one horse. Good Icelandic's have so many special qualities, and I get totally mushy about this breed...but the gaits are gaits, and it's certainly not their gaits that set them apart from other breeds! I've ridden a lot of three-gaited horses in my life, and have owned several for a many years. Gee, no two three-gaited horses trot exactly the same. Thunder, an Arab, has what most people would consider "warmblood" type gaits - lots of suspension, and very clean gaits. I remember a few years ago, my trainer-friend, Shirley, rode a huge Warmblood mare for a lady, and she commented on how comfortable that mare's trot was to ride - not "warmblood-ish" at all, but almost joggy. You can't even make breed gait generalities among three-gaited horses - many of the Appendix QH's have big trots, while some QH's have butter-soft jogs. A good trainer will ride the horse-of-the-moment, and will make adjustments as needed...without worrying what the breed is. No, when someone says they have to have a "special trainer" for an Icelandic pony, I immediately wonder how much REAL horse experience that person has...it's usually not much. Isn't it sad that some people are swayed by foreign accents, and the need to feel "different", so will fall for harsh training methods. Karen Thomas, NC No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.19.18/1254 - Release Date: 1/31/2008 8:30 PM
