>>>> to admit you are abusing your own horse takes one hell of a lot of guts. >>>> It's so much easier to convince yourself that of course everything is fine and you're doing the best for your horse. And when virtually everyone around you is telling you the same thing, it's easy to stick your head in the sand.<<<
Yes, I think it's similar to where we have a few small pockets in the US that lean towards icelandic-style riding, training, and equipment. It's hard for them to see past their own group, and hard to evaluate new information when everyone around them is doing the same icelandic-style stuff. >>>> rednecks in the audience... we need to educate them too. Maybe that's part >>>> of the reason that Icelandics are so slow to catch on in the UK, a country >>>> which traditionally has a huge and rather knowledgeable equestrian public. >>>> It's interesting that some of the people most interested in Icelandics >>>> over here are gypsies (mind you, they do still have gaited horses of their >>>> own, so maybe that's merely a coincidence).<<<< I didn't realize that they were so slow to catch on in the UK also; same here. We do not have a significantly appreciable increase in the number of Icelandics as compared to ten years ago. Gypsies, huh? I think the breed has attracted a "different" type of horse owner, but that could change. I think that presenting the horses differently makes and will make a difference. When we get them out of the Mane Event, Horse Expo, Equine Affaire shows, it'll be better. Those demos show them running like crazy, with stiff riders, tied mouths, not a good thing. (Like viewing dwarf mud wrestling, it's not that you care about the dwarf, it's the entertainment value of the show.) When we portray them more as easy-going, easy-to-ride, simpler horses (ponies), they will become more attractive to the market. I think we have a substantial number of new owners who are significantly different than what was the usual owner of ten years ago. Judy http://iceryder.net http://clickryder.com
