---- Mic Rushen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > >Yeah.... but..... it's not Americans who are putting the BL stuff on > >the Icelandics! It's the Icelanders and Germans.
I would agree, but there IS a whole contingency of folks here in the States who are following those Icelanders and Germans blindly. I do think this group is shrinking, but they remain very visible in doing demos, giving clinics, the sanctioned breed evaluations, writing for the magazines, and, of course, the thrust of our national organization here, which focuses on what Iceland and Germany does. > I wish I knew. Since I started running a lot more natural training > method articles etc in STP, I have lost virtually ALL the > "traditional" subscribers, so they certainly did NOT want to hear it. No, to them, it's blasphemy. It's not going to be an easy path to go in this direction. > Start a worldwide club for Icelandics trained without harsh methods, > not in opposition to FEIF, but totally separate. Mic, I agree with you 200%. But one would have to realize that starting another international organization would be seen by many in just that light: oppositional to FEIF. I'm afraid many people are going to be angry, offended, and threatened at the very IDEA of another international org. The easiest way to undermine such an effort would be to claim it was "against" FEIF -- whether or not it was, being beside the point. So, one would have to be prepared for that. . . > Hold lots of gatherings and shows etc with judges who do not want to > see Big Lick Icelandics, and reward the ones showing good gaits > naturally. That happens in open gaited shows here. If you stay away from the Icelandic-only show ring, our breed can do exceedingly well IMHO infront of a judge that has an eye and appreciation for naturally- gaited horses. > Hold our own breeding assessments and get a register of breeding > horses who have good natural gaits without interference and who have > the conformation for long term soundness, as well as calm, cooperative > temperament. I LOVE this idea. I mean, what better way to insure the breed remains a "naturally gaited breed" than to evaluate the gaits au natural, not as is done currently. However, the logistics of doing it would be *interesting* to work out though. I mean, who would one get to do the assessment of gait?. . . . Who would people have faith in to judge the natural gait of a horse? I can think of one person that I personally would put a lot of faith in, (Liz Graves), but you'd need a panel or an assortment of judges, not just one person. And you'd likely have to look outside of the Icelandic breed to find such folks (at this point anyway). This system would only work if there was credibility and trust of the review committee's opinions in the bulk of Icelandic horse owner's eyes. > Promote ourselves in a positive manner, NOT by constantly bashing the > traditionalists and creating even more of a "them and us" culture, but > by showing how happy and successful naturally trained Icelandics can > be. I think that's being done on a grassroots level everyday. The "PR" problem lies in the fact that what is in the limelight and who is in control of the breed are those who have different ideas as to what is "good" and what is desireable. > Mic, I think your ideas are exactly what this breed needs. But as always, some of them are daunting to think about implimenting. -- Renee M. in Michigan
