Hi Mic,
First of all, I am sorry if I came on too strong. It IS a great thing
that you reported what you saw and experienced and I hope no one will ever
feel like they can't or shouldn't do that on this list -- even if it isn't
something many will agree with. So, please accept my apologies if you felt
you needed a flame suit (I hope not!) after my post. I DO want to discuss
this further however, because you bring up some great points. So. . .
I asked:
>>What is the point of running horses on ice when there is perfectly good
>>footing available for a show?<<
Mic responded:
> Well, for us in the UK, it got 1200 people to see Icelandics who otherwise
> would not have. . . . So - the spectacle of it got people to come and
> watch, people who may well go on to become Icelandic horse owners.<
Okay, I can understand how encouraging these kinds of numbers must
appear to those who sponsored this event. That IS an awesome turnout,
especially when compared to the average 50-60 spectators at a major show.
As you said, the "spectacle" of the icetolt was the attraction. It was
entertainment
When my sisters were in High School, (both of whom are in their 50's
now) a big money maker for the athletic boosters was holding a "donkey
basketball game" where alumni players played the current team and both rode
little donkeys during the game. They had to turn people away at the door
because the gymasium would be so packed with spectators -- waaayy more than
for any normal game. People loved it -- found it immensely entertaining
as the little donkeys would buck, run out from under their riders, and
create general chaos and mayhem.. (Thankfully, to my knowledge, these
events do no go on anymore.) It was immensely popular, but . . . was it
a good promotion for basketball? Did it make people want to buy a
donkey? No, probably not in both cases.
There is a difference between entertaining people and promoting a
breed. To me, the indoor icetolts are not creating a positive image for
the breed AND especially those who own the horses (who would purposely run
their beloved horse on ice for the sake of entertaining people?) any more
than whoever used to supply the donkeys for those barbaric donkey basketball
games was promoting donkeys.
There's another side to these icetolts. I have read people making
statements that somehow, Icelandics are "evolved" to handle themselves
better on ice than other horses. This is simply misleading and well,
stupid. They speak as if the horses themselves grow their own caulks for
the winter or have some sort of different hoof structure which gives them
more traction.. Take off those icenails and you will have horses moving
like any other Equine over ice -- carefully, slowly, and gingerly! (I'm
waiting for someone to rig up a Peter-Pan type harness for the horses and
suspend them, they we can say they have more of a propensity towards flying
than other equines. . . .)
An analogy: Take someone born and raised for upteen generations in
northern Canada. I would bet they get to be pretty comfortable driving in
the winter time on snowy, slippery roads. But take away their four-wheel
drive truck and tire chains and chances are, they will be no more adept at
not going in the ditch than a California girl. Now, bring Janice, an
upteen generation Southern girl up there and give her a four-wheel drive
truck and some tire chains. She'd likely be nervous at first, but soon
would find she too, could drive pretty well on snowy, slippery roads.
It's all in the apparatus, not the genetics.
And being that's the case -- does it prove or showcase anything about the
breed to run them in a hockey arena? I don't think so. But, as you
brought up, it does increase box office sales because it's like the circus
coming to town. It's entertaining to people. It's amusing to people.
But is beneficial to the breed? Beyond what I and others think of it from
the standpoint of torquing the horse's joints when those icenails grab on:
Is this good breed promotion? I personally don't think so, any more than
donkey basketball games showcase donkeys well.
Icetolts show nothing about the Icelandic horse, only than they have
farriers capable of giving them good traction. And taken outside with
regular footing, I think people could see and learn a whole lot more about
the breed -- even if there's only 50 or 60 of them watching.
-- Renee M. in Michigan
