--- On Sun, 4/27/08, Judy Ryder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Here are a few statements from a fairly recent newspaper article, by a professional certified trainer: There are over 80 separate color patterns...<<<< I have actually heard closer to 100. Every color pattern plus, except for Appoloosa. Which is one reason we would like a walkaloosa one day. Sally rode one when she was in farrier school and just loved it. I do not know if it is true or not. Icelandics are powereful enough to carry a 300-pound man over tough terrain on long trail rides.<< I have seen this statement before and really, it is poorly written. As I know that there are Icelandics that could do that, if they were in shape....I myself have come close to that 300lb mark....I am nowhere near there anymore, however to write it like that suggests that all of them can do that and that is just simply not true. But I believe some can, depending on the rider..... Horses in Iceland run free in the mountains in a herd until they are 4 or 5 years old.<<<< I am sure again that some do, ours do here. We go and visit with them, halter train them and are able to lead and trailer them places as needed. I am sure that every Icelandic farmer has different ways of doing things...I can not imagine a unified horse community in any country. They are fully developed physically and mentally when they are started under saddle.<<<< I have not seen or heard that phrased that way. I know they put emphasis on starting them later than what most Americans do here, some at 1 1/2 years old for TB and QH and depending really on the disipline that they are being trained for. To say that any horse is fully developed mentally or physically at the age of 5 just can not be correct. How do you judge that? Today they are successful in dressage, endurance, jumping, driving.<<<< Well I know of Icelandics that do all those, and some excel in those disiplines. I would not sell an Icelandic to someone that wanted to excell in dressage.....but someone who wanted to do dressage for the fun of it, fine. I had an Icelandic gelding that was trained through level 2, he was a wonderful trail horse because of it. Endurance, well I think John Parke is a good example of that, plus the race across america years ago....I just sold an Icelandic to someone who would like to do some endurance, and he really is perfect for it...it was a good match. Jumping....well why not, we have 2 retired jumpers here, and thye are both still very good at jumping, even at 20 and 21 years of age.....did they do 3 day eventing, no. Driving....I think that someIcelandics have the correct temperment for driving. We will be starting Foss and one of his daughters to drive in about 1 and 1/2 years......Foss has a great temperment for driving, and his silver dapple daughter should too. Are these true statements? Do they correctly reflect the breed?<<<<< I think that they have half truths. And I think that we all can come to different conclusions and yet all be looking at the same thing, so really everyone has opionins. Skye
