>>>> Assuming you do not just want to do away with any evaluation or >>>> inspection system, specific suggestions of what to improve or how to >>>> make improvements would be more useful than pointing out only what you >>>> don't like. Perhaps there is another breed or discipline that has a >>>> method in place we can look at for inspiration.
Or, instead of insisting that people have travel across the continent "to go see for themselves", we could do what so many other good horsemen do: learn about conformation and soundness from readily available sources: your farriers, your vets, trainers, breeders of other breed horses, etc. I've gotten an education every time I've had a pre-purchase exam done on a horse, and when I've had to have the vet out for a lameness exam. These are good times to ask questions, and many professionals are glad to explain as they go, especially if you are courteous, and if you are seriously interested. I learned much of the basics by volunteering as a 4H leader for about 5 years when we first got horses. I certainly wasn't qualified to lead the club, but I could drive the van full of kids and I used that chance to delve into the classes that the kids learned, as an overgrown student. I've attended judging and conformation classes put on by the NC Ag Department right here in my own county. None of these are geared towards a single breed, because the basics are the same for every breed. There are plenty of books on this topic, and some magazines have a monthly "conformation clinic" column. (I don't know if Practical Horseman still does, but the Gaited Horse used to, and so did one of the western-oriented magazines.) And these days, there is a tremendous amount of information available for free online. I know we don't need "special" trainers for these Icelandic horses. Gaits are gaits, no matter what the breed, and fundamentally, basic training is basic training whether the horse is gaited or not. Along the same lines, conformation is conformation, no matter what the breed, no matter what the gaitedness. Sure, there are some conformation traits that will vary somewhat depending on whether the horse is gaited or not. And sure, some traits are more critical for some disciplines than for others, but I've heard that discussed in every conformation/judging class I've ever been to. The basic principles are the same for all horses. Karen Thomas, NC
