>>>> I guess what I remembered having heard (from the vet at Virginia Tech who did the blood testing on my previous horse, many years ago) was wrong. That notion had seemed to nicely explain her results, so I did not then search for supportive studies.
I assume that you didn't find any studies at all? What I can quote from is anecdotal, certainly not a study, but I've seen no real evidence of studies of Icelandic blood tests being done. I have heard MANY rumors of odd levels being the norm, so I know that you weren't the first to say such. I'm not saying there might not be a few oddities somewhere, just that I can't see where they are. Not only have I heard some say that we need special trainers for Icelandics, but I've heard some people say we need to find vets with "Icelandic experience" and at least you didn't go that far! That's always struck me as odd - after all, I've never heard anyone say I need to find a small animal vet with "Boston Terrier experience" or "Heinz 57 varieties experience"! I don't know where some of these rumors get started, but once they do, they sure seem to take hold. I guess this is another occasion for me to say what I've found to be a good rule of thumb: Icelandic's are horses first - on management, training, nutrition, healthcare, whatever...Sure, they are a different breed, and I'd even go so far as saying they generally are a more unique breed than most, but I think it's safe to assume that whatever is good for horses is good for Icelandic's...then just keep your eyes open for individual differences. As an example, while I think that GENERALLY, Icelandic's are more stoic than other breeds, I've met a few Icelandic's that are not so stoic. And of course, there are also stoic individuals in other breeds too, so a good, sensitive owner or trainer should always be on the lookout for individual characteristics to rule over breed generalities anyway. Back to the subject though: if anyone finds any true medical differences in the breed, I'd like to hear about them, but for now, I just assume my Icelandic's are generic horses from a medical point of view. Karen Thomas, NC -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 268.18.20/737 - Release Date: 3/28/2007 4:23 PM
