>>> Training usually begins when the horse is four winters old. Ima will soon be "four winters old". I call that 3.5 though and I'm not planning to start her any time soon, at least not under saddle. She's had a saddle on her back and a bit in her mouth, just playing though. She's ready for ground-driving though.
>>> It is difficult to reverse training mistakes. If something bad happens during training, like an accident, it may ruin the whole procedure. That sounds good. >>> It is important for young horses to get familiar with humans as preparation for training. But trainers should be careful not to pet the horses too much or treat them too often with bread; otherwise they can become pushy. Hmm, that sounds like the same-old, same-old to me. >>>> Preparation involves teaching the horse about the life in the stable and making it run in circles inside a fence. I don't like the sound of "making it run in circles inside a fence." We do very little "free lunging" (round-penning, whatever you want to call it) but mainly just enough for the horse to feel how a saddle and girth feels, with stirrups flopping, but without a rider up to add to the confusion. I'm not a big fan of excessive round-penning. It's hard on young legs, and unless it's aimed at some goal in particular, I don't think it teaches much. And why should a horse have to wait to learn about "life in the stable" at the same time he's about to learn so much else? >>>> Tölt is unique to the Icelandic horse. It is a very soft gait and feels like sitting in a sofa, some riders say. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That "never-before-seen-gait"...unless you live in the south, where it's called "rack"! :) >>> Once the training is completed the horse should either be gentle enough for children and inexperienced riders or be able to compete in tournaments with professional riders. And how long should that take? Why is it a given that most/all horses should be able to compete in shows? Why not focus on the kind of training the horse will be used for, instead of claiming the horse to be perfect for all jobs. It makes more sense to me to train the horse WELL for a specific job, rather than claim they can all do it all. They can't - not quickly anyway. Some never will be good at everything, and only a few will, even with some time. VERY few, if any, could do it all at the end of basic training. And the "gentle enough for children" part...would those be 2-year-olds on a leadline with an adult side-walker? A 7-8 year old who wants to ride off the leadline on the trail? A twelve-year-old who's been riding forever and has a Velcro-butt? Karen Thomas [EMAIL PROTECTED]
