I have been very busy with showings for the sale of our house as well as saddle fittings, so haven't been reading the posts these past few weeks.
>>>not all Icelandics are able to have treed saddles or have bigger riders <<<< Judy, a truer thing couldn't be said. I wish when people were looking for horses that they took this factor into consideration right up there with temperment & suitability for the job the person wants them to do with them. In my saddle fit business a larger percentage than I would like to see come to me for saddlefit issues that are due to mismatched size ratios , including a shorter back than would allow for anything but a very small rider to put the rider weight where it needs to be to carry a rider comfortably. The majority of the rider's weight should not be at the rear edge of the ribcage for the sake of the horse even in treeless. This is not isolated to Icelandics, but many other breeds. Another very big issue is matching horse to what the rider wants to be doing. I see so many horses not suited for endurance or dressage or jumping or trail riding being forced into jobs they are not suited for making a very frustrating and painful situation( mostly for the horse) for all concerned. If I knew 10 years ago what I know now, I may not have kept Lalli my 14.3 H/ 1,000lb Icelandic as my riding horse when my 6'4"/160Lb husband decided riding was not for him. By the time my husband stopped ridng, we already had Lalli for 4 years & he was part of the family & I couldn't part with him. But my slight build of 95lbs/5'2" with narrow hips is not a good match for Lalli's width. Fortunately, I'm the only one that suffers here, not Lalli. When 1 of my 21 yo's passes on, my last horse (I'm 57 now) will be one suited for my size, able to be fit for a Sensation & be tempermanently suited for the 2 hour daily trail riding I like to do. I want my last 20 years (or hopefully more) of riding to be fun for us all. Kaaren
