> > There is a further point that I'm just going to toss out to the list. > I have found that a considerable amount of natural horsemanship is > discounted unless it is seen on some kind of high performance horse. >
or on some "backyard pet" that for so many is subject to disdain, tho I will never understand that. A backyard pet can make the most awesome trail partner. How many people can show icelandics? I am in NW fla. In order to show icelandics I would have to drive a thousand miles or more, up to 3000, one way. At todays gas prices I would have to go to the credit union and take out a loan just to go to all the USUAL places I go to every year. Like Troy Alabama twice a year, Mongomery once, Jacksonville once, North carolina once but thats the biggie gas-wise. I have a friend I ride with who has no horse trailer. She lives 20 miles from me. I like to ride with her now and then and she chips in 20 bucks for gas but I hate to tell her 20 bucks just aint gonna get us anywhere anymore. It takes 200 bucks to fill up my deisel tank of gas now. SO face it, and much as anybody who reads this may hate to admit it, look real hard at me, because like it or not, guess what I am? I am the baby boomer median population now, the average horse owner, a middle aged woman. and not only do I meet that demographic, I have found in all the studies and statistical data I've seen, I am right there in the very center of the average horse person. I trail ride, don't breed or show, or participate in any performance sports. so what kinda nit wit idiot fool is gonna discount me?? I am the one spending all the bucks on horses today. right now. And considering the relatively small amount I spend on horses, i cannot even imagine how much karen or anyone else spends on even a medium herd. My farrier bill is 150 bucks every 6 weeks. i cant even imagine doing that for even 20 horses. so look at the huge amount of money spent on horses today by the average person who doesnt show. why on earth would someone market a breed exclusively for the show barn or breeder of show horses. Why are our icelandic horse evaluations aimed at awarding horses that will reproduce show horses. I own walking horses. If the owner of todays world grand champion walking horse offered to GIVE me 10 of the WGCs offspring, I would hurriedly say no NO. They would be worthless to me. worthless. Unless I had a buyer standing by to transfer ownership before I even had to pay for one sack of feed. Why? Because they are bred to be showhorses and are absolutely useless for what I do. Not only useless but deadly, bred to be hyped up hot horses, deliberately bred to be pacey so when you put the weighted shoes on they will square up. I see people posting pics all the time "look at my new stallion out of first prize ____" and he doesnt even look like an icelandic horse. he looks like a gazelle with a brontosaurus neck and head. I'm sorry. No way is that not gonna effect gait. but then, maybe some people who breed and show icies dont care about gait?? natural gait I am talking about. and if you even have to put a weighted keg shoe or bell boot on a horse to make it gait, that horse is not naturally gaited. and thats a fact. I have had gaited horses and ridden with hundreds of gaited horses for years. the odds of me buying a twh that will bolt and kill me is probably about 1 in 10. But from what I read on these lists, in icelandics it would be about 1 in 5 unless UNLESS i bought it from a natural horsemanship home. These ponies are too intelligent and calculating to treat severely. They fight back, or flight when treated unfairly. Janice -- even good horses have bad days sometimes.
