-----Original Message----- From: IceHorses@yahoogroups.com On Behalf Of Karen Thomas
You seem to be stuck on maintaining an evaluation system. I'm not. I'll turn the tables on you. What do YOU suggest? Several times you've said you think the system is flawed, but I haven't heard any suggestions from you. .......................................................... I support the general ideal of an evaluation system. The weighting system and some of the criteria could definitely use improvement. So here we will need to disagree. I am willing to work from within the system to make changes with the full knowledge that it will be a slow and tedious. (It is an international function and besides many different languages there are many different cultures with different equine histories involved) -------------------------------------------------------------- Karen wrote; I've been pretty direct with my comments. I think this system is so flawed that the breed would be better off with no system. A bad system is worse than no system, because with no system, motivated people will be forced to take control of their breeding, IF they care. (If they don't care, there's not much we can do anyway.) In this system, many passive people feel they are doing the right thing by blindly following a bad system. And since those who question in this breed have usually be discouraged (bullied?) into not questioning things, we've ended up with a lot of passive breeders in this breed. .............................................................. The evaluation are not a breeding system they provide tools for breeders to use. If, for instance, joints are what you consider to need improving in the breed it seems you would not focus on the overall score but on the section dealing with joints. An uncaring breeder isn't anymore likely to use evaluation results than anything else to make their mating selections. They are more likely IMHO to use locality and price as the main factors. I hear this but bullying reference often but do not see it being any more prevalent from one faction arguing this issue than the other. --------------------------------------------------------------- Karen wrote Most breeds don't have an evaluation system, and I don't see them suffering any more than this breed seems to be suffering. ............................................................... On this list how many times has it been mentioned that breeds like TWH of today are not what they used to be? How they are totally different types from the old stock. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Karen wrote If I wasn't clear in my last posts: we need to empower ourselves. Gaits are gaits. Conformation (as related to soundness, usefulness and gaits) is conformation. Only a tiny percentage of conformation is breed-specific. Liz is just one of many resources we can use, and she happens to be the most relevant one I've found since I started asking questions that I couldn't get answered within this breed. Unlike most inside this breed's organization, she tries to disperse information, to educate people to take care of their own horses. There has been an isolationism inside this breed for way too long. .................................................................. Very noble ideals but not sure how realistic it is. It would be wonderful if everyone had a good enough eye and enough education to pick the best horses to breed with. That is not going to happen. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Karen wrote Horsemanship is not a passive endeavor. It takes work and time. It takes education. Breeding and conformation are a couple of segments of horsemanship, and no one can hand us a few numbers for our horses and expect that to tell the whole story. There are many, many ways to get this education, and I think that the only way to gain true perspective is to learn from many sources - getting stuck in the Icelander-Only-Ways is very, very limiting, even dangerous ..................................................................... I don't understand why you think by having an evaluation result available anyone would need to discount everything else they know and believe. If you choose to look at an evaluation result it should be used as another tool. Taking any parts found to be useful and added to all other personal observations and preferences to make a decision. It is fine if you dislike (hate) the evaluations, don't use the posted results, that is your prerogative. It just seems to me that you hate everything about the breed organizations. If it has to do USIHC or FEIF you seem to be opposed. I don't know what Icelandics would be like without these organizations. Probably a hybrid breed by now. Maybe outside blood to "improve" the size, legs or what have you. I prefer to work from within not stand on the outside and throw stones. Phil
