RE: [IceHorses] Myth, Saga, Truth, Reality
Further improvements come through greater transparency. Which means... ?? If we know all the facts, without marketing hype, without embellishments and without unnecessary spin-doctoring, we can cut to the chase and really make progress in what we are attempting to do. Transparency - we really need to SEE what is important to the decisions we're trying to make. Karen Thomas, NC No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.16.6/1150 - Release Date: 11/24/2007 5:58 PM
RE: [IceHorses] Myth, Saga, Truth, Reality
Further improvements come through greater transparency. Which means... ?? I think the opposite of that idea would be the old get-ahead-quick phrase, If you can't dazzle 'em with brilliance, baffle 'em with BS. I don't think there is any getting ahead quickly within a herd of horses though. Sagas, myths and tall tales may have their place in literature... but if we want to further our horsemanship skills, we need to get past the baffling BS. Karen Thomas, NC No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.16.6/1150 - Release Date: 11/24/2007 5:58 PM
Re: [IceHorses] Myth, Saga, Truth, Reality
Further improvements come through greater transparency. If we know all the facts... we can cut to the chase and really make progress in what we are attempting to do. Yes, I think that's right. If we have to spend time figuring out what's myth, what's truth, it wastes valuable time that could be spend otherwise. In our case, I think the transparency refers to open communication between Iceland and us. Is it advantageous for Iceland to pass on the myths? Not to the horse. In the case of the horses eating fish, yes, it has been done. I think someone made a choice to say that it wasn't done, that it was only a saga. Why? I don't know. If we can't have transparency between Iceland and us, we have to keep in mind to always ask why when presented with a statement such as Icelandic Horses eat fish, or that Icelandic Horses are not ponies, or that they need special icelandic saddles, etc. In the case of the horse eating fish, we have to search out the reason why they did so, for things to make sense and progress from there. Is it for a specific reason? Is that reason valid for us? If not, we can just toss it out, and move on. Same with the pony deal, or the icelandic saddle or noseband situation. If we use our common sense, questioning, and our increasing knowledge of horses and horsemanship, we will be able to wade thru the myths and come to a place of being a benefit to our horses. Judy http://icehorses.net http://clickryder.com
RE: [IceHorses] Myth, Saga, Truth, Reality
If we have to spend time figuring out what's myth, what's truth, it wastes valuable time that could be spend otherwise. One of my biggest beefs along those lines is the myth that says that Icelandic lab tests are different in many ways. Has anyone ever shown that conclusively? I don't think so. In fact, a friend of mine is a vet and pulls blood on her three Icelandics twice a year. She's never found any significant differences in the levels than you'd expect to find in...dare I say it...normal horses! One of her horses got sick last year and had to go to the vet school for intensive testing and observation. Some of his blood work was off - but only off as you would have expected a horse with his symptoms. Sure, there will be cases where Icelandic blood tests are different...but maybe it means the horse has a genuine medical condition that needs attention? Why not just assume that there's a real warning flag right from the get go? If for some reason he happens to be a horse with an odd reading that is normal for him, they'll figure that out soon enough. But, if the owner or vet wastes time addressing symptoms, believing Icelandics are different they could miss a critical diagnosis. Why waste the time? Karen Thomas, NC No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.16.6/1150 - Release Date: 11/24/2007 5:58 PM
Re: [IceHorses] Myth, Saga, Truth, Reality
the myth that says that Icelandic lab tests are different in many ways. There was a study saying that the Icelandic's intestines were shorter than regular horses (ergo they needed less food), but the vet in Iceland that I contacted says the study was flawed and she did not support their conclusion. Judy http://icehorses.net http://clickryder.com
