Ancestors of the Icelandic Horse

Icelandic Horse Connection Blog

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Elisabeth Haug and Zimba, Icelandic Horse

Elisabeth Haug and Zimba
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What Are They Applauding?!?!?!?

After watching the sample video of the World
Championship for Icelandic Horses, in Holland, 2007, at the following site:

http://www.notion.net/icelandichorses2007/qtpreviewT1.html

I wonder: what is the audience applauding?!?!?

The first horse shown on the video, moving directly towards the camera, appears to be frothed and fighting the bit.

The next horses shown entering the arena, again, moving towards the camera, are showing the winging flight of poorly conformed legs.

Some big bits are used with nosebands.

The bit evasions are obvious in just about every horse on the video.

What are the people cheering?!?!?

What's up with the current fad of making the horse go behind the vertical?

Is anyone listening to the horses?

What exactly is a slow tolt? Does it have a definition? Is it a two-foot / three-foot support gait? or a one-foot / two-foot support gait? Or is one-foot / two-foot / three-foot support allowed as some of the horses were doing?

Heads tossing, above the bit, behind the bit; mouths trying to open, lips gnashing; odd tipping of the head, crossing the jaws...

Heavy contact... always. Why? Are any of the horses naturally gaited to gait on easy contact?

And the feet.... long... shoes... boots... can any of these horses gait barefoot?

And loosing a foot in the competition?!?!?

That's.... odd.... really odd.

Some of those tolts look pretty bone-jarring, as can be seen in the rider's bodies.

Nosebands.... seems they are tight; some placed relatively low, not allowing the horse to breathe enough?

And the people are cheering.... why?

Whips for ponies?

Tail wringing...

I don't understand what was being judged. There did not appear to be much horsemanship (as horsemanship has an applied meaning of "good" which was not in evidence).

Was the point to see how much force the horse could take from a rider? how much it could lift it's feet without losing a foot?

How much it could run without having enough incoming air?

How much pain it could take in the mouth, bearing the weight of a rider on a broken bit with long shanks?

Or could it be that the horse who could touch his chest with his chin was rated higher?

What in the world were the people cheering and applauding at this competition?

Do *they* even know what they were seeing?


Keywords / Tags: icelandic horse, iceland pony, islandhest hestur, ijslands paard, cheval islandais, islandisches pferd, islandpferde

The Seven (7) Games of Parelli Natural Horsemanship

September 09, 2007

Facilitated by Nancy Allen

Introduction The Seven Games (7 games) of PNH (Parelli Natural Horsemanship) are a great way to start training or re-training of your Icelandic Horse / Pony. They help to develop a relationship, a bond, and a common basis / method of communication between you and your Icelandic Horse.

These exercises can be used with any breed of horse such as Missouri Fox Trotters, Tennessee Walkers, Paso Finos, Peruvian Pasos, Icelandic Horses, Quarter Horses, Thoroughbreds, Mules, and Donkeys.

Natural Horsemanship is not an invention of Pat Parelli's, but Natural Horse-Man-Ship is. It is an organization of techniques learned from many great horsemen and put together in a comprehensive form. Pat Parelli developed the program as a progression of tasks that develop horsemanship skills and takes us through a Levels program as we increase our abilities.

For centuries men and women have gotten together to discuss ways to make things better for the horse. Through Natural Horsemanship we are asking the horse to do alot of un-natural things though. Be around people. Be saddled, bridled and ridden.

Natural, to me, means working within a horses natural way of understanding (this is through feel) and within his own boundaries. Icelandic Horses seem to understand this natural communication very easily.

I'm hoping to get alot of input here from everyone. Yvonne, Lisel, Paul, Judy and others-I'm counting on you to share your knowledge with the rest of us! I've learned alot from the Seven Games, but my application may be different to what some people use. We can sure discuss the differences! It would be fun and interesting.

Since the clicker will be added to the Seven Games, my purpose is a little different from the ones Parelli lists in his notes for the Level 1 Partnership Program. In his Level 1 notes the purpose of the Seven Games is stated: "PURPOSE: Game #1 proves to your horse that you are friendly. The other 6 games prove to your horse that you are alpha in the herd."

With all of the games I am looking towards building a partnership. I'm thinking alot about feel and developing that from the very beginning. To me, this is the most important and understandable way to communicate to our horse.

I'm never going to use or think about the word dominance.

Continued:
http://iceryder.net

More Icelandic Horse Videos

There are several more Icelandic Horse videos here:

http://vimeo.com/user233565

Hlynur, Icelandic Horse

Hlynur is 20 years old, and is one of the Icelandic Horses in the IceHorse Rescue


Hlynur, Icelandic Horse - Watch more free videos

Icelandic Horse Videos

There are many Icelandic Horse videos for training, gait, and general purpose located here:

http://youtube.com/icehorses

Possible Cryptorchid Icelandic Horse

This horse was thought to be a cryptorchid. See what the vet found during his gelding procedure:


Possible Cryptorchid Icelandic Horse

Clicker Training Your Horse to the Mounting Block

Here's a really good thread about trotting and Icelandic Horses:

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/IceHorses/message/104761

Judy
Icelandic Horse Connection
http://iceryder.net
http://clickryder.com

Some of the gaits of the Icelandic Horse are manufactured by mechanical means. Here are some videos of some natural gaits of the Icelandic Horse, which can include fox trot, running walk, saddle rack, stepping pace, and pace.

Here's a little pinto Icelandic Horse mare, with her first clicker training lesson in learning to smile :-)



Cha Cha, IceHorse, Learning to Smile from Judy Ryder and Vimeo.

This is a four-year-old black and white pinto Icelandic Horse mare. She's more like a filly, as she's immature and small.

The Icelandic Horse Connection Community:

Preparing Your Horse for the Future

The following link has training discussion lead by Nancy, working with exercises from True Horsemanship Through Feel; very good for Icelandic Horses:


http://iceryder.net/future.html

Video Roll

Click onto one of the five video icons to view a video of an Icelandic Horse. Use your browser's back button to return here.

Sokki, Icelandic Horse, Natural Gait

This is Sokki, a 15 year old Icelandic Horse, gaiting naturally with no shoes, no boots, no weights, no pinching saddle, no noseband, no heavy contact, no ventroflexed frame.

Today was Charm's first day to try serpentines. She is coming three-year-old Icelandic Horse.

I gathered up some trash cans and a box that my husband was about to cut up into the recycle bin, and set them in a line.

Charm checked out each obstacle (there must have been something edible in one of the cans as it kept drawing her attention).

We practiced weaving the barrels a couple of times, and then grabbed a quick video:

http://iceryder.net/charmserpentine.html

She tried to rush past the wrong side of the last obstacle, but took the correct way at the last second.


Judy
http://icehorses.net
http://clickryder.com

Icelandic Horse Ground Work Training Photos

or click onto this link: http://www.box.net/public/vkd12tvopk

Young Icelandic Horse in Gait

See a young Icelandic Horse in gait as he is being started by being lead with a bareback rider on him:

Dagur Gait Video

Technorati

Cookie, Icelandic Horse, Yawns with ASL Cue

My Icelandic Horse, Cookie, yawns when given the American Sign Language sign for the letter "Y". She was trained with clicker training.

Winter is Here!

Winter is here in Southern California! We had some rain; and high winds.

The Icelandic Horses were wet, but not uncomfortable. They chose not to take cover by standing under the shelter. Being short and stocky, with coats that are pretty weather proof, they don't mind getting wet. Heat and humidity bother them more than coolness.

No picture from today, but here's one from a few years ago. This is Cookie (registered name is Slaeda), and Ljufur, which means kind and gentle.

My Icelandic Horse filly, called Charm: