Charm, Icelandic Horse, Was Born Pink

Charm, a palomino Icelandic Horse, was born "pink" colored.

Icelandic Horse Falls in Ravine and Is Rescued

Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Footloose Malibu Horse Takes the Road Less Traveled
BY ANNE SOBLE

Local Firefighters Cut 10-Year-Old Icelandic Gelding Free from Dense Brush

With a phalanx of TV news choppers whirring overhead and the sound of reinforcement sirens piercing the air, fire crews took part in a classic Malibu melodrama that involved an unlocked gate, a rare Icelandic breed horse and dense brush more than eight feet tall.

The horse, a 10-year-old pinto gelding named Indian, and his stable mate, Castagna, wandered away from their corral when an employee on the Malibu Park property left the gate unlocked.

Icelandics are a small-sized registered breed of Iceland. True to their usual mellow temperament, the mare stayed by the open corral but Indian headed downhill, fell into a steep ravine and became trapped in the thicket.

Fire crews used chain saws and hand tools to clear a path so the horse, which was not injured, could head back up to the corral, perhaps with less enthusiasm for the wanderer's life.

HOMEWARD BOUND - A purebred Icelandic gelding named Indian that left its corral when the gate was accidentally left unlocked, walks away from the steep ravine in Malibu Park it had fallen into on Friday. MSN/George Hauptman

Charm and Elisabeth Haug

Elisabeth Haug brought a herd of Icelandic Horses to the US from Denmark about 35 years ago, and established a ranch in California. Here she is with Charm, almost four years old, Icelandic Horse.

Del Mar Demo

This is a video of a recent demo at Del Mar:

Icelandic Horse Photos

Here are some Icelandic Horse photos:

Molly The Pony

This is a book about a pony named Molly who had a leg amputated and now has a prosthesis.

Molly the pony waits. She waits in her stall. She waits during the storm. She waits for her owner to return.

So begins the true story of a patient pony who is rescued from a south Louisiana barn after Hurricane Katrina and finds a new life on a farm with new animal friends. But Molly's tale of courage does not end here.

When a dog on the farm attacks Molly, her front leg is badly injured. For a pony, a damaged leg is life threatening. To the amazement of veterinarians, though, Molly rises to her new challenge. She undergoes a rare surgery for horses: amputation of her front leg. Now fitted with a prosthetic limb, Molly relearns how to walk and embarks again on a new mission in life: making new people friends.

This plucky pony's story of survival and friendship will win the hearts of readers young and old. All who have had to start over after displacement, abandonment, injury, or amputation will find a friend in Molly as they follow her story of bringing a smile to everyone she meets.

Pam Kaster is the author of Zydeco Goes to Horse Camp, an editor of the Equine Facilitated Mental Health Association newsletter, and a member of Equine Photographers Network. She managed an equestrian riding program for disabled riders for three years and continues to study natural horsemanship techniques. She has been a Red Cross disaster-preparedness volunteer for twenty years and managed a Red Cross shelter during Hurricane Katrina. She lives in Zachary, Louisiana, with her husband, three horses, three dogs, and a cat.

Use of the Aids

Jane Savoie shares information on the use of the aids which can be applied to Icelandic Horses.



For more information about the Icelandic Horse, go to the Icelandic Horse Connection website.