Does anyone here have experience with Icelandic/other gaited horses (LOONG...sorry)?

Question

Hi everyone,

My name is Andi, I am 21 and I have been riding for about 12 years.  For the first time, I find myself in a position to buy a horse.  I have a few tricky requirements which makes finding a suitable breed tricky.  Here are my top three in order of importance.

First of all and most importantly, I am rather severely disabled at this point in my life.  I have a spinal condition that is very painful and limiting in terms of flexibility and strength.  Surprisingly enough, horseback riding is one of the most important things I do for my back health, as it straightens my pelvis and strengthens my core. My doctors (who used to be skeptical) are now the biggest the voices pushing me to find a horse of my own.  Because of all of this I am looking into gaited horses, as the concussion on my spine will be less in a smooth gait.  It also means I need a breed of horse that is known to be level-headed, as any falls put me at risk.  Obviously I know that no breed can guarantee a level head, and falls are a natural part of riding, but I would like to limit the chances.

Secondly, I love dressage.  I don't ride competitively, but I want to have a horse that I can use for dressage up to second or third level.  This means I need walk, trot, canter as well as gait.  It would also be nice to have a horse that has a body type that is functional for dressage, if not lending itself to it specifically.  After dressage, the next discipline am most interested in trail riding.  Therefore sure-footedness and at least a bit of stamina are important. I don't know many breeds that have w/t/c and a smooth gait, so I would love to be enlightened in this regard.

Third, I am extremely short.  I am about 4'9" and 110lbs.  I would like a horse that fits me, possibly on the smaller side of fit.  Because of my back, getting on and off anything tall is rough on me.  Not to mention that it is a shorter way to fall if I make an unplanned dismount onto my tailbone.  Obviously I don't want my feet dragging on the ground, but I don't want that big concussion through your spine you get from dismounting something tall.



Right now, I am leasing a fantastic little Icelandic horse, and I am thinking that they might be the right breed for me.  Unfortunately, this mare does not have the best of gaits.  Her walk and trot are pretty good, but her tolt and canter are quite pace, and her flying pace is really rough.  This means she is probably not an ideal long term match for me.  All that said, I adore her.  She is the perfect height, spunky and energetic (sometimes overly so), but at the same time she is amazingly quiet.  Nothing phases this horse.  I have never met a horse with so much energy, AND the ability to control it.  Her owner has had Icelandic all her life, and says they are all like that.  Daladis is trained through level 3 dressage and is a hoot to ride on the trail.  I have a brilliant trainer and Daladis's owner is such a doll.

Since I have never owned my own horse before, I have ridden a lot of horses, so here is a list of breeds I would/would not consider:

Arabian/TB - no, too much energy and too harsh a gait
Quarter horse - maybe, but it would have to really be the right one
Fjord - I love these horses, if only they were gaited!
Rocky mountain horse - possibly, I hear they are hard to get to trot
Welsh pony - maybe, same statement as with Quarter horses
Andalusian - love these guys, fantastic traditional gaits and brilliant personalities, but if you want quality, the are quite pricey
Paso Fino - I hear they have odd trots and canters
Icelandic - currently top of my list

Also, here are two videos I mad that might be enlightening:

This is me and Lady, a Rocky Mountain welsh cross that I free leased in exchange for training her.  I worked with her for four years or so, and this is a video I made before going off to college a few years ago:

http://youtu.be/kCHVjwk4P30

Here is me riding Daladis (the Icelandic) over a month ago, on a bad day for me interms of stiffness and pain, but you can still get an idea.  I actually filmed this for my physical therapist, so she could understand my problems and help me target my "riding" muscles.

http://youtu.be/cN9rtSjPXE8

One of the things that makes me a bit nervous about entering into the Icelandic network, is most people use very harsh training methods on these little guys.  Huge guys (with feet so close to the ground he might need rollar blades!), with huge spurs, huge whips, huge bits, rough hands, dropped cranked nose bands...bleck.  This is all stuff I hate about the horse world, and I don't want to support this system by giving them my money to breed and train more traumatized horses..  There is one farm in Canada (www.icefarm.com) that has a good approach.  It is owned by the sister of the founder of TTouch, and they seem to know their stuff.

Thanks so much for your advice!
Andi

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Many Icelandics do fit what you are looking for.  I also like them for the smooth gaits and their calm temperament (you will find some don't have that, as in any breed).  Some can be more 'forward' under saddle, some are more laid back.  I am also short, so their height fits me well too.  I still use a mounting block though, since I use treeless saddles, so there is less stress on the saddle and on their back.  A few other gaited breeds can also trot and canter - although some discourage it even if their horse is capable.

Sure-footedness is as much (possibly more) a function of the terrain a horse is raised in and ridden on, as their breed.  Horses kept in huge pastures that include rocks and hills and trees and all kinds of things to step over and through and around, will be more surefooted than one that's never known anything other than a flat level field and arena.

I agree with you in not liking the riding and training practices that are more often seen in the show world of Icelandics - unfortunately they are more publicized and can give the wrong impression of what is needed to ride Icelandics.  I use a saddle that fits, a plain bridle with 3-part snaffle (Myler), no noseband, no spurs, no rough riding.  Sometimes a standard crop for the one who is more laid back.  Sometimes I just hop on bareback with the halter.  The farm in Canada you mention is very good, there are others and I'm sure they would recommend someone near you if you're not close to them.

What you will want to do is ride any Icelandics you are interested in - they do vary in the gaits.  I've ridden some that trot so smoothly you'd think it was tolting - and others with fairly rough trots.  Even the walk can have a different feel in different ones.  Ride them on a trail ride too, since that's one of your riding interests.

The horse you are leasing sounds good - you might want to consider that pacing her can affect the other gaits.  Pace is a gait of stiffness (the opposite of trot, where a horse can round its frame and relax its back muscles), you may find her tolt and canter improve if you stop pacing her, and concentrate on a good, forward walk and rhythmic trot.  And if her flying pace is really rough, it's not a true flying pace, which is smooth because it's actually a 4-beat gait, not the same kind of pace that, say, our Standardbred harness racers do. You *really* have to slow down video to see that!

Good luck.

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Does anyone here have experience with Icelandic/other gaited horses (LOONG...sorry)?

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