Sunday, November 2, 2008

My Hreggur



My Hreggur........this poor old guy came to me as a rescue. Look at the muscle atrophy on his back from wearing too narrow a saddle all his life. His feet were so contracted when he came, the farrier thought he might have navicular. But after about a year and a half his heels spread enough so he finally got his hoof function back. He wore shoes all his life before he arrived here. Look at that wonderful roman nose of his. Can you imagine how much he must have suffered while wearing a dropped noseband? There was no way a dropped noseband would not slide down onto the cartilage of his nose. I should know...I experimented with it before I finally stopped using a dropped noseband. I've kept it though, just to show people who are thinking of using one, just how awful they can be.

A new day has dawned...

  • Hello all...I have decided that from now on instead of remaining silent when people make complaints to me about the awful riding in the show/competition world of the Icelandic horse.. I will post the comments here. I will post the pictures they send to me here. Yes...all the 'water skiing' pics and examples of bad riding will be posted here for all the world to see.
  • I'm tired of trying to explain to people outside the breed who practise classical riding that no...I'm not like that.
  • I don't yard on the reins like my life depended on it.
  • I don't water ski or ride in a chair seat.
  • I don't ride on the loins.
  • I don't purposely use saddles that are too small so my horse will ventroflex in gait
  • I don't tie his mouth shut and cut off his air and then use a harsh bit to put him in pain and panic mode so he looks 'flashy'
  • AND I don't ride on freaking ice and call it an 'ice tolt'. I live with ice and snow six months of the year and there isn't anything glamorous about risking your horse's life by purposely going out on it. But then my horses are part of the family. They mean a lot to me.