This is a new Icelandic Horse colt, named Hroi.

 

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YouTube - Natural Icelandic Horse Virtual Show
  

We had a very nice time down at the lake.  Cookie was really good, as usual, practicing her work as a therapy Icelandic Horse.

  

    We are at a point of great change within the Icelandic Horse breed. We
have reached the cross roads; one going down the path of mechanical devices
and manufactured gaits, and one leading to natural horsemanship and natural
gaits.

    Which path will you take? It may be a hard decision for some. For many
people, it will involve change.

    Are you afraid of change?

    We are creatures of habit. People generally *like* status quo. Humans
are made to recognize familiar objects and experiences. That's the logic of
our brains. We can use a minimum of brain power to function with "familiar"
things, rules, and order, which can be taken care of subconsciously. That
leaves conscious brain power to deal with "different" or new things.

    Sometimes "different" can be perceived as "dangerous" or disconcerting.
Just part of the human makeup... leaving the comfort zone. The level of
danger can be based on if you are isolated, alone, or the size of your
companion group. Higher danger is in smaller groups or for the isolated
human.

    The tendency is that outgoing, confident people are more willing to
consider and accept change, and move towards making changes more easily.

    Change involves work. It's not easy, and it takes time, energy and
effort. This explains why most people loathe change. Change can be viewed as
opportunity or threat.

    What some people see as a benefit can stress out others. Most people
have a natural curiosity about change but at the same time, can be spooked
by it. There are people at the low end of tolerance of change and at the
other, the confidant ones, who love it.

    "It must be considered that there is nothing more difficult to carry
out, nor more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to handle than to
initiate a new order of things. For the reformer has enemies in all those
who profit from the old order and only luke warm defenders in all those who
would profit from the new order. This is partly due to the incredulity of
man who do not truly believe anything new until they experience it." ~~Quote
from the Italian Machiavelli delivered in 15th Century.

    There are four distinct phases of change: denial, resistance,
exploration, commitment.

    These can be broken down into seven phases: shock and surprise, denial
and refusal, rational understanding, emotional acceptance, learning and
practicing, realization, and integration.

    Most people look at change in a negative way. For them, change may mean
learning new things, increased pressure, potential loss of position, fear of
the unknown, or even a challenge to their personal beliefs or way of doing
things.

    Six reasons for fear of change:

    1. Fear of the Unknown
    2. Self Doubt; Afraid of Losing
    3. Self Isolation and Agonize Over Decisions
    4. Forget That We Always Have Options
    5. Focus on the External World to Define Our Identity and Worth
    6. Handcuff Ourself to Stuff

    In each generation there are a few individuals or a group who step from
the old patterns and push the boundaries of current limiting beliefs and
structure. WE ARE THAT GROUP!

    We are standing up for the Icelandic Horse, and insisting on improved
training methods.

    Some individuals will never be change makers, but kudos to those who
are, as that's how we progress and how we reach higher levels in our
society.

    People like to hang on to the familiar, even if the change will be
beneficial, something "different" is harder to accept or deal with. The
denial and refusal stage also includes "hanging on"... hanging on to the
old, familiar way, resisting the new. Change can disrupt work patterns and
teamwork.

    The middle part of the process of change is "letting go"... letting go
of the old ways. A successful "letting go" includes confidence that the new
way will be more personally beneficial and for the greater good for the
whole. This is where there is a willingness to consider change.

    Active acceptance, the final step in positive change, is mental and
emotional acceptance and implementation of change. People learn, practice,
and exercise; the more positive responses they get (correct answers), the
more vested in the new changes.

    You do not have to be afraid of change!

    Again: WE ARE THAT GROUP!

    We are the Change Makers who are making things better for the Icelandic
Horse; moving away from mechanical devices and manufactured gaits, over to
natural horsemanship and natural gaits.

    Which do you value? Blue ribbons? ego? winning? or fairness, empathy,
two-way communication with, and consideration for, your horse?

    Read the Change Maker:  http://iceryder.net/changemaker.html

Pay It Forward are "Random Acts of Kindness".

Gandhi said, "We must be the change we wish to see in the world."

What goes around, comes around.

Kindness is contagious.

From the Pay It Forward book:

I do something real good for three people. And then when they ask how they can pay it back, I say they have to Pay It Forward. To three more people. Each. So nine people get helped. Then those people have to do twenty-seven." He turned on the calculator, punched in a few numbers. "Then it sort of spreads out, see. To eighty-one. Then two hundred forty-three. Then seven hundred twenty-nine. Then two thousand, one hundred eighty-seven. See how big it gets?"

YOU can help to change the Icelandic Horse world.

YOU can make things better for Icelandic Horses.

From Pay It Forward website:

Start a revolution--it begins with you! The premise of the novel Pay It Forward is one that any person can implement in his or her own life, at any time. It begins with doing a favor for another person-- without any expectation of being paid back. Indeed one would request that the recipient of that favor do the same for someone else: ideally for three other people. The unconditional favors can be large or small. As Trevor observes: it doesn't have to be a big thing. It can just seem that way, depending on whom you do it for.

Trevor's concept of "paying it forward" comes from an extra credit assignment given to him in school. His teacher asks the students to "Think of an idea for world change, and put it into action."

http://thoof.com/stream/highlightedStoryId/146887/tr/true/.p12

If you need a gift for yourself or a friend, try some of these; they are all good for Icelandic Horses:

[] Lee's Book Easy Gaited Horses http://tinyurl.com/7vyjo

[] Christine's Sleipnir's Story http://iceryder.net/sleipnirsstory.html

[] Sharon Foley's Getting to Yes http://iceryder.net/gettingtoyes.html

[] Bill Dorrance's True Horsemanship Thru Feel http://iceryder.net/truehorsemanshipbook.html

[] Rikke Schultz' Understand Your Icelandic Horse http://iceryder.net/rikkeschultz.html

[] Linda Tellington-Jones' books: http://iceryder.net/lindatellingtonjones.html


There are other books here:

http://iceryder.net/astore.html

http://iceryder.net/books.html

http://iceryder.net/amazonclick.html

Happy Holidays from Icelandic Horse Connection!

Von and Sam, a mare and a gelding Icelandic Horses are currently in a rescue which is closing down.  They need to find new homes.  More information about Von and Sam here:

http://iceryder.net/rescue.html

You can listen, or leave a voice message here:

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

http://www.notion.net/icelandichorses2007/flash-icelandichorses2007-streaming.html

and

http://www.notion.net/icelandichorses2007/flash-T1.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