It looked to Chandoor like the start of another typical day at Shinto Farm at
Cogi. Since coming over from Europe as a Grand
Prix jumper and now being trained for a new career in
dressage, he enjoyed the familiar routine: the girls would check
the schedule board, coil the leg wraps, brush him and...
But three tiny hairy horses showed up and were
actually put in the same
stall!
This day is going to be very interesting!
Today George Gullikson, the saddle maker, is making his barn visit and
to see the three Icelandic horses.
Now the first Icelandic horse, Somi, is brought to the
cross-ties. George will tell us about the Icelandic horse and
compare it with some other breeds.
Along with our horses, we also brought their saddles, made for
Icelandic horses in Iceland, and these would be examined, too.
George told us about one of his own horses...
Now we bring out Pilatus, another horse.
And then Landi.
These videos raise a number of issues for me. The first, of
course, is whether or not I needed to get a new saddle and if it could
be used on both of my horses. Perhaps Landi would need a
corrective pad to bring up his back to fit into the saddle.
Not a great solution, but I am already looking into a corrective pad
right away.
Most of the videos that are posted in Hestakaup.com were filmed in
Iceland. I expect that I would have gotten a different
assessment of the saddles if I were in Iceland. On the other
hand, I really don't think that there are saddle makers who make calls
to barns. At least none that I have ever heard of.
And this brings us to the core issue of the care of the Icelandic
horse. Many people, when they buy their Icelandic horse, go the
whole route and match the horse with saddle and bridle from Iceland,
too. The assumption is that the Icelanders bred these horses to
what they now are and so they should therefore know the appropriate
tack and how to make it. After all, they have had centuries of
experience.
On the other hand, there is some argument that Icelandic horsemanship
has been isolated from the progress made in the rest of the world and
is only now starting to become aware of developments in training, tack,
and general care.
The Icelandocentric will claim that the most important feature of the
Icelandic horse is the tölt and that is the exclusive domain of
expertise of
the Icelander. Centuries of experience in riding and breeding for
the tölt. Not!
There is much to suggest that the tölt was only discovered in
Iceland by some
priests who first wrote about it in the 1850's and prior to that the
horses went in a pace to which they were confined by their rigid wooden
saddles. The tölt may have been elsewhere known as a rack or
amble in the rest of the world.
Now the tölt is indeed treasured and Icelandic horses are
evaluated for
breeding with an emphasis on the expression of their tölt.
But as there have been other gaited horses throughout the world it is
possible that some other cultures will have knowledge and experience
that can benefit the Icelandic horse abroad.
George tells the story of his 46 year-old Morgan who gives children
rides 2-3 times a week and he would like to keep her going until she is
at least 50 because she has a purpose in life and is healthy.
In Iceland I have heard people marvel that a horse of 18 is still
going. And in one case, a horse that is 23 is still being ridden
for round-ups. But the competition stallion is going to be
ridden for a few years and then used for breeding. There is
always a newer and younger horse coming!
We Americans, who see our horses a comfortable companions on the trail
and as pets, have different expectations of longevity than the
Icelandic farmer. Our cultures determine our
expectations about the horse.
The Port Lewis Pad
A friend of mine, Stephanie Sher, was concerned about saddle fit and she took matters into her own hands. Several years ago she ordered a Port Lewis Impression Pad which maps the pressure points under the saddle. She has been generous enough to share her observations with us.
I've had a lot of people come and ride here with their saddles and
horses to get a scan.
What I've learned is that you have to duplicate the amount of time you
are mounted every time you try it. They recommend 20
minutes. And you've got to keep it from slipping somehow,
which I've found difficult.
The scan of the Keiler shows someone who is riding with most of their
weight on one side. I don't remember who the rider was, and
I've never owned a Keiler, but I certainly do have that problem.
The dressage saddle on Elska shows a badly fitting saddle with lots of
bridging The whiter areas are areas with more pressure which
has squeezed out the gel in that spot.
The same dressage saddle on Ogri. It
fits him better than it did on Elska, but still not great.
An Australian stock saddle,
which clearly fits Ogri better. This is the one I usually use
on him for trail riding.
The treeless Bob Marshall sport saddle on Sproti
which has really great weight distribution.
So this gives you an idea what you can see with the Port Lewis Pad.
DISCLAIMER
This website is not supported by advertising and does not endorse any products. I have not personally tested the Port Lewis Pad myself and am grateful to Stephanie for her contribution. I asked the company to send me one that I could video on different horses, but they declined on the understandable basis that they are too small to send out product other than for sales.
Port Lewis also has an interesting correction insert system which I would have liked to include.
The impression pad is available at various tack stores and online including Saddle Up Tack. It is sometimes available for rental. Again, not an endorsement, just a service to guests of Hestakaup.
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