snow!

Is Greni trying to catch snowflakes?!

No... he learned to "smile" for a cookie :)

Greni and Susan perform as Icelandic Vikings!

Susan Verberg and Greni from Blasted Rock entered the Musical Movement Event at Carriage house Saddlery Sunday December 2nd dressed up as Icelandic Vikings! We did a basic dressage pattern on the song "Hounds of Winter" by Sting - and we won best music selection! Next year we'll elaborate on the pattern as he was very calm and cooperative (not so in the outdoor warm up arena with ripping winds from all directions...) but for now our goal was to participate, hopefully successful, which we did with flying colors and a lot of positive remarks!

I am wearing a period Viking female costume (with split skirt to accommodate riding) and I braided Greni an eight strand breast collar and a six strand headstall (from orange bailing twine - for one time use) to color coordinate with me. I did take a week to accustom Greni to the costume, especially the skirt (it was a no go on my hooded cape) but we tried the routine pattern only once as we do not have access to a marked and flat arena. Which was fine, as long as I knew where we were going - Greni like most Icelandics I think does not like to practice something done well enough more than once anyway. It was fun!

http://youtu.be/faSMgh-9c9M

Equine Holiday Musical Movements

presents 

Equine Holiday Musical Movements

December 2, 2012
Sign Up by November 25 • First Performance 11:15

Lead, Ride, Drive, Pairs, English Or Western…
as long as you have a horse, donkey or mule come out and perform!

AWARDS PRESENTED FOR:
1. Musical Interpretation
2. Audience Favorite
3. Best Costume
4. Most Creative
5. Creative Partnership between horse and rider
6. Judges’ Pick

Judges: Tori Srnka

80’x165’ area to perform your routine to the music of your choice.
Dressage markers will be in place

Bring Your Music, Your Sense of Humor and
Come Have Some Fun in our Indoor Arena

325 Waterburg Road, Trumansburg, NY 14847
607-387-3422
www.carriagehousesaddlery.com

what I learned at the Gudmar Clinic

from my posting to the Skutlaclub mailing list:

Let's see, even tho most of the stuff already jumbled all thruout my brain before the second session even started :)

Since Greni is my first (loan) horse, I had a list of things I wanted to double check just to make sure I / we are on the right track...

Greni was complaining about the saddle at home; turns out he lost so much weight the nice duett saddle is way to wide for him. Who would ever have guessed that could happen! So now I have to find a new saddle that fits him - and it took Stephanie quite a while to find this one. I also need a shorter girth, my legs are rubbing on the buckles when I give leg aids. Gudmar pointed out where the buckles ideally should be. Good thing I borrowed most of my equipment as he seems to have "outgrown" most of it!

As there was a conformation vet around at the clinic (taking pictures) I asked if she minded to check out Greni's roached back. She found he has developed no painful area's even tho he is now pretty much ridden daily and apart from finding a fitting saddle should have no problem jumping either. Yay!

Gudmar has never seen a back like his! He even took pictures of it...
Unfortunately that also meant he could not think of any saddle recommendations.

The kimberwick bit I use should not be necessary with Greni, even tho I have the reins at the most neutral spot it still has a leverage effect Gudmar is not happy with. He recommended to get a (double break) snaffle instead.

The things I learned in the arena:

The four months of bending exercises paid off and we could learn the one rein stop this time. Last time we tried Greni was so stiff he could not turn his neck adequately and definitely not relax/give into it (touching the stirrups will be our ultimate goal). Gudmar advised to do many more bending exercises.

I was also very relieved I had worked on staying straight, ai riding in a straight line, with him before hand. When I got him going straight was not well understood, and by breaking down the exercise and practicing the individual steps on our trail rides we got to where we are now. He still does not stay straight on his own but will with minimal reminders (little pull or half halt on the outside rein). Gudmar pointed out I anticipate to much with constant rein contact - have pressure on the rein just in case he veers off, and Greni appreciated when I truly released both reins. Initially he immediately veered off but over the four sessions he got much better quite fast.

Gudmar tested Greni for the tolt, which I had not asked for yet. He does not seem to have a true tolt, but does have a running walk, which I now know (sort off) how to ask for and how it feels. In true Scott fashion I'll break down the steps: speed up the walk with leg pressure while sitting a little back, using the reins to capture that speed without actually speeding up (the steps get more energized), then asking for more speed with a little restriction without breaking into trot - and stop while ahead, ai go back to walk before any trot steps happen (please correct if needed, my memory is a bit fuzzy). I will make sure to have my weight a bit forward while asking for trot, and back for running walk, to help Greni differentiate.

Apparently I am not sitting straight! My few years of riding hunt seat must have overwritten my dutch dressage training as I did not use to have that issue. Steve helped me feel what is straight and what is actually back. It did not help that the saddle was not sitting on Greni's back correctly as Gudmar pointed out that the higher than normal cantle was pushing me forwards. I added padding (first a towel then a blanket) to raise the pommel and suddenly sat straighter and low and behold, I could round out my lower back (it was hollow before). The first day my back injury was sore after the second session, the second day (with saddle raisers) it was not! wow!

What I would like to work on next time? speed control
In the last session I worked on running walk and trot cues and with all those other horses (and scott suddenly appearing speed tolting from behind several times - Greni hates things appearing from behind) Greni was quite hot and bothered and a handful for me. I've had a loss of speed control trauma in my riding past and have a hard time dealing with that feeling. Gudmar pointed out instead of using rein (he'll win anyway) to work with the speed, instead of asking for less speed ask for a circle, and have the direction slow him down. It seemed to work :)

But I still do not like the new stirrup length... I tried it on my ride today and felt all discombobulated again. I think I'll settle for short legs for now but pledge to lower again when my balance feels more adequate...

Andrea and Steve did an awesome job putting together this clinic, and Cordy did an awesome favor by picking up Hildi and Greni from Ithaca! Thank you all for making this weekend happen!

And even tho Greni poked a hole in his skin in the paddock saturday morning (I found him bleeding all over his leg when I went to tack him up for the first session and I sort of freaked out) I he loved being there - not only did he meet his new BFF (Shari's mare Hildi) the barn manager fed them hay twice a day! lucky semi-fat boy :)

A very tired Susan V.

Gudmar Peterson Icelandic Horse Clinic

Shari and I went to our first Icelandic Horse clinic together, with our Hildi and Greni in tow. We had initial hiccups in getting our transportation in order - it turned out to be easy to borrow a trailer, the truck was the hard part! The first truck I asked about had just given up the ghost permanently and they ended up borrowing my car... the second truck I asked about the owner had just ended up in the ER for the second time after a heart valve transplant (he has not given up the ghost!)... the third truck I asked about the owners had a trailer for sale and I got all distracted about that (it sold, not to me) and the forth one was only deemed safe enough for local trips, real local...  But with the generous help of Cordy (she drove from Pen Yann to pick us up in Ithaca to drop us off in Canandaigua, talk about a detour) we all made it safe and sound to the Finger Lakes Equestrian Center. And both horses loaded within 15 minutes each! Yay!

At the beginning of the session Gudmar do a general outline (the other guy is Steve, his helper). Here Greni and I are on the left, behind us is Shari on Hildi then Ruth on Molda and Chris on Sula (photo's by Ryan Chiappone of Finger Lakes Equestrian Center). There were three groups of four to five participants each in two classes each day - much more and I would have fallen off my horse at the beginning of the next day...

Here two of the clinic participants get a last word at the end of session from clinician Gudmar (Stan is filming it for his website Hestakaup.com - I did not realize it was that Stan until days after the clinic). 

 Even tho we paid for a stall Hildi and Greni ended up sharing a semi grassy paddock. And now I think they were the lucky ones! Greni really took to Hildi, she's definitely a type A personality and he pretty soon was following her like a doggie... The two days at the clinic both horses were always close by, even if there were other horses in the paddock. Greni even nickered at her from inside the arena during our last class and we all heard Hildi reply all the way from the front paddock! So now Greni has a girlfriend and when we go on a longer trip he can come for a sleep over. If only it was as easy to arrange regular play dates, like for my 4 year old!

Hildi is an extremely well trained horse, she 'laughs', shakes hands/hooves and even bows - it's impressive! I'm already happy with Greni touching (more like hitting) an object (piece of wood) with a front hoof of his choosing (have not gotten the one or the other difference in, I tap one, he chooses whatever). And boy, am I proud of that, hihi.

take a hike with friends

 Before Greni came over to live with us I went around to my neighbors to ask for permission to ride & hike on the land surrounding our property. Especially the land on the other side of the road, a dairy farm with 200 acres, held a lot of possibilities. Fortunately the owners retired and closed down the farm, but unfortunately it's now for sale. I have permission, for now, and I figured I would, most of our neighbors hike and walk their dogs there. But I'm keeping my fingers crossed the new owners are as nice and sharing as them... we've been in that position before, could hike the 30 acre lot right next to us for years, then I get a kid and really want to start using it, the land gets a new owner who's paranoid and won't let any neighbor anywhere near... Now I really appreciate all the other neighbors who are so nice and share and love to see their land enjoyed by others! Thank you!

 

Here my Dutch friend Erik is helping picking up sticks (a never ending task) and his fiancee Lesley-Anne is riding Greni. Lesley-Anne is an advanced dressage rider and she helped me deal with a couple of Greni's tricks (like crossing the open field).

The "farmer woods" already had paths, both narrow hiking paths and off road access for trucks & tractors. But the paths had not been maintained for years, and Greni and I are taller and wider than a hiker with a dog, so it took a bit to get the paths back into shape. Mostly a matter of removing downed wood (but what a lot of it!) and an occasional eye poking branch. I think I rediscovered most of the trails and now can ride a nice figure eight thru two pastures and some woods with a few jumps, four creek crossings, a few moderate ascents and descents (good for back muscle development) and a couple straight hard stretches for a nice canter. It has been great! And so much nicer than having to ride in a small arena in our own pasture - how boring would that be...

Even if I wanted to I could not remove most of the fallen over logs & trees. Some we walk over, it's a natural cavaletti and good back stretcher, and some I incorporated into small jumps.

Greni sure is a handsome man! Or would that be the wonderful light...

We have a buck!

And his name is Jamie... yes, he's the little kid all grown up which I blogged about two years ago, the one wearing a diaper and watching TV with my two year old! And boy, is he grown up... all hormone and no girls at home!

He came on my birthday early October and apparently two of the girls were in heat and he pretty much went bonkers, peeing all over everything, jumping the gates to get to them at night (I was still milking and thus separating the mom's) - generally being a typical teenage boy, haha. He got to worrying the girls so much that one evening when I came down to feed the herd was in their side stall, Greni was in his main stall and Jamie was at the door, outside... Greni had separated Jamie from the herd and was blocking him from going thru the main stall to the girls! He was giving them a rest! After that Jamie was a lot less intense. Thank goodness!

I'm hoping to get a nice girl from him next season and plan to keep her as a replacement milker, probably to upgrade Monica (eats more for less milk).

Hammond Hill State Forest

The boys are all dressed up and ready to go! Here we are at the Hammond Hills State Forest parking lot, one of two parking lots at the north end and the only one accessible by actual cars, let alone trailers, we found by trial and error! Good thing Cordy's trailer is a gooseneck (and thus can make a more than 90 degree corner) otherwise we would have been stuck in the middle of nowhere at the end of a partially washed out dirt road... And guess who we meet crossing the road - Angelika hiking with kids and parents! And now I know why she had such a puzzled expression when we rumbled past, she knew where it ended! Maybe I should visit our next new trail with a small car and make sure it is what the map says it is... there might be something to that, hihi.

We both liked Hammond Hills, tho as the name says, Hills, the trails are either up, or down - there does not seem to be much flat area! Which is good for the horses as they get a good exercise, and not good for the horses as they are quite tired and ready to go home fairly soon. At least we had great weather, windy but sunny, and perfect fall leaf colors. If only Greni had not decided to do his donkey impression and take an hour and a half to load! We ended up backing the trailer onto a bank, pull a rope around his butt and just hauling him in. The ass.

One thing, if you decide to hike or ride there, make sure you have the map with the trail blaze codes! The DEC map does not, and without the trail blaze info I don't think Cordy and I would have made it back out... The trails are like a maze up there and with the winding trails and dense tree cover we had no idea which direction we were going :)

More information about Hammond Hills, from the NYS DEC website:
http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/8204.html

Hammond Hill State Forest is located 3618 acres and is located in the towns of Caroline and Dryden in eastern Tompkins County.

The forest was established between 1935 and 1950 in an effort to reduce soil erosion problems, produce forest products, and provide recreational opportunities. Nearly half of the forest (1799 acres) was acquired by the State from the federal government. Most of the property was former pasture or tilled acreage that was suffering from poor agricultural practices. The DEC planted this land with 708,000 pine, spruce, larch, maple, cherry, ash and oak seedlings. The planting was accomplished between 1935 and 1940 using Civilian Conservation Corps labor. Today, almost 100% of the area is forested, the soil has been improved, and the harvesting of forest products supports all management activities, including recreation.

The Hammond Hill State Forest Multiple Use Trail System has been designed to offer family-based recreation for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and cross-county skiing. A snowmobile trail and the Finger Lakes Hiking Trail also cross the forest. The 16 mile trail system is a cooperative effort between the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Division of Lands and Forests, the Cayuga Nordic Ski Club, the Cayuga Nature Center, the Friends of Hammond Hill and the town of Dryden.

The trails are marked with circular trail signs. All trails are designated by color and number. Most of the trails are above 1800 feet in elevation; therefore, these trails are well suited for cross-county skiing. Trailed parking is provided in a parking lot on Cayuga Nature Center property on Hammond Hill Road. The trails are classified by the user's ability. Beginner trails have very gentle slopes and are fairly short in length. Intermediate trails have gentle to somewhat steep slopes and are moderate in length. Advanced trails have gentle to steep slopes and are usually longer in length than intermediate trails.

A very good map, in color, and with the trail codes can be found at:
http://www.cycle-cny.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/hammondhill1.jpg

Also a map, and other information can be found here:
http://canaaninstitute.org/bikeskiblog/
http://canaaninstitute.org/bikeskiblog/?page_id=891

Fingerlakes Forest Backbone Trail

Greni and I off to explore the Finger Lakes National Forest with Cordy, her Icelandic Horse Lysingur and her fancy big rig! The Finger Lakes Forest has real nice horseback riding trails with lots of different type of terrain and elevations. The only downside (could be) is that the Backbone Trail takes about 3 hours and does not really have any short cuts, at least not official ones, we found :)

  

 From the http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/66666.html DEC website:
The Finger Lakes National Forest lies on a ridge-called the backbone-between Seneca and Cayuga Lakes in the Finger Lakes region. New York State's only national forest, this multi-use land is reminiscent of western national forests with a great deal of open land and free-ranging cattle. The forest has over 30 miles of interconnecting trails that traverse gorges, ravines, pastures and woodlands. The forest is managed to provide a diversity of native forestlands, shrublands and grasslands, including areas of native older forests, diverse wildlife habitats, quality recreation areas and forage for livestock (no maps).

From the http://www.cnyhiking.com/BackboneTrail.htm website:
The Backbone Trail begins at the Backbone Horse Campground, and travels in the forest through shrub lands, pastures, old roads and many old homestead sites. It intersects the Interloken and Burnt Hill Trails to the south and the No-Tan-Takto trail to the north. It is a horse trail, however hikers are always welcome to walk the wide path.

It is a relatively flat primitive trail with natural tread, gravel in wet places and mowed paths through fenced pastures.  Please close gates behind you. From the north the Backbone Trail can be accessed at the corner of Ball Diamond Road and Wardner Corner Road or at the Foster Pond parking lot. Follow the signs and blaze marks. Caution: Trails are closed to horse users from March 15th thru May 1st due to muddy conditions. (small map on website)

Also from the USDA Forest service:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/greenmountain/htm/fingerlakes/links/recreation/seasonal.htm

With a GREAT map (pdf file):
www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MEDIA/stelprdb5318997.pdf

pony in, goat out

Greni did not seem to be loosing all that much weight so at the end of the summer I made these two swinging gates. This way Greni is confined to a small rectangular space at the barn but the goats can wander in and out at will. It works great, except now Greni is hanging over the fence to try and reach the grass over there!

So, one morning I walk down to the barn to feed the critters and I see a pony in front of the barn... not behind it like normal. Low and behold, Greni is standing, quietly and a bit sheepish, on the grass yard in front cause he had fallen right thru the side fence! You could see two gouched hoofprints in the lawn where he'd landed (and I swear I saw a nose print :) and at least half a dozen poopy piles on the outside of the pasture where he'd quietly waiting for mommy to put him back where he belongs! So now I have another piece of fence I need to fix...

I was thinking to add a hot wire on top of the fence to prevent coyotes to jump it and devour my goats, now I'm thinking to add a hot wire on top to prevent my idiotic pony from destroying it :)

But, he did not run away, or even wander off, and I'm happy to know that! Maybe it's not that bad living with us...

Greni fra Blasted Rock

  

January 2011, my first visit to Blasted Rock Farm in Naples to meet Icelandics on US soil. Not much else to do in winter anyway so it was nice to take the family on a road trip and have lunch with breed ambassador Stephanie, a member of the Saint Skutla Icelandic Horse Club (and I'm pretty sure I saw a Skutla name tag on one of her stalls...). Guess who was the first to meet & greet? Greni... talk about serendipitous!

I did not realize he was the one I was contemplating leasing from Stephanie until months later when I happened to go thru some old pics. Life sure has a strange sense of humor - I was already pregnant again when a fellow artist and I were all sad together about miscarriages - and here I meet my future horse for the first time, while yearning with all my heart for the change to become a horse owner, some day :)

Here is Greni in full glory; fuzzy, hairy and covered in partially frozen snow and sleet... can life get any better for an Icelandic?!

finishing the back pasture

 It took two years, but finally the back pasture is done! The end of August we added the two gates and hinges and now the goats have free access to the woodsy pasture out back. The first couple days we could not see them back there but within a week the bottom shrubby vegetation was consumed and it opened up the view. With nice weather the girls like to hang out there and munch leaves (they like dry leaves, not wet ones, apparently) but not for too much longer - when winter really starts I'll close it off to prevent them from moving up to tree bark. Too many nice big trees back there!

Greni is not allowed back there, I used a one foot long piece of PVC pipe and a chain fed thru it to partially keep open the back fence of the main pasture. That way the goats can sneak in and out but Greni is locked out. This way the girls have a horse free area as especially at first Greni LOVED to chase them around, just like my four year old human! But also Icelandics are known for eating trees and that will not go over well with my hubbie... this whole back pasture idea already was way over his comfort zone! For some reason he enjoys trees more than happy goats, the weird guy :)

Greni "helped" us with both gates and loved to watch drilling holes in the fence posts, sticking his nose right up to the drill (also just like the four year old...). When we started to pack up he took a nice roll around - a job well done!

taking a hike with my new guy

 Meet Greni, an eight year old Icelandic on loan from a good friend from Naples. I decided to lease before buying, to see how I like having a horse around, how the goats like having a horse around, and how the horse likes it :) He's been here since July and we're having a blast! I do have training help from another local Icelandic owner, which took of a load of pressure since I've never owned a private horse, let alone trained a young one! But with a few hiccups and false starts we're doing great, we even attended an Icelandic Horse clinic with specialist Gudmar Peterson and have been on numerous trail rides with Cordy and her Lysingur.

The first two months or so I did not ride at all, all I did was ground work. Together with the books Joy and More Joy with Icelandics and Shari's training knowledge (she came to check Greni in the beginning to see what he needed help with) I came up with lots of exercises and games to establish a basic rapport. When Greni came he was about 1,030lbs (according to my weight tape) and very stiff, especially on the right side. So we did daily hikes when possible (I do have another "toddler" at home) interspersed with physical exercises to help loosen up (circles, backing up, circles while stepping under, backing up while stepping out, lots of cavaletti) and games to teach communication. I'm not going for mind numbing obedience, I don't mind my horse having an opinion and telling me, as long as when I decide my opinion matters he'll follow.

The first big hurdle was Greni's fear of passing cars, so I set up a lot of things to play with in the front yard to my husband's annoyance. Good thing we had a dry summer and he only had to mow there once! I learned that horse behavior in a group can be different from horse behavior alone, and Greni mimicked the herd's behavior for passing cars and was fine but needed to learn to look to me, trust me, when it was just the two of us. After five months most cars are mostly fine now (I used cookies and simple touching, not petting), tho we still do not ride/walk right next to the road but in a field with a fence and a ditch between us and the cars. Some days nothing will face him (three school busses in a row? with flashing lights? big whoop) other days a simple pick up truck with trailer sends him spinning... We'll just keep at it, and I'm sure with time, the good days will outweigh the funky ones!

It's funny, but having a young horse in my back yard showed me so many similarities between training a horse and raising a kid! Guess who put's his head under my arm pit and hides behind my back when another scary monster car comes by... or who does not want to be hugged in public, but suddenly asks for a reassurance hug when all those new impressions become to much... or who stands there, stomping his feet, because yesterday I got a cookie for this and now I demand another one... or who gets away with bad behavior and instead of being happy for not working becomes all grumpy and sour cause mama is not doing her job - and gets all happy again when I finally figure it out and call his bluff! Who knew there'd be sooo much character in such a fuzzy body :)

Dutch Icelandic Get Away

This June when we went to the Netherlands for a family reunion I also planned a midweek trip to the small island of Vlieland where my mother's family is from. Both to visit my grandparents' burial site as they'd both died since our last trip two years ago and, more importantly, to revisit the Icelandic Horse stable who'd kickstarted my interest in the Icelandic breed.

When I rode with Stal Edda two years ago I had never ridden either Icelandic horses or the tolt before. From my first visit I especially remember the horses to be very, very short - much shorter than the ones I later met here, seemed like - and I was curious to see if they actually were. Everything seems bigger in the States, so why not their horses as well? But nope, it was just my first impression; my memory of my initial "you want me to get on that?" response!

It was nice visiting the stable again with some knowledge of the breed, to realize the way they are housed differently from mainstream barns (no stalls) and appreciate the perfect fit of the Icelandic breed on this rustic island. Vlieland is one of a row of small Islands at the northern end of the Netherlands with on the south side the Wadden Sea (with mudflats) and the north side the North Sea (with sand beaches). The Island is about 9,900 acres, half of which are beaches and sandbanks, with about 1,300 residents and over 130,000 visitors each season. Residents with a commercial need are allowed the use of a car and some of the tourist residences still use horse drawn wagons to haul luggage from and to the ferry. The island has about 3,000 hectares of dunes and 1,000 acres of forest and meadows (with only about 100 acres developed). The stable owns about 25 horses and in summer the ones chosen for rentals are housed in a (dune) sand drylot and work about four hours a day. But when the tourist season is over their vacation starts and they are released onto the property of the Forestry Commission where they are allowed to graze, unfenced, all winter long.

The founder of Stal Edda, Wim Gieles, was stationed on Vlieland thru the Air Force, fell in love with the place and did not want to leave. When in 1982 he opened Stal Edda it was love at first sight with the Icelandic breed and it's compatibility with the island and the stable has been Icelandic Horse exclusive ever since. As Wim is kept busy with other responsibilities (he's on City Council) he found assistance in the shape of Krista Nobel. Krista had just finished an HBO agricultural intership at an Icelancic barn in Groningen, and after a few years ended up taking over ownership of Stal Edda. She can't quite make ends meet from horse rental income alone - she works part time at Hotel Golfzang - and plans to expand the amount of seasonal trail rides and add Icelandic Horse and Tolt riding lessons. She also hopes to certify Stal Edda to be able to offer internships for Secondary Professional Education (MBO) agricultural and equine programs.

Which brings me back to my ride. I had scheduled a one hour trail ride (all that was available that day) and had six MBO students and their teacher as companions! Plus one quiet German, who had come to Vlieland especially for Stal Edda and went for a ride every day he was there. Which initially I thought as unusual - lucky him - but apparently he was not unique in that at all. People come from all over Europe - even all the way from North Sweden by plain, train and boat - for a week of Icelandic Horses at Stal Edda.

After all the kids, teacher, the German and I were paired up with a suitable horse we they were pulled from the dry lot to clean and tack up. The visitors helped every step of the way with expert tutelage and Icelandic Horse specific explanations from the couple of knowledgeable stable helpers. To encourage quality seasonal help the stable offers on island lodging.

 It was pretty clear from the start the girls (students) knew their way around horses, but also that the teacher was a bit in high water. I was pretty sure I'd signed up for the advanced beach ride and remembered my ride a couple years back, with some trepidation, the beach canter (barely in control, full out gallop to me) - but we were both assured this was a standard ride, not too fast, with definitely no dangerous all out gallop on the beach (mmm... not to sure how I felt about that as I had hoped to feel my seat improved after riding Icelandics for two years). After all were mounted, with stirrups the right length and girths properly tightened, on we went. First single file thru the dunes and later in semi file over the beach. The scenery was gorgeous, the weather perfect - not too hot, not too cold - and the hard packed low tide beach proved perfect to practice our tolt. And then the spot to turn around came. Lots of ears perked up. Quite some feet began to move around. It was harder and harder to ride a tolt. And then the tour guide gave the signal: it's time to RUN! And run they did! Flat out gallop over the beach, one horse racing the other, churned up sand flying everywhere! My heart starts racing again just writing about it! Boy, was that fun - just what I was hoping for and more than I expected!

  After what seemed like forever the guide steered us into the loose sand, we slowed down, collected all slower riders including the teacher who was looking a little pale around the edges, we had a nice walk in the loose sand near the dunes - and then we were off again. A little slower this second time around, but still pretty fast and energetic. By the time we reached the dune passage back over we all were wearing huge grins.

By the way, I never even saw a waiver...

by Susan Verberg
written for the St.Skutla Group Newsletter and NEIHC Newsletter.

Published in the December 2012 Issue 4 of the Icelandic Horse Quarterly - the official publication of the United States Icelandic Horse Congress and a member association of FEIF.

Stal Edda, Fortweg, Vlieland, the Netherlands
E17.50 for an hour to E155 for a ten hour subscription
www.staledda.nl (in Dutch, use google translate for English)


link to the complete picture album on Picasa
https://picasaweb.google.com/103334119482276223756/StalEdda?locked=true


I used two newspaper articles and vlieland-info.nl for background information.

Tack Room saddle racks

As per request some closeups of the saddle racks I built for the new tack room. I used scrap wood so the dimensions are not exactly the same for the three racks I made, one is larger than the other two. The most important measurement is the length of the rack itself, which traditionally is 24 inches but I used 22" for the one and 20" for the other two. The Icelandic saddle shown fits perfectly on the 20" one so I am glad I shrank them a little (also since there is not that much room between the wall and the door).

The other measurement is to use 1x6" boards for the angled top (one ripped one board width smaller) and cut of the corners at a 45 degree angle. I ripped a piece of 2x4" into a triangle shaped 45 degree angled brace piece with a 30 degree chop at the end. The brace bar is a 1x2" with two 45 degree angle cuts. The back board is a 1x8" (or 1x10" whatever you have around).

Assemble the two 1x6" boards first with wood glue in the joint and self tapping screws (helps prevent cracking). Then glue and screw the angled brace with a flush edge towards the back board. When dry position on back board as you prefer (about a quarter down from top looks nice) and pencil guidelines around top and edge. I think it's easiest to lay the saddle part flat on a table with the flush edge towards you, add glue and then quickly position backboard, holding board in place with one hand and screwdriver with the other (start the screw first). I use a 4" screw thru the backboard into the angled brace for extra strength. The rest is pretty straight forward, add some more screws to secure 1x6's and position, glue and screw brace. Then dry, sand & paint!

We have a router so I rounded off all edges and corners for a more finished look (don't round where the boards joint). I can't take credit for the design, I slightly altered an existing design used in the tackroom of the barn I take lessons here in Ithaca, NY. I also saw a similar design in a fifties german childrens / horse show where they used half a rounded beam instead of the two angled boards directly bolted into wall studs. Have fun!

We have a tack room

With the expected shortage of hay this year I decided to stock up well. Before I got all the hay in though I built with the help of my hubbie (he framed it) a separate tack and feed room in the shed right on the other side of the main goat barn. He even extended the board siding of the new barn to the side of the old shed which makes it look much nicer. The dividing wall (outside wall of shed) now also has a dutch door instead of a window, so if the front barn door gets frozen stuck again - like several times last year - I don't have to go thru the window!

The hay area is about twice as big as the open stall in the barn, it fits about 55-60 bales. The tack and feed room is about 5 feet by 8 feet and has a large built in feed bin in the back with shelving for buckets etc. I also built three saddle racks from a design I spotted at my horseback riding barn Kelviden. I slightly altered the design, it had a angle cut I did not know how to do, and am quite happy with the results. I used three old warped pine shelves (ripped 6" boards with the table saw) and some 6" pine board and rounded all corners with the router. The one saddle I have on loan (it fits the horse I like to buy) fits perfectly, now all I need is the horse to go with it :)

WNY EquiFest 2012

Western New York’s FREE
Equine Exposition & Equestrian Gathering

March 18, 2012

at the Showplex, Hamburg Fairgrounds

Clinicians ~ Demonstrations
Exhibitors ~ Vendors

FREE ADMISSION

more info at www.wnyequifest.com

the buzz is that Gudmar Petursson will be there
and Sand Meadow Farm will have a booth

Icelandic Horse tack options

Seems like being active doing stuff does not leave much time and/or energy to kick back and write about them as well afterwards! Plus, two accidents and starting a new small business kinda take up quite some time as well...


Luckily our local Icelandic group had quite a few activities this late summer and fall so I did get my horse fix, exercise and recreation taken care of rather nicely - a great big thanks, girls! We rode with mostly the same riders, Cordy from Penn Yann and Stephanie & Deb from Naples and explored the Seneca Lake Outlet Trail, Stephanie's extensive woods & fields, Cordy's nice woods & vineyards (the houses! wow!) and last but definitely my favorite, the Backbone Trail of the Fingerlakes National Forest.


To get back to the point, I found a few good places to buy Icelandic tack and other horse related things and thought it would be nice to share them. Not everything is as easy to find as a simple google search - word of mouth still seems to be the best way :)

The Tack Shop at Tolt Away - www.ToltAway.com

Tolt Tack, the US Supplier of Icelandic Tack at www.ToltTack.com

One company I was referred to several times, with high accolades from all, Dunne & Krum Icelandic Tack Store, seems to have gone out of business unfortunately.

Quite a few of Icelandic Horse breeders also sell tack, but most seem variations of the tack shown above, for higher prices. My absolute favorite is the Tolt-Line Set 400 with rounded leather, a bridle set I'd seen and admired at Heleen Heijning's West Wind Farm, and when I have the opportunity (or they have a sale) it will be the first thing on my shopping list!

A couple Horse equipment, tack and whatever you ever might need catalogs are (also good for leaving thru on a cold dark stormy night, with a cup of hot tea and a roaring wood stove...):

State Line Tack at www.StateLineTack.com
Large equine selection, seems to have similar prices as Jeffers.
State Line Tack sells Kiwi gate latches - the Deluxe Gate Latch - which I'll be getting for the new gates of the back woods pasture (you can open & close one handed).

Jeffers Pet Supplies, Equine Supplies & Livestock Supplies at www.JeffersPet.com
Large horse and livestock selection, seem to have the best prices around.

Dover Saddlery at www.DoverSaddlery.com
A favorite of all, gorgeous catalogs, but pricey looks like (but could be better quality?).

Schneider Saddlery at www.sstack.com
They have an especially large selection of horse blankets and lots of western riding equipment.

Icelandic Horse books & video

The Icelandic Horse Farm in Vernon, BC. has several breed specific books for sale. Both Joy and More Jof of Icelandics are very well recommended thru the IceHorsesWorldwide forum and I ordered both for the coming winter evenings to prepare for when my horsey partner announces itself :-)

Below a listing of any and all books Icy I've come across:

A Good Horse Has No Color, Searching Iceland for the perfect horse - By Nancy Brown CND
Joy of Icelandics - By Christine Schwartz CND
More Joy of Icelandics - By Christine Schwartz and Rikke Schultz, DVM CND
Sleipnir’s Story - By Sleipnir and Christine Schwartz CND
Understand Your Icelandic Horse - By Rikke Schultz CDN
New Age Vikings, The Icelandic Horse Volume I - by Elizabeth A. Haug
New Age Vikings, Horse Gathering in Iceland Volume 2 - by Elizabeth A. Haug
New Age Vikings: There is Something About The Icelandic Horse Volume 3 - by Elisabeth Haug
In the Hoofprints of the Vikings, Horse Trekking in Iceland - by Elizabeth A. Haug
The Icelandic Horse in the Home Country - by Johanna Sigihorsdottir (Author), Gary Gunning (Translator)
Living Your Dream, The Icelandic Horse Gletta - by Elisabeth Haug, Lars Perner
The Colors of the Icelandic Horse (English Language) - by Friðþjófur Þorkelsson
The Icelandic Horse (English Language)
The Icelandic Horse in the Home Country (English Language)
The Natural Colors of the Icelandic Horse (English Language) - by Sigurður A. Magnússon (Author), Friðþjófur Þorkelsson (Photographer)
Understand your Icelandic Horse - by Rikke Mark Schultz ISBN 87-989189-0-7
Riding the Wild Side of Denali: Adventures with Horses and Huskies - by Miki & Julie Collins

Easy-Gaited Horses: Gentle, humane methods for training and riding gaited pleasure horses - by Lee Ziegler
The Horse's Choice - by Staci Layne Wilson

For the kids:
My Horse Of The North (was titled Icelandic Pony) - by Bruce Mcmillan (Kindergarten-Grade 3)
Ariel's Journey (The Ice Horse Adventures, Book 1) - by Doug Kane, Christy Wood (Ages 9-12)
Horse Diaries #1: Elska - by Catherine Hapka (Author), Ruth Sanderson (Illustrator) (Ages 9-12)

Video:
The Icelandic Horse DVD - by director Sveinn M. Sveinsson $39.95
The Lure of the Highlands DVD - by director Sveinn M. Sveinsson $39.95
9.5-10 For Riding Abilities- The Ultimate Breeding Goal of the Icelandic Horse DVD - by director Sveinn M. Sveinsson
Riding the Icelandic Horse DVD - director Curt Worden $35
Around the World on Horseback / Iceland's Viking Horses DVD - by Bob Seemann 2005 $9.95
Im Bann der Pferde (TV series 2009) - English Translated by director Lisa Eder
2006 NEIHC Breeding Evaluations at Mill Farm, NY (video on demand) - directed by Steven T. Barber
Tolt with "Diddi" DVD - by Sigurbjorn Bardarson "Diddi" (Actor), Bjarni Thor Sigurdsson (Director)
Eyjolfur Isolfsonn Master Trainer: ON HORSEBACK, a Few Basics VCR - director Sveinn M. Sveinsson
Benni Lindal Icelandic Master Trainer: Training VCR by KVIK hf.