W H A T   P E O P L E  D E S I R I N G   TO  

P U R C H A S E  H O R S E S

need to know

W: Wild Horses are wild animals; this must be understood and respected

H: Herd Horses are herd animals, they enjoy and need the company of other horses to thrive and be happy.

A: Attentive The needs of horses must be attended to by owners. Horses are not able to communicate their needs so owners must be aware of them.

T: Training Horses must be well trained by experienced qualified trainers.

P: Prey Horses are prey animals. As such they are innately cautious and sensitive to their environment and everything in it.

E: Experience There is no substitute for experience. If you’re interested in buying a horse make sure you first experience the animal, repeatedly.

O: Observe Do not take a sellers word for anything concerning a horse you’re interested in. Observe first-hand every aspect of the animal.

P: Predator You are a predator (unless you’re a vegetarian) to your horse. As such you must work hard to gain his or her trust.

L: Love Most owners of Icelandic horses truly do love their horses and the horses sense this.

E: Experience Make certain all professionals that serve your horses’ needs have plenty of experience. This includes Vets, trainers, farriers, handlers      

D: Daily Horses need daily contact with people and other horses. The greater the contact the better the relationship.

E: Exceptional The Icelandic horse is an exceptional breed from many perspectives. Most important is that it is exceptionally human friendly.

S: Smell The horse’s sense of smell is it’s most keenly developed. It can remember a person’s smell after a twenty year absence, hence blowing in a foal’s nose begins a life-long relationship.

I: Intuition Horses are very intuitive and are constantly on the watch for danger. If a person is fearful or angry or relaxed the horse will sense it.

R: Respect Respect is fundamental in a horse’s life. In the herd there is always a pecking order and a clear leader. You MUST be herd’s alpha. Therefore, earn the horse’s respect BEFORE you try to become its friend.

I: Imitative Always take the initiative when riding your horse. You must be and remain in control throughout the ride.

N: Needs Make sure you know all of your horse’s needs and meet them. Worming, shoeing/and or trimming, feeding grain only AFTER hay, providing mineral blocks, are all needs that many don’t know or ignore.

G: Gaited One of the most desirable attributes of the Icelandic horse is its unique gait, the tolt. The hoof pattern is similar to the walk only much faster. As such it provides an unparalleled comfortable riding experience. Unlike some other gaited breeds the Tolt is completely natural to the Icelandic horse

T: Training The single most important factor to enjoying your Icelandic horse. To be effective training must begin at an early age and be performed by a qualified trainer. Insist on knowing the specific history of training of any horse you are considering for purchase.

O: Objective Consider all available objective information before making a purchase decision. In the case of Icelandic horses there is a wealth of information available on-line through Worldfinger.

P: Practice To become a better rider you must ride and take lessons. It is essential that your horse be ridden on a regular basis. Not only is this important exercise but the horse will become stronger and better mounts.

U: Understand Take the time to understand the cause of your horse’s behavior, and you can often solve the problem. For instance if your horse refuses to be trailered, leave the trailer open with feed in it for a few days before you plan to trailer him. Never leave a horse in a trailer unnecessarily.

R: Relief  Everything a horse does when being ridden is for relief. It stops not because you are pulling on the reins but because it wants you to stop pulling and knows you will if it stops.

C: Contact Horses thrive on contact with their owners and other horses. The process of caring for the horse deepens the relationship with the owner. Regular brushing, bathing, feeding and riding are essential to maximizing your relationship with your horse.

H: Healing Horses do get sick and injured, and in most cases do not complain. Colic is a primary cause of premature death. If a horse stops eating assume it has colic and seek immediate treatment. With only one stomach and the inability to regurgitate, colic leads to bowel obstruction and eventually an excruciating death.

A: Aids Horses have an acutely developed sense of touch. Riders communicate with horses through aids that largely involve touch. A well trained horse will respond to aids. However, if the rider is not well trained most will confuse the horse. For instance, when a novice wants to stop a horse that is running, most will pull back on the reins (a signal to stop) but tighten their legs around the horse (a signal to move forward faster).

S: Seeing The sense of sight is one of the less developed senses a horse has. It can’t see anything directly in front of it which is why one should never approach a horse from directly in front of it. Also, don’t pet the forehead.

E: Experience To become a better rider you need to ride, and ride on a regular basis.

H: Hearing Like most prey animals horses possess a very keen sense of hearing. As such they can be trained to respond to verbal aids. Tone of voice plays an important part in all communication; use one word commands.

O: Obedience As a herd animal horses vie for positioning within the heard and other members of the heard impose discipline. You must be the leader and enforce discipline, if you don’t you will lose control over your horse.

R: Reliance Your horse relies on you for its various needs including health, food, exercise, companionship, comfort and a positive state of mind. Meet these responsibilities and your horse will reward you with years of enjoyment and companionship.

S: Safety Always put safety first. This is particularly important when non-horse-people are around your horse for the first time, especially children. Remember, horses are wild, prey animals and people are potential predators.