Icelandic Horse Connection, Preparation for Training the Icelandic Horse

Adapted from an article by Dr Dietmar Specht

All advanced work depends on one thing...the correct preparation.

Our goal will be to prepare the horse to be supple, relaxed, rhythmic, and confident.

There are many different ways to train a horse, but each method should always lead in the same direction. We will obtain suppleness, looseness, relaxation, and confidence by correct preparatory work.

In regard to visiting instructors: The biggest danger is when an instructor is visiting for a short period of time and wants to achieve the best possible results. Shortcuts do not cut it. Sometimes one can be tempted to ask too much; asking for things that neither the horse nor rider are physically, mentally, and emotionally prepared to do. This can cause set-backs in training rather than advancement.

If a horse is not ready physically, mentally, and emotionally, there is no instructor in the world who can "make" him in a short period of time.

It is important to have an instructor who is able to follow the development and riding requirements in the country in which he would like to work.

The greatest danger is the temptation to go too fast.

Groundwork and foundation training should be solid before advancing.

Transitions: The key to almost everything is the transition. It is quite a misunderstanding to just ride a young horse forward. He should know the half halts--with the effect of shortening step and stride, without asking for real collection. In a way, it is the beginning of collection, but it must not lead to false collection. In your training, include the half halts rather than only riding the horse forward.

The half halt is a short period in which the rider exerts a concentrated, combined action of all the aids, in which the driving aids prevail - it ends with the rider's hands giving as the horse gives. It is never a drawing action. You must feel when the mouth of the horse is giving, and the rider must give in response, especially with the inside hand.

Transitions help to strengthen the muscles of the hindquarters. All transitions will help make the muscles of the quarters stronger. The quarters must have the strength before you can ask them to carry more weight or ask for the tolt. If you ask the horse to take the weight too early, the horse will feel pain and try to avoid or escape the weight thereby becoming tense. Then nothing will work; the suppleness and looseness have been lost.

In former times the aim was to have a horse as supple as possible, a horse that could move as quickly as possible, and a horse that was obedient to the requests for collection. Collection was nothing other than self-preservation. The horse that is always carrying the weight on the forehand will not be able to serve as a riding horse for a very long time, the more weight he carries on the quarters the longer he will last as a healthy horse.

Horses and riders are all individuals, nevertheless some general principles must be taken into consideration by all riders for all horses. The first part of the training session, the preparation, is too often neglected. There may be some differences in the construction of the preparatory session, but always look for the readiness of the mind and body which is the indispensible pre-condition of success. In the first phase of the training session, we are looking for a body which is supple, flexible, loose; in the mind nothing more than confidence.

Excerpts from articles in Eifaxi:

"...Bjarki was a very difficult horse to teach in the beginning...I worked a lot with him on a long rein and in front of a small sulky. Trotters can tolt more easily without having a rider their back, which is why it's sensible to teach them to tolt in this way before you start riding tolt...It's a combination of many types of training, dressage, practices on a long rein before a sulky and in riding. It takes many years to make a horse so strong in the hind quarters that he can tolt as slow as in walk..."

"I think we should adopt these American systems, which are called "of free will", much more. Especially in the basic teaching. You have to get the horse to trust you more, you must make him totally free of fear. In that way you avoid misunderstandings during the training and it becomes much easier to sell well-taught horses. We must be more careful to teach our horses well; give ourselves time with the horses in the beginning, get them to stand still when you mount--that's a very important thing. It's also very important to teach the horses the basics of dressage; teach them shoulder-in, have them well balanced and equal on both sides, see that they are able to stretch and relax when we want them to..."

"The working methods are different, too, and in some places I think the horses are treated too harshly. Often people should give them more time and understanding...it's good for everybody to learn the classic basics...People should be open for everything, also the so-called "horse-friendly" methods..."

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