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Stonehaven Icelandics About our horses Stonehaven Icelandics About our people Health issues |
STONEHAVEN ICELANDICS Saddles, bridles and equipment A saddle for an Icelandic horse has to do three main things. It has to allow a relatively small and compact horse to carry the weight of an adult rider. It needs to be suitably designed for riding the gaits. It must also provide an adult rider with a suitably proportioned comfortable seat. Traditionally an Icelandic saddle had large panels often fanned behind the cantel to spread the rider's weight. Very often it would rely on a crupper under the tail to stop it slipping forward and had little or no supporting knee rolls for the rider. Icelandic saddles have improved immensely over recent years. Improvements in the shape of the tree, panels and materials allow them to fit the horse's back much better yet be more compact and lighter in weight. New girthing systems make the saddle more stable and less prone to slipping forward. The seat requires to be relatively long to enable the rider to adjust his weight for the different gaits. Modern saddles also offer a deeper seat to assist collection in the gaits. In tölt the riders has his weight further back, whereas in trot the riders weight is further forward. There are a number of Icelandic horse saddles on the market, most of them sold through Icelandic or continental retailers. Stonehaven Icelandics is the UK agent for the Hrimnir Saddle produced by "Ice Saddles" of Iceland.
Most Icelandic horses are ridden in a snaffle bridle and a loose ring or eggbutt snaffle is sufficient for most horses. It is important that the bit fits the shape of the horse's mouth particularly as greater demands are made upon it as its training progresses. The shape of the Icelandic horse's mouth can vary significantly across the breed in terms of width, proximity of the molars to the lower jaw and the length of its tongue. Riding the gaits requires a degree of collection and so it is important to take some time to get it right for your horse. Icelandic horses are often ridden with a drop noseband or flash noseband. Many riders find that this assists them and their horses in achieving a degree of collection and control without evasion. Drop nosebands made in Iceland usually have a soft leather nose piece strap rather than the stiffer stitched leather often seen on other breeds. It is perfectly acceptable to use English style bridlework on an Icelandic but many owners like to use the Icelandic style bridle. It is generally made of slightly broader leather which suits the robust features of the Icelandic horse. It also has a very practical single buckle adjustment at the poll and the reins have clips on them so that they can be easily removed to use as a lead rein on longer rides if necessary. Traditionally Icelandic horses were often ridden in the "Icelandic curb". The modern version of the Icelandic curb is still used today in competition or because some horses it prefer it. This bit is a hybrid of a snaffle and curb. It has long shanks and a curb chain, but the mouthpiece is often a snaffle mouth and the bridle usually attaches directly onto the mouthpiece rings. The mouth piece rings are fairly large so the cheek pieces of the bridle can round it as the curb is applied. In this way it is not as severe as pelham or weymouth curbs and has more of a snaffle gag effect plus some poll action. The Icelandic curb helps some horses to find the right head carriage and balance for the gaits but should only be used by experienced hands. |
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