10 Reasons Why Icelandic Horsemanship

There are many reasons why we have devoted our lives to Icelandic horsemanship and the surrounding culture that defines this discipline. Here at Taktur, we’ve been talking a lot about what those reasons are, and in no order of importance, we thought it would be fun it them with you.

In Icelandic Horsemanship, we value…..

1. Preserving the forward spirit of the Icelandic Horse

   We value horses that are forward thinking and offer energy to their riders. We find these horses are more dependable, brave, and cooperative. We breed for horses that are naturally willing. We also attempt to train in ways that preserve the horse’s spirit as opposed to shutting it down.

2. All five gaits

   In Icelandic horsemanship, we breed, train and compete in all five gaits. We value the three basic gaits, walk, trot, and canter, as well as the tölt and pace. This creates a unique breeding and training objective that no other discipline shares.

3. Icelandic horse nerds and their knowledge

   Icelandic horse folks are total nerds. We create systems, protocol, matrixes, equations and theories about every aspect of our horsemanship. We love collecting data, synthesizing it and updating our rules and regulations. We value knowledge. Whether it be cultivating it or sharing it.

4. Nature and the role it plays in our horse care and training

   Probably because of how much Iceland’s landscape has defined our breed, we have always valued the role a horse’s natural environment plays their lives. Whether it be considering the social, movement or dietary needs of our horses, we always try to find the most natural care practices. We also value riding outside of the arena. We know the importance of riding outside the arena when it comes to preserving our horse’s mental and physical welfare.  We also appreciate that there is nothing like the joy of riding an Icelandic horse out in nature.

5. Progress in training methods

   We recognize that what is defined as good training is something that is dynamic and ever-developing.  We understand that we have made massive progress through the years but will continue to need to change and adjust as we learn more. What we did even five years ago may be a methodology that we would never use today, and therefore, we recognize that we need to continue to be open to the fact that what we are doing now might not be acceptable five years in the future.

6. Diversity of horses and roles for those horses

   We value seeing each Icelandic horse for their strengths and honoring them for those. We value the fact that we need a variety of horse types to play different roles in our community needs. A pace horse is appreciated for their speed in pace races. A family horse is appreciated for their calm and safe attitude. A tölt horse is appreciated for its varied speed capacity and high action. A trek horse is appreciated for its sure-footedness. Recognizing that we are breeding for a variety of outcomes and appreciating each individual for the role that best suits them is key to the long term welfare and success of each horse.

7. A good party

   Not sure this one needs much explaining the Icelandic horse community loves to have a good time! Whether it be getting together to chat over drinks or hitting the dance floor after a show, we love having fun together.

8. Collaboration and working together

   In the Icelandic horse community, we value collaboration on projects, events, when training and when teaching. Whether it be writing in the same google doc, riding each other’s horses and sharing feedback, or teaching joint clinics - working together in teams is at the heart of our horsemanship. Most of us have learned that it is more productive, more innovative and more fun to create and move forward together.

9. Curiosity and openness to training techniques

   In Icelandic horsemanship, we love trying new things. Whether it is a new training or teaching approach, we value keeping an open mind and exploring new things. At Taktur, this has led us to our exploration of the liberty training.

10. Health and longevity of our horses

    We view our horses as life long partners. Training in such a way that we preserve the health and longevity of our horses is a source of pride in our community. We love seeing our horses competing and trail riding well into their 20s. We value that our horses be free of pain and suffering throughout their lives, and we do everything we can to preserve their mental and physical welfare.

    I could elaborate with hundreds of examples and personal experiences that prove these reasons are consistent themes in our discipline. I’m sure you could, too. Are there any that you think are missing from this list?