Gudmar is a partner and manager of Fakasel, the new Icelandic Horse Park in South Iceland, where he created and continues to direct a theatrical performance that showcases the uniqueness of the Icelandic breed. Click here to read more about this exciting attraction.

Today marks two years of weekly “God of Wednesday” posts, and to celebrate I’m going to revisit my very first entry–not coincidentally the beginning of my very first book, A Good Horse Has No Color: Searching Iceland for the Perfect Horse:

CARRIED AWAY
I could hear the horses before I saw them, their hoofbeats the high slap of cupped hands clapping, beating the punctuated four-beat rhythm of the tolt, the breed’s distinctive running-walk gait. From our summerhouse, I watched them through binoculars. Pinpricks on the silvery wet sand, they shimmered like a vision out of the Icelandic Sagas, the medieval literature that had brought me to Iceland in the first place. Briefly the horses took shape as they cut across the tide flats: necks arced high, manes rippling, long tails floating behind. Their short legs curved and struck, curved and struck. I would watch them until they disappeared beyond the black headland and wonder who their riders were, where they went on their rapid journey. I wanted to go with them. 

Icelandic folktales warn of the gray horse that comes out of the water, submits briefly to bridle and saddle, and at dusk carries its rider into the sea. For me, it was the watcher who was carried away.

I’m happy to say I’m still carried away: by Iceland, its folklore, its sagas, its people, its language, and its horses. A Good Horse Has No Color is back in print, in paperback, and has been joined on my shelf by two more books about Iceland, The Far Traveler: Voyages of a Viking Woman and Song of the Vikings: Snorri and the Making of Norse Myths. A young adult novel based on The Far Traveler will be coming out this year, and my new nonfiction book, The Ivory Vikings, scheduled for spring of 2015, has a strong Icelandic focus.

Birkir and Gaeska, the two Icelandic horses at the center of A Good Horse Has No Color are still frolicking in my pastures, now ages 23 and 24, and have two younger stablemates, Mukka and Naskur, both from the American farm Alfasaga. In addition to riding them most days (when there’s no snow on the ground), I’m now collaborating with the horse-trekking firm America2Iceland to organize historical riding tours to Iceland. There’s still room on our Song of the Vikings tour this June 5-11: See America2Iceland.com if you’re interested. I’d love to show you the Iceland that inspires me. One of their trips even takes you along that same silvery wet sand, across the tide flats, past the black headland into … another world.

For me, being carried away by Iceland has been a wild and wonderful trip. I hope you’ll continue to come along for the ride.

The foals are born in spring/summer and stay with the mother at least until the new year (about 6 months) sometimes even longer, until spring. Sometimes the foals are handled the first days / weeks of their life (imprinting). Sometimes they are left alone until they are weaned and then they are handled for some time, maybe just few times, few weeks, or they are kept in the barn for the winter and then slowly get used to humans that way. With any of the above, the youngster will always remember being handled. After this, they are usually let out with the herd and not much done with them except worming and trimming 2-3 times a year, and until 3.5 or 4 years old when they are brought in for training. At that time, they are just a little scared but they still remember the handling at an earlier age, and are therefore curious, but not terrified.

So what has happened here is that the young horse is introduced to humans a little bit at young age and then they are let out in the herd where they learn to interact with other horses and show respect to the leader. The herd does not necessary have to be big but it is very important that there are some other horses. Being with a herd of horses allows the horse to grow up as a horse, and learn from the other horses. A big field is important because that way the young horse gets to move around more and develop muscles faster and better.

When we start the training we need to make them believe that we are good enough to become their new leader.

So back to the US. If people have the setup to do it this way that would be great, however we are not in Iceland and some things are very different. For example, here we need to vaccinate, we need to worm more often, and often are they on softer land so the hooves need to be trimmed more often. The young horse is going to be handled more than in Iceland.

So I say it is not a matter of if you handle your young horse, it is a matter of how you handle it. The youngster has to learn respect and follow a leader and if you don´t have a herd to do it with you have to do it yourself and you better start sooner rather than later.
What this involves is to make sure the horse respects your space. Don’t allow it to nip on you and be sure it goes away when you want it to. I think a good way to describe the correct relationship between a horse and owner is:

The horse should be happy to come to you………………but just as happy to go away from you.

Don’t forget the second part.

I recommend not feeding the young horse any treats out of your hand.

It is easier to train a horse that respects the trainer rather then a horse that is ‘’spoiled’’ and shows no respect at all. Remember that when you handle a horse and/or ride a horse you are a trainer. Because the horse is always learning and it is up to you to make sure it learns the right things.

My advice to you is to study about horse behaviour and try to handle your young horse correctly. It is not a matter of handling it much but when you have to handle it, then do it right. Or find a place where your young horse can be kept in a herd at least for some time.

From the Courier-journal in Kentucky

From mbl.is in Iceland