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Links

Horses
Here are some links with more information. (Note that
these are separate organizations and that we make no warranties whatsoever with
regard to them or their horses.)
Other Farms
These are other Icelandic horse farms in North America.
Tack and Saddles, etc.:
Icelandics can be ridden in any saddle that fits
the horse and is comfortable for the rider. The biggest limitation is that
some Icelandics are short-backed and most are very wide. My favorite
saddles are treeless. Although treeless saddles may not work for every
rider and every horse, they certainly work well for me (Karen) on a lot of my
wide, short-backed Icelandic Horses. My favorite saddle of all times is
made by Nickers Saddlery, and is called the Sensation Ride. www.nickerssaddlery.com
It's the most comfortable saddle I've ever sat in! At present, there is a
waiting list for these saddles. She also makes a lovely bridle called the
Harmony, that can be used as a halter, bridle, bosal, sidepull or cross-over
bitless bridle.
We have bought a new (used) saddle for Cary that looks
very promising. It is a flex-panel saddle, made by Free 'N' Easy of
England, www.fnesaddles.com,
distributed in the USA by Moss Rock Endurance, www.mossrockendurance.com.
They make these saddles on the same panels in dressage, endurance, and other
English styles. Moss Rock also sells a lot of practical and useful items
for endurance riders, which might be of interest to lots of trail riders.
They also sell a multi-function bridle I like that can be a halter, bridle or
sidepull, called the Freedom Bridle.
Wintec English saddles, particularly
their dressage models with the changeable gullets like the Dressage Pro,
may work for many Icelandic's - but we've found that usually even the narrower
Icelandic's need the wide or extra wide gullets. Sadly, some Icelandic's
are too wide for even those. Some Wintec models (Isabel, Endurance Pro) may be
too long for short Icelandic backs, particularly in the larger seat sizes.
Wintec does make a truly wide saddle, called simply the Wintec Wide. I
haven't used it on my horses, but it might be a good one to try. The
Wintec western saddles have been too narrow and too long for virtually all
Icelandics, but I haven't tried their new Quarter Horse bar western
saddles.
I also like Bob Marshall Sport Saddles (treeless)
saddles for some Icelandic's, although you should be careful - some of the
larger seat sizes may be too long for some short-backed Icelandic's. Bob
Marshall's are made in western and endurance styles, and are somewhat
custom-made.
We tried a Freeform Endurance saddle in their
"classic" model, but found it too long for most of our horse's
backs. They do make a Short Back model that might be worth trying.
Also, some people like the Torsion saddles, but I haven't used one on my
horses. Both the Torsion and the FreeForm are treeless.
A great online tack store is Saddle Up Tack,
www.saddleuptack.com.
Susan carries lots of practical items for pleasure and trail, some nice
sidepulls, double-S and caged endurance safety stirrups, Wintec saddles, and
many mild bits in sizes 4.5" and 4.75". She's a pleasure to deal
with!
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