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Training
We don't take in horses for training, and I don't expect us to ever offer that service. However, we do buy a lot of young horses, green or not started under saddle, and we train them on the farm. We use our own combination of training methods - mixing methods that seem appropriate for the horse we are working with at the moment. We use only gentle training methods, strongly influenced by natural horsemanship (NH). Most of the horses we start here begin their training with the Pat Parelli Seven Games for groundwork, but we also use some techniques we've learned from classical riding, and from other NH trainers and clinicians. We also supplement those games with some of the TTEAM/TTouch body work. Our riding style (using the term loosely!) has been influenced by a few years of basic dressage lessons, basic "English" riding lessons, reading Sally Swift's great book, Centered Riding, and from taking clinics of these and similar, compatible styles. We also incorporate a little NH into our riding, as well as in our groundwork. We are very lucky to have a good and qualified trainer, Shirley Humphrey, in our area who is trained somewhat classically (BA in horsemanship, experienced with dressage and hunters) but also embraces gaited horses and Natural Horsemanship.
We breed and train our horses to be sensible, easy-going and versatile trail and family pleasure horses. We have no personal interest in showing, other than possibly at some little local fun shows.
Regarding gaits: we believe that a gaited horse should gait without force. At Wind Gait Icelandic Farm, we don't (and won't) force our horses to gait by using any harsh riding styles, nor do we depend on any gimmicks, such as heavy shoes and/or pads, tight or oddly placed saddles, or harsh bits. In fact, all of our horses are barefoot, and all can be ridden in any saddle that FITS, and in mild snaffles or even in a bitless sidepull. We use some treeless saddles, a flex-panel saddle and a few conventional, treed English saddles, in endurance, dressage or all-purpose styles, but we don't object to western saddles - as long as they fit the horse and the rider is comfortable, we could care less! I've found several sources for gait information to be invaluable: Lee Ziegler's great book "Easy Gaited Horses" and her website, www.leeziegler.com. Liz Graves also has some great videos, and they can be ordered from her website, www.lizgraves.com. Both also have some great articles on their websites. I really enjoyed the Liz Graves clinic I attended. I also enjoyed a Tolt/Centered Riding clinic I attended at the Icelandic Horse Farm in Canada.
Next on our list of things to learn: driving!
Here are some links to training pictures: Bjola being started from the ground and under saddle, and Loftur, doing some groundwork as part of a therapy program to rehabilitate an old back injury and pain from a castration scar.