The Icelandic horse originated from Scandinavia and is thought to have been brought to Iceland by the Vikings around the mid 800’s.

Despite their small size, Icelandic horses are very strong and can easily carry the weight of a full grown adult. They are normally broken to ride at the age of four to five years old and are mostly used for pleasure riding and gaited competitions.

Icelandic horses are renowned for their spirited but willing natures. They are forward going but sensible to ride and easy to handle. Bad natures are not tolerated and even today horses with less than perfect characters are culled for meat which is exported to Europe and Japan.

Iceland is a country with many environmental extremes such as volcanic activity, quicksand, land slides and extremes of weather. Due to this the Icelandic horse has developed the ability to assess a situation rather than flee which is the normal reaction of a flight animal. They also have a higher pain threshold than most horses along with a strong will to survive.

Icelandic horses are fames for their gaits. In addition to walk, trot, canter and gallop, most Icelandic horses can also tölt and skeið.

The tölt is a comfortable gait where the horse moves its legs in the same sequence as the walk but it’s done at speeds ranging from five to twenty five miles per hour.

The skeið is where the horse moves both legs of one side at the same time. The skeið is used in racing and when ridden at full speed is called the flugskeið (flying pace).

Five gaited horses are highly prized and are the ultimate goal for Icelandic breeders whereas horses that don’t possess pace are considered undesirable.

The New Forest in Hampshire is the UK’s smallest national park. For nearly 1000 years local people have worked the land on behalf of the crown.

Over 34,000 people live within the forest boundaries and authorised residents known as ‘commoners’ are allowed to let animals such as cattle, ponies, pigs and donkeys roam free.

This summer the New Forest National Park Authority (NPA) issued draft plans for its future which include proposals to tighten planning regulations on the keeping of horses.

Under the new rules recreational horse owners would need planning permission for activities including the following:

• Keeping more than one horse per hectare
• Splitting single fields into multiple pony paddocks
• Providing regular supplementary feeding
• Rugging horses in winter

Local pony owner Tina Cant has set up the Forest Uprising group to fight the proposed new regulations.

“What they’re suggesting is unnecessary, unworkable and unreasonable. They’re pushing every recreational horse owner into getting planning permission. There’s no logic in it. A vast majority of people here wouldn’t be able to keep their ponies. And it would have a knock-on effect on a load of other people who work here and depend on the recreational horses, vets, farriers, tack shops”

Useful Links:

New Forest National Park Plan Consultation Draft

Forest Uprising

HAPPA was founded in 1937 and is one of the oldest equine welfare charities in the United Kingdom.

It campaigns in the fight against the live transport of horses for slaughter and works to improve existing legislation to protect horses and donkeys from cruelty and neglect.

HAPPA officers investigate over 800 equine welfare cases each year. Owners are offered support and advice with prosecution used as a last resort if necessary.

Animals rescued by HAPPA are taken to their centres at Lancashire and Gwent where they are nursed back to health. Approximately 80 equines are in care at any one time with a weekly cost of around £12,000.

Horses, ponies and donkeys are never sold but they are available for loan to good homes.

To find more about HAPPA and the ways in which you can support them please visit their website.

http://www.happa.org.uk

Equestrian forums are a brilliant way of making friends with like minded horse lovers of all ages from around the world. Forums can also come into their own when you need some help or advice if your horse is sick, injured or behaving badly.

With busy equine forums there is usually someone online day and night which means that you can login and have a chat or ask your questions whenever you wish. Often you will get a response to your queries in minutes.

The best thing about horsey message boards is that you get to communicate with people that would probably never come in to contact with in the ‘real’ world. Don’t underestimate the value of these virtual friendships though. Your online buddies can give you genuine support in times of crisis as well as being there to share the lighter moments.

If you not already a member of a horse forum why not give it a try? Don’t be surprised though if you become addicted!

Fire crews from Northants have been battling a blazing muck heap that caught fire at about 10am on Sunday 23rd November.

The blaze broke out at East Lodge Farm Riding School after the owner called the fire brigade to help him carry out a controlled burning. 

The junction of Washbrook Lane and Ecton, near to Sywell Country Park has so far been closed by the police for 48 hours amid fears for public safety.

A spokesman for the Northants Fire Service said:

“The fire is not completely out yet — it is still continuing to smoke and we expect it will do so for some time. There is nothing more we can do at the moment but we will be going out to check on it again tomorrow (Tuesday 25 November).”