Breeding and Training
Janice schooling Riddari
At Midfield we breed and train Icelandic horses. We do this because we enjoy the horses and the daily challenge which they bring to our lives. We rarely have a day pass when we do not learn something from them.
We have kept horses for over twenty years and have tried many different breeds and disciplines until finally succumbing to the addiction of the horse of the Vikings. More of that addiction later.
Since leaving the Royal Navy in 1986 Janice has studied Equine Nutrition and Physiology in great depth. An in depth look at the mechanics of saddling and the problems associated with poor saddle design and fit, lead us to design our own saddle. This has stood the test of time and is so effective that many horses with severe muscle damage from previous saddles have been returned to comfort under rider. We have written more on that subject under Trapezius Saddles
Our training methods encompass many traditional methods, including lunging and long reining as well as newer techniques. These include the methods of TTEAM which I particularly like for training or re-training to lead using ground work and poles as well as the unique body work. I also employ the services of an Equine Physiotherapist who works with me to ensure that our training regime is working for each individual horse.
In 2006 we added a 150m pace track and a horse exerciser to the training facilities at the stud. We also held our first shows and the 250m oval track was a huge success.
We are firm believers in the essentials of correct foot balance for joint stability and long term soundness and so we use an AWCF farrier who has a keen eye. We do not believe in disturbing the correct biomechanics of the foot to try to influence the flight of the limb by leaving the toes long in relation to the heels. All of our horses are shod for the correct biomechanical use of the limb.
Round pen and Exerciser
Our breeding horses are selected for temperament first. Our ideal is a biddable and human orientated mare who is confident and out going in her own personality. A bold but biddable horse is easy to train and safe to ride and that is our ideal riding horse. Of course the young horses have to be handled carefully and with a view to their future role as well-mannered riding horses. Our philosophy is that it is not the amount of handling which spoils horses, it is the way they are handled. Too harsh is as bad as too soft. All handling should be fair as horses do all have a strong sense of fair play.
Janice's latest studies are centred on the mechanics of riding and she is an approved teacher of Mary Wanless.
Our own riding has improved immensely since studying the Ride With Your Mind Techniques and we are very enthusiastic about spreading the word and helping others to learn using Mary's teaching methods. Janice has now been accredited with Mastery at Level 1 in the RWYM Teacher Training scheme.
We enjoy having courses here with Denise O'Reilly, an advanced RWYM instructor and trainee dressage coach. Denise is a successful dressage rider, so she brings a wealth of talent to her teaching courses.
Janice also runs training courses for all types of horse and rider at Midfield and at a venue in Haltwhistle
Our horses are our life and we enjoy what we do. We will sometimes have a horse for sale to the right home. Similarly, we may take on the occasional horse for training and we also take the occasional student. We have successfully trained students for BHS exams.
Tim has passed the FEIF internationally recognised "Trainer B" qualification. As this is not yet available in the UK Tim travelled to Denmark to study for and sit the test. We were extremely pleased when he passed, becoming the first person in Britain to pass this test for Icelandic Horse Instructors.
Both Tim and Janice have represented Great Britain at World Championships for Icelandic Horses in the Sport competitions. Siamber Wen Icelandics also produced the first British bred horse to represent Britain in the breeding show at a World Championships and the first British bred horse to represent Britain in both breeding and sport at the World Championships.
Flytir from Siamber Wen (1998) is our
advanced horse. Flytir has worked hard through 2007 culminating in his
World Championships performance of which I was extremely pleased. He
pulled out the stops in the Tolt class to produce the highest mark in that class
of the British team and also our highest ever mark in that class. We were
extremely pleased with hi. he is simply being ticked over through the
winter months but next year we aim to further improve his canter with a view to
developing flying changes. Flytir already has extensive lateral
work, including hal
f-pass.
Here Janice and Flytir are competing in the T.1 class in Holland in 2007
Reifnir from Siamber Wen (2000) is Tim's
main riding horse. Tim is working on improving
Reifnir's speed variations
in tölt. Reifnir has a lovely long stride which gives a super
comfortable and impressive tölt. He also has a big trot and masses of pace. We
were very were
very
proud when he gained a mark of 5.6 the first time he competed in a T.1
tölt class this Autumn..JPG)
Lina from Siamber Wen (2001) is a tall and leggy rare buckskin mare. She has good tölt and trot
and is developing more strength, balance and power in both of these gaits while doing a little canter
work as well. Lina will be developed and trained to be judged next year at a breeding assessment.
After that she may well be put in foal to carry on her mother's line.
We are currently working with Trausti from Siamber Wen, Flytir's 5 year old son. He is still entire but is proving to be biddable and easy to work with. He has learned the basics of stop, start and steer and now needs to build muscle and co-ordination to improve his gaits. Trausti is five-gaited and a rare buckskin. He has two foals one of which is palomino and the other is smokey black.
Lotta frá Sandhólaferju (1993) has been breeding foals for the past 7 years. She did her
basic training as a riding horse in 1999. Lotta has decided not to produce any more foals
so she has come back into work as a riding horse. We were amazed at how much she
remembered. She is proving to be easy to work with and a lot of fun. She is very willing
and forward going without being flighty or difficult to stop or control. Lotta will be looking
for a very special home
Feykir from Siamber Wen (2003) is a son of Skuggi frá Hauvarđurkoti and Mona frá Sandhólaferju. Skuggi is a first prize stallion and Mona has bred many good foals including Flytir our own star stallion. Feykir is tall and completely black with beautiful mane and tail. He is sensitive for a gelding and will make someone a lovely faithful and talented riding horse.
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Hula from Siamber Wen (2003) is a pretty chestnut mare with flaxen mane and tail. Hula is sensitive and biddable and always tries hard to get her lessons correct. She is not as tall as some but has really good conformation. Her sire is Oddur frá Selfoss who is an honour prize stallion so she is very well bred. Here you can see how well she took to long reining. This was her first long reining session in the arena with poles.
Loki from Whixall (2003) is another son of Skuggi frá Hauvarđurkoti out of a pretty
competition mare from Iceland.
Freki from Siamber Wen (2003) is still entire. He has three foals who all have his stunning good looks and good movement. Freki has proven to be the star in the class of this year's four year olds as he picks things up very quickly and works out what is required.
We always enjoy talking about horses and helping people to get over little hiccups in their horse relationships. We welcome visitors who want to know more about these plucky and talented horses. Please email or telephone for a chat if you want to know more about the breed. You can also follow some of the links to other Icelandic Horse enthusiasts in the UK.
Janice and Tim Hutchinson
email: info@icelandichorses.co.uk
Tel: 015396 24000