Breeding and Training Icelandic Horses

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 thirty 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.

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. She also coaches at other venues both in Britain and abroad.

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 is also the first British bred First Prize stallion and we are immensely proud of him.

Flytir from Siamber Wen (1998) is our advanced horse. Flytir 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 his performance. In the same year he became British Four Gait Champion. He is simply being ticked over through the winter months. 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.

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 last Autumn and 5th in the T1 at the British Championships this year.

We are currently working with Tyr from Siamber Wen, Flytir's 4 year old son. He is proving to be biddable and easy to work with. He has learned the basics of yielding to pressure and leading on a short and long line and some basic long-reining. He now needs to build muscle and co-ordination by walking more in the exerciser. Tyr wil be under saddle very soon. He is five-gaited and a rare buckskin.

Watch this space for details of the latest young horses that we are now working with. The gorgeous and feisty young mare, Maja is another of Mona's offspring by a four gaited second prize stallion. She is a rich red chestnut with a flaxen mane and tail. She is lean and leggy and eye-catchingly beautiful. Maja was born in 2004. Her peers from that year are Leikur and Rakni, two laid back and friendly geldings. All three of these young horses were shod for the first time in Dec 08. Prior to being shod they have been walking in the exerciser every day for a month. This helps to get them used to a more disciplined routine than living in a herd provides. It also helps to tone them ready for further training and eventually being backed. Rakni came in from the herd at a weight of 465kg!! We reckon he had a whopping 100kg of weight to lose. After 5 weeks of diet and daily walking in our exerciser we got him down to 410kg, a better weight to start work.