If little Hjalti can be half as nice as Iacs, then he will be a very special Icelandic horse indeed.  The stuff of legends.

Iacs from Camster

A 20 year old “Strawberry roan” gelding (** cough **)
Sire : GB1983100052 – Indæll from Rickarton
Dam : GB1981200082 – Ingibjörg from Camster

Yes, strawberry roan!

Iacs is an amazing horse.  He is the best.  Ok, his tölt maybe non-existent but when asked, he will walk, trot and canter around the school with my younger daughter, Flossie, who wants to learn better control riding so she can enjoy going out on treks more.

Iacs was foot perfect, unscary and a gentle-horse.  He rose to the occasion and I was very proud of him (and so should Daisy who has done all the work).  A safer horse, you could not ask for.

Old unexciting horses have their place in any family.  They are the stalwarts of the herd for the more nervous or learner rider and they are the unsung heroes that folk often fail to acknowledge because they are not flashy.  You don’t see them placed in competitions but you do see them standing in the sidelines teaching folk how to ride, filtering out some of the unexperienced riding aids and being an all-round nice equines.

I feel strongly for these horses.  They are often just sold on as they are not considered exciting enough and moved out for a flashier horse.  What they are is safe and that counts for a great deal.

When folk get rid of an old horse because they are bored of him/her being unexciting or too reliable and want something more zazzy, just remember you might need him/her one day to plonk your 19yo daughter on, who suddenly has an urge to learn to ride.