Conformation Advice - Icelandic Horses
After losing my very-much-loved Icelandic gelding earlier this year (he had had various health issues but in the end he colicked and, when they operated, they found a pendunculated lipoma which had caused too much damage to the gut for them to repair), I am now just starting to think about shopping for another Icelandic horse. I’m not planning to buy until next year, but I’m keen to start the process now - to enable me to think about what I want, and sit on a number of different ponies to get a sense of what I’d be happiest with! (And also as something to keep me busy in the face of the great gaping hole that he has left in my life!)
I’m based in the UK, and at the moment, I’m planning to buy from there. I’ve visited a couple of the breeding establishments in the UK so far, but not yet seen anything that has really grabbed me - and I’ve had some health concerns about some of the available ponies that I’ve seen (cloudy eyes in a five year old, and a hock that looked NQR). I would be getting any horse vetted before I bought it!
I was talking to a friend about the importance of conformation - my main criteria are temperament and health - I’m not planning to compete competitively (maybe the odd local show but just for fun!), but I’m looking for something that will be my happy and healthy companion for the next 20 years (barring acts of fate!). I have - thanks to my boy and his various issues! - a pretty good eye now for movement that is NQR (hence my concerns about the hock in the pony above), but I know very little about what makes good conformation, and particularly about what makes “good” conformation in an Icelandic!
Is it correct that a horse with “good” conformation is more likely to stay sound than one with conformational flaws, or is it more down to how the horse moves and is worked?
I would be very grateful if anyone has any useful sites or resources that they could point me towards so that I can educate myself on this or if they can provide some useful baseline pointers to look out for!
(I attach a couple of photos of my boy from last year below in case it is easier to talk about conformation from an example! Mods, I couldn't find a "conformation" tag - apologies if I missed it!)
