breeding unsound horses
Oldwaggy@aol.com
Wed, 29 Jan 1997 01:56:31 -0500
One thing I can say about my Icelandic pony, Remington, after completing 550
miles since he started fifties a year ago, is that he seems sturdy. The
breed as a whole is known for being free from mechanical problems.
Historically, horses were used in Iceland both for transportation and as a
food source. There were so many horses around (there are still over 100,000
horses kept by a population of a quarter million people) that there was no
reason to keep a lame horse. According to my Icelandic acquaintances, the
traditional method for treating a horse that was lame for more than a few
days was to eat it.
I'm not suggesting that the endurance community follow suit. I do agree with
those, however, who believe that some of the lameness we have to deal with in
endurance horses might be avoided if breeders avoid using horses with any
significant history of lameness as breeding stock.
John Parke
Solvang, CA.