Training of Þorsteinn - 4 year old Icelandic stallion Completed
Þorsteinn is a young Icelandic stallion from Stald Hestur. According to his owner Ingalill Østergård he is friendly and very social. He has lived in a herd with other colts until now and has never caused problems. Inga started him under saddle in the fall and gave him a winter break in which, according to his owner, he became rather "scruffy"; His mane tangled, his belly expanding and his coat looking rather dull. She asked if we could continue his training and train him to tölt and pace. We explained we do not ride horses in pace at this young age yet, but depending on how his training comes along we might check out if he offers it once we hit the track. His owner is not sure if he is 4 or 5 gaited. Inga also told us she would be grateful if we could give him a trim and help get him back in shape.
We started adding supplements to his diet consisting of gingseng, propolis and silica to help kick start his digestive system and work on his looks from inside out. His mane and tail were trimmed and he was brushed thoroughly on a daily basis to get rid of old hairs.
Lunging him gave us a good idea where he stood. Some work had been done by his owner and he still responded well to voice cues and long reining. Aaron spent the first week refreshing his memory and bonding with the little colt. He was encouraged to show a little more forwards drive, which was lacking, especially for a stallion and routine was helping him become more confident.
He was familiar with saddle and bridle and it was easy to tack him up. With Aaron holding, Katinka mounted Þorsteinn and praised him plenty. He was lead around the riding hall and it already seemed second nature to him.
Although Aaron enjoyed the work with him his size did seem to be an issue. The small stallion needed a shorter rider and so Markús took over his training.
Lunging him gave us a good idea where he stood. Some work had been done by his owner and he still responded well to voice cues and long reining. Aaron spent the first week refreshing his memory and bonding with the little colt. He was encouraged to show a little more forwards drive, which was lacking, especially for a stallion and routine was helping him become more confident.
He was familiar with saddle and bridle and it was easy to tack him up. With Aaron holding, Katinka mounted Þorsteinn and praised him plenty. He was lead around the riding hall and it already seemed second nature to him.
Although Aaron enjoyed the work with him his size did seem to be an issue. The small stallion needed a shorter rider and so Markús took over his training.
Þorsteinn was a very gentle and sensitive stallion so Markús wanted to encourage those traits. On a long rein the stallion was trained to follow the shifting weight of the rider. Markús rode circles and weaved around the arena until the stallion obediently followed the slightest pressure in the stirrup. Further leg pressure was added to assist Markús weight aids and make it easier for the horse to understand. The horse had already learned yielding from pressure on the ground and understood when the rider put leg pressure on his side. It was obvious that Þorsteinn was focused and eager to work, walking and trotting different figures around the arena. His ears where always on the rider, even there was commotion going on around him. Another ability Markús very much enjoyed in the stallion. Little by little the exercise was repeated with additional difficulties. New aids were introduced and smaller circles, teaching the stallion to gradually carry more weight from behind. The reins were still kept on slack so the horse could balance himself when necessary. Þorsteinn started making tölt transitions without hollowing his back or tensing his neck. In the beginning Markús let the stallion choose himself if he wanted to tölt or trot. Both gaits were shown frequently.
Eventhough he was still as sweet as can be Markús was worried Þorsteinn did not show enough expression in his gaits for a stallion. His tölt was solid but flat, he had trouble speeding up in trot and his canter often slipped into a four beat gait. After three months of training Þorsteinn was brought to the oval track, where transitions and gaits could be refined. He was trained together with another colt to motivate each other. Speed and gait transitions were practised. The stallion started to liven up. With growing stamina and muscle his steps became wider and prouder. The stallion finding love for speed.
So far no pace has been found, but his canter has much improved and he turned out to be an excellent tölter. He has been a wonderful horse to train and very easy to ride. He does not have the usual pep a stallion should have. His owner will have to make sure his calmness does not turn into laziness, however he is also a horse that a rider without much routine could easily handle.
Eventhough he was still as sweet as can be Markús was worried Þorsteinn did not show enough expression in his gaits for a stallion. His tölt was solid but flat, he had trouble speeding up in trot and his canter often slipped into a four beat gait. After three months of training Þorsteinn was brought to the oval track, where transitions and gaits could be refined. He was trained together with another colt to motivate each other. Speed and gait transitions were practised. The stallion started to liven up. With growing stamina and muscle his steps became wider and prouder. The stallion finding love for speed.
So far no pace has been found, but his canter has much improved and he turned out to be an excellent tölter. He has been a wonderful horse to train and very easy to ride. He does not have the usual pep a stallion should have. His owner will have to make sure his calmness does not turn into laziness, however he is also a horse that a rider without much routine could easily handle.