Fitjamyri Farm & Tolt Away Farm Icelandic Horses * Okanagan BC

[JohannessenNatalie]

I think that was just awesome!:) Wish my Icelandic horse could do that !

[JoachimderZweite]

The horses are beautiful but they seem very small.

[misssarallie]

they run funny

[kostaskalan]

How can I buy a horse, I am from GREECE

[zerdda]

beautiful horses. nice showing.

[TheRosa63]

they sure are a bunch of cutie pies!!

[AmoraX18]

It's really funny how much skinnier their legs are than the Icelandics actually in Iceland. Must be the flatter terrain in North America that causes that...

[VercingetorixXIII]

Ok, right off I can see the difference and why...

[rockymntgirl215]

okay here in the usa this is a rack. why do ya call it a tolt?

[TheOnlySilverUnicorn]

@rockymntgirl215 Because that is what the gait is called in the Icelandic language. *wink*

[Anskapontsu]

@rockymntgirl215 because the oringinal name is tölt. Its not a thing from the USA its from Iceland and there its called tölt.

[EliseogAsk]

What is the name of the song?

[JCVdude]

@EliseogAsk It's called: in a blink. It's a Cindy original.

[sunrisetarget]

some greets from germany....we love the icelandhorses to :-)

Take it ISI...... :-)

[banierink]

Nice to see! I worked at Fitjamyri farm and also rode a show like this, so much fun!

[MegF142857]

Icelandics are really neat horses. They can be like riding a 4WD sports car. They should have the smooth gait in addition to other horse gaits. Smart personalities, easy keepers, like to be with people in general, and can carry good weight for their size.

Glad to see folks out letting this breed be seen, as there are not enough of them in North America. They are a great horse breed and very popular in Europe.

The people who run these farms are very willing to take the time to show them off.

[tammipuu]

@MegF142857 I'm one of those loons from Europe who hopes to be able to set up a ranch of these beauties in the US, where my heart is taking me. All the Icelandics I've had dealings with were born and raised in Iceland, and with the right contacts, you can get Icelandic registered purebreds for as decent half the price you do in the US or Canada. And that includes the importing costs.

I actually like them best in their scruffy winter coat, when they look like big teddybears. <3

[MegF142857]

@tammipuu I'm all for more Icelandics in the US.

It's too warm for my guys to leave them fuzzy, so have to clip them some even in winter.

[tammipuu]

@MegF142857 I can understand that. The stable where they're at over here is about as far up north as Alaska, so the climate difference is rather steep... And though the horses have 24/7 access to warm indoors, I've seen them napping knees deep in snow, sometimes rolling around in or playing in it. :)

[desertduty]

Wow! Looks like you need strong arms and gloves to ride these horses. Do all Icelandics need to be "held" in gait like this? I wish there was a demo with these little guys gaiting in self carriage instead of always fighting the bit.

[gaitizgreat]

@desertduty - my icelandic tolts on a loose rein no problem

[Panzarpanda]

@desertduty

They don't fight the bit. When an Icelandic hors tolts it automatically lifts it head up really high. In order to make them tolt you gently pull the reins to make them lift their head while commanding them to pick up the speed and tolt it is.

[tammipuu]

@desertduty The Icelandics I've ridden can be ridden on loose reins, but it is part of the "go" signal for the horse to keep the touch to its mouth. One of the horses an acquaintance got from Iceland in the past 6 months (has a stable, imports them from Iceland to Finland and a little bit elsewhere, too) only did tölt if you said so! =)

They're often trained to obey voice commands as well as heels and reins. With 5-gaited horses the signals are important. But it does look bad to untrained eyes.

[tammipuu]

@desertduty watch?v=4NlzbQM_RaA this might be a good one, where you can see the horse happily keep its gait despite loose reins and the rider waving to the camera and all. :)

[Raintal0n]

I love horses. So beautiful.

[Viddi1989]

Looks like people from Fitjamyri Icelandic Horse Farm doing the demo, not from The Icelandic Horse Farm

[JCVdude]

It was actually 2 farms - Tolt Away Farm had were the brown horses and the other horses were from the Fitjamyri Farm.

[tammipuu]

@JCVdude Are there more Icelandic farms in BC? I'll be in WA starting sometime this summer, and I'm already looking at equestrian contacts for an "idle housewife" who's comfortable with horses from before, but is rusty. Any tips about reliable Icelandic horse farms or stables south of the border in WA would be welcome, too, if you have contacts there. I'm looking for a place where to train my horse handling, training and riding skills to the point I feel comfortable getting my own horse. :)

[JCVdude]

@tammipuu Sorry, I don't know the answer to more Icelandic farms in BC or WA. I wonder if you contacted the ToltAway farm, they might have contacts in WA? I know they were competing last year, so perhaps met some people from there? The links are in the description of this vid. :)

[horsezip]

cool