Elo-Iben and Svala's Mini-Course Journey at WHC

Recently, we had a visit from Elo-Iben and her horse Svala, who participated in a mini-course with Mia at WHC.
Svala is a generally trusting horse who listens well, but she has previously had issues with running without responding to stop cues and appearing tense under the rider.
Elo-Iben and Svala spent three days receiving lessons and training at WHC, working on improving Svala's behavior and cooperation.
Watch this week's video to learn more about Svala and Elo-Iben's journey together.
#HorseTraining #MiniCourse #EquestrianLife #HorseBehavior #WHCTraining #EloIben #SvalaHorse #HorseRiding #TrustYourHorse #EquestrianJourney #HorseTrainingVideo #RiderAndHorse #HorseLessons #ImproveYourRide #HorseTrainingTips

[@dawncamp303]

Mia is great, I wish she was here in the states !! I don't know anyone here like her.

[@whenhorseschoose]

I am coming to the States this Fall to do clinics, where are you located?🙂

[@madeleindevilliers2530]

Very sweet pony!!

[@barbeshoes3715]

Supposedly Icelandic ponies can carry up to 35% of their body weight maximum, the average horse can carry 15-25% so in theory this horse can carry a fit adult rider without suffering health complications. What a beautiful little mare!

[@Michele-W.]

Amazing !!

[@mariaviir3289]

To big rider

[@whenhorseschoose]

Yes the owner is very aware that she is a little tall for this horse, but she is not heavy. And she is doing so many great things to muscle build, so she better can carry her and also working hard to improve the balance of this horse. Yesterday she worked 15 miles with her horse up and down hills🙂 You can say a tall rider that is very good at muscle building and core building in riding might be better than I small rider, that is not concerned about muscles… And also this is an Icelandic… There is a culture about them justifying that adult-even big men ride them. They say that they are stronger than other horses. They used to be the primary transportation in Iceland. It is legal for men and also for very very heavy people to compete on these small horses. And they do so all over. It is similar I guess to the race industry where justify beginning to ride the horses when they are only 1 year…

[@kkdoc7864]

Please never slap your horse! Regardless of their weight, their skin is very sensitive. They feel mosquito’s landing on them.

[@luvnlivn]

I never knew this. I have consistently seen people patting/snacking horses

[@kkdoc7864]

@@luvnlivn You’re right. People slap their horses all the time. I’ve gotten backlash for frowning on that behavior with arguments that horses don’t mind because of their weight , but a human who weighs 800l lbs feels the same discomfort as a 100 lb person from a hard slap. A second argument I get is about horses grooming each other causes the same kind of impact or worse. But slapping and scratching are two separate things. Horses love scratches. I think old habits should always be reexamined because if they aren’t, the horses can suffer, and things won’t get better.

[@dennisharvey4499]

Yes, rub on them and scratch them but not slap or pat

[@kimtyndall876]

Is she to big for the pony? She is not shoed and on pavement I would think her back would break down.

[@mantisamygdala]

It's also a problem with the balance, when the rider is too large for a horse. The strength of Island ponies is often overrated.