 |
| Per FEIF standards, Blessi does not have a good example of finely chizzled head--his head is a bit coarse and raven nosed. |
These days there is no need to rely on literary creations to
evaluate Icelandic horse conformation. For
over 20 years, international Icelandic horse standards for judging ridden
ability and conformation have been established and revised by FEIF, the International
Federation of Icelandic Horse Associations.
Any registered Icelandic horse can be assessed at a national or
international breeding show using internationally established standards. The results are maintained in WorldFengur,
the international breeding registry of the Icelandic horse, which can be
accessed on-line at www.worldfengur.com.
The goal of this article is to discuss the history of
Icelandic horse breeding standards, outline the goal of these standards, define
the basic traits of Icelandic horse conformation and how they are weighted, look
at the genetic reliability of breeding standards, and describe the requirements
for breeding judges. Assessment of
ridden abilities is not covered in this article.
 |
| One of Blessi's best conformational attributes is his legs. His cannon bone circumference measures 10 1/4 inches and he has super thick, well separated tendons. However his pasterns could be a bit more angled to help with a better tolt. |
A Brief History of
Standards
Since Viking times, the Icelanders have discussed what makes
a good horse—color, spirit, gaits, endurance, or other traits—and how to breed
for these characteristics. As early as
1879, the County Council of Skagafjőrthur, Iceland, suggested standards for
farm animals including the horse. In
1899, the Agricultural Society was formed in Iceland followed a few years later
by the Horse Breeding Society. In the
early 1900s, a series of Breeding Advisors began collecting and codifying breeding
data and the results of horse shows and competitions into studbooks. In 1950, Gunnar Bjarnason developed a simple
scale of scores for conformational traits and rideability which was used in the
show at Thingvellir, the first Landsmót. This type of rating by individual trait with a
calculated overall total was the first use of its kind in the horse world (Bjőrnsson
& Sveinsson, 2006, pp. 204-213).
Over the years in Iceland, the weightings of various traits
have changed to encourage desired breeding results. In 1952, the Agricultural Society decided
that only riding horses should be bred as opposed to work or plow horses. As Breeding
Advisor from 1961-1996, Thorkell Bjarnason emphasized the importance of pace in
retaining the tolt as a distinct gait in the breeding of the Icelandic
horse. He also focused on refining the breeding
standards to develop a lighter neck, good legs, and an outstanding
character. (Bjőrnsson & Sveinsson,
2006, pp. 204-213).
In 1969, a group of Icelandic horse enthusiasts founded FEIF
or Föderation Europäischer Islandpferde Freunde
(translated as Friends of the Icelandic Horse) which is known by its
English translation as International Federation of Icelandic Horse Associations. Founding member countries were Austria,
Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Netherlands, and Switzerland. Currently 18 countries, including the US, are
members of FEIF. Over the past 40 years,
FEIF has established a series of committees to work with its member national
organizations to set up international standards for breeding, rules for
sanctioned sports competitions, world championships, youth events, education,
etc. (Note: Merging the various national
breeding standards into one international system involved much heated
discussion over the years.) One of its
most important accomplishments was the establishment of WorldFengur. (Kolnes,
n.d.) After considerable discussion,
debate, and research, BLUP (Best Linear Unbiased Prediction) or a computer
model for predicting breeding potential was added to the Icelandic breeding
standards in 1992 (Bjőrnsson &
Sveinsson, 2006).
 |
| Overall, Blessi has good, but somewhat coarse, proportions with a relatively long neck and legs. However, his back is too long and his shoulder could be sloped more. |
The development of breeding standards and information about
the Icelandic horse continues to evolve.
Recent developments include tracking additional information such
incidence of spavin and blood types. Current breeding standards are based on
over 100 years of accumulated data and history on breeding horses with
outstanding gaits, good conformation, and willing personalities.
Purpose of Breeding Standards
What is the goal of breeding standards? Although published in 1988 and somewhat
outdated, the book Judging Icelandic
Breeding Horses by Marit Jonsson provides a clear articulation of the goal
of Icelandic horse breeding standards:
The Icelandic horse must be a true
riding horse, courageous, cheerful, trustworthy, spirited and cooperative. It must command at least four gaits, of which
one must be tolt, and should preferably also have flying pace. It must be strong, enduring and have a long
useful life. It must be frugal, robust
and inexpensive to keep (Jonsson, 1988, p. 8).
Jonsson goes on to explain that the tolt is the primary
defining characteristic of the Icelandic horse.
As you review the description of breeding standards around conformation
traits below, you will want to keep that in mind since weighting of
conformation traits in the overall score is based on their perceived
relationship to tolt and, to a lesser degree, pace.
Conformation Traits
Conformation may vary
considerably since Icelandic horses are bred for purposes from pace racing to
general riding to international competitions.
However, a typical Icelandic horse is rectangular and compact in shape.
Typical of the breed is a sloping croup, a long, thick mane and tail, and a
thick, protective coat in winter (Antonsson, Siiger Hansen, and Grimm, 2011, p.
E-2).
 |
| Blessi has a strong, if relatively long back. He also has a bit of a bump along his loins (stiff loins) indicating that his gaits are not as fluid as they could be. |
The following section
briefly describes each conformation trait and lists common flaws. The judges use an assessment form to rate conformation
traits and rideability. You can find a
more detailed description, including details on the judging scale, for each
trait by consulting the FEIF Rules for Icelandic Horse Breeding located at www.feif.org. The judges assign a number from 5 to 10 for
each trait depending on how the horse conforms to international breeding
standards.
Please note that any
discussion of Icelandic horse breeding standards requires an in-depth knowledge
of basic horse conformation. Icelandic
horse judging manuals such as Studhorse
Judging and Studshows and Judging
Icelandic Breeding Horses assume that judges understand such terms as cow
hocked, over at the knee, good proportions, well set neck, etc.
Measurements
Judges measure the horse
at several points such as highest point of withers and croup, lowest point of
back, depth of breast, length of body, width of chest, circumference of knee,
top of hoof to toe, etc.
 |
| 2012 version of FEIF Assessment Form |
Head (Weighted Factor 3%)
Judges are looking for a
proud, pretty, fine head with thin, fine ears and large eyes. There is a good space between the jaws and
the noseline is straight with wide open nostrils. Common flaws are extreme dished face, coarse
head, and badly positioned ears.
Neck/Withers/Shoulders (Weighted Factor 10%)
Ideally, the neck should
be long, raised, and fine and clearly separated from the body. Withers are prominent and well-defined. Shoulders are long and sloping. Common flaws are the neck is too thick, ewe
neck, hollow neck, and too short or too long neck, upright shoulders. Neck is
set too deep.
Back and Croup or Topline (Weighted Factor 3%)
The judges are looking
for a great topline with a soft, supple back—average length, broad, and well
muscled. The hindquarters are long,
adequately sloped, and equally developed. The thighs are long and muscled and
the tail is well set. Common flaws are
humped or sway back, too long or too short back, a forward sloping back or lack
of muscling in thighs or croup.
 |
| Sigh, Blessi has always had below average amount of mane. His forelock never seems to get longer than this. |
Proportions (Weighted Factor 7.5%)
As the FEIF standards
state, “The horse should be full of splendour and presence” (Antonsson, et al, 2011, p. E-10). The body should be light and
cylindrical in shape. The front, middle,
and hind portions of the horse should be approximately equal. The legs should be long. “The highest point at the withers should be
higher than the highest point of the croup” (Antonsson, et al, 2011, p.
E-10). Common flaws are legs that are
too short; body is too round; horse is lower in the front; or front, mid, and
hind sections are not proportional.
Leg Quality (Weighted Factor 6%)
The horse should have strong
joints and exceptional pasterns. There
should be good separation between tendons and bones. Common flaws are straight or weak pasterns,
swelling in the tendons, over at the knee, cow hocked, knock kneed, and little
separation between tendons and bones.
Leg Structure (Weighted Factor 3%)
The front legs should be
straight with sufficient space between the legs. The hind legs may be slightly splayed. Common flaws are front or back legs turned
too far in or out or cow hocked. The
judges typically assess leg structure at both the walk and the trot. They look for overreaching or signs of
unusual stress.
Hooves (Weighted Factor 6%)
The hoof should be deep,
round, and concave with a thick horn and large frog. Hooves should be one color—preferably
dark. Common flaws are thin horn, little
frog or heel, shallow or boxy hoof.
Mane and Tail (Weighted Factor 1.5%)
The mane, forelock, and
tail should be exceeding thick and long.
Mares usually have a finer mane and tail than stallions. The flaw, of course, is a mane and tail that
is thin and/or short.
Conformation Weight
in Relation to Ridden Abilities
It is beyond the scope of this article to discuss in detail
how rideability is judged per FEIF standards.
However, it is important to know that in the calculation of the overall
score for the horse, conformation is worth 40% and ridden ability is worth
60%. Tolt and pace are weighted higher
than canter, trot, and walk. The
weighting illustrates the strong emphasis given to performance by FEIF. However, any potential breeder or buyer should
take into account this weighting to determine if an outstanding score for
ridden abilities outweighs a conformational trait that is average or flawed. For example, a strong back may be very
important for a buyer’s future plans for a horse but “back and croup” is only
given a 3% weighting for conformation traits.
 |
| When an international breeding judge looked at Blessi as part of a clinic on Icelandic breeding standards, she noted that his overall conformation was good and that he would be suitable for a wide variety of equine activities except for endurance riding--he is a bit too big boned for that. |
Relationship to
Sports Competitions
The results of
FEIF-sanctioned sports competitions are not considered in FEIF breeding
evaluations. E. Albertsdóttir (2007) conducted
a study to analyze if there was any correlation among Icelandic horse breeding
assessment traits and performance in Icelandic horse sports competitions. She found “Moderately strong genetic correlations
were generally estimated between the competition traits and the following
conformation traits recorded in breeding field-tests: neck, withers and
shoulders; back and hindquarters; proportions; and hooves” (Albertsdóttir,
2007, p. 17). Moderate to high genetic
correlation was found between most of the riding ability traits such as tolt
and pace and their associated sports tests.
Albertsdóttir’s results confirm that “competition traits and riding
ability traits from breeding field-tests are closely genetically correlated” (Albertsdóttir,
2007, p. 20).
International Breeding Judges
The scheduling of a
sanctioned breeding show requires the submission of a FEIF application form
(details provided on the USIHC web site).
Assessments of gaits and riding ability of adult horses are conducted by
three judges. Judges can be certified at
the national level or the international level.
Currently, the US has no resident breeding judges certified at the
International level. Up to this point in
time, Icelandic breeding shows in the US have been conducted by International
Breeding Judges from other FEIF member countries.
There are two types of
judges: International Breeding Judge and International Breeding and Riding Judge. Both types of judges require years of experience,
approval by the national member association of FEIF, passing of a 1- to 2-day
test conducted per FEIF standards, and continual licensing by FEIF.
Conclusion
One of the strengths of the Icelandic breed and the hope for
the continued quality of the Icelandic horse in the future is the international
Icelandic horse breeding standards. To
the author’s knowledge, no other gaited breed has such detailed, international
standards based on numerical assessment of individual conformation traits and rating
of all gaits. As the FEIF Rules for
Icelandic Horse Breeding state, “Everybody [has] the silent hope that the
present FIZO [international Icelandic horse breeding rules] shall achieve the
aim of all FEIF member nation states - one breeding assessment system for all
individual Icelandic horses - the best in the world. Nothing less will do for
the Icelandic horse” (Antonsson, et al, 2011, p. E-1).
Bibliography
Agricultural Society of Iceland. (1992).
Studhorse Judging and Studshows.
Steindórsprent-Gutenberg, Búnatharfélag Islands.
Albertsdóttir, E. (2007).
Genetic analysis of competition traits in Icelandic horses. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences,
Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Upsalla, Sweden.
Antonsson, G., Siiger Hansen, J., Grimm, M. eds. (2011) FEIF Rules
for Icelandic Horse Breeding FEIF International Federation of Icelandic Horse
Associations. Found on September 23,
2011 at http://feif.org/Download/Breeding/tabid/204/Default.aspx
Bjőrnsson, G., & Sveinsson, H. (2006).
The Icelandic Horse, Edda Publishing, Reykjavik, Iceland.
Jonsson, M. (1988). Judging Icelandic Breeding Horses. Agricultural Society of Iceland, Búnatharfélag
Islands.
Kolnes, T.
(n.d.) The development of FEIF. Found on September 30, 2011 at http://www.feif.org/FEIF/History/tabid/108/Default.aspx
The Points Scale for
Assessing Conformation Traits
Points
|
Description
|
5 - 6
|
Unsatisfactory
|
6.5
|
Below average
|
7
|
Slightly below average
|
7.5
|
Average for the current population
|
8
|
Good, somewhat above average
|
8.5
|
Very good
|
9 – 9.5
|
Excellent
|
10
|
Perfect – cannot be improved – given very rarely
|
Each conformational trait is given a numeric rating based on
how it compares to the international breeding standards. The above table defines the general meaning
of each score (Jonsson, 1988, p.
18).
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