点评:I visited Iceland Horse Tours (although I didn’t have time to ride) because as a longtime horse person I always like to learn a bit about farms and horse care wherever I might be.
I liked Iceland Horse Tours’ website so emailed one of the owners, Luka Dreiner with a couple of questions. Her answers were so thorough and interesting that we corresponded numerous times in the months before my trip, as she replied at length to my many queries about the care and training of the horses. I was so impressed by (and appreciative of) her detailed responses that I stopped by for a short visit to meet her and chat in person.
Regarding their training/work, Luka explained how it is tailored to each horses’ particular needs based on personality, age, fitness etc. It’s also vital to take into account that horses, like people can get mentally exhausted and burned out. The physical and mental challenges are exponentially harder when a horse constantly has different riders and not every horse is suited for every type of work. Luka strives to understand each horse’s personality, temperament and learning style to guide their training, type of work, and work-rest schedule. The horses get ample time off for physical and mental rest. The training process, as Luka described it, is gentle and gradual.
Hopefully this is standard practice in Iceland. I appreciated Luka’s time, patience and candor. I would ride with her if/when I return to Iceland, knowing how intimately she knows the individual horses and how well she manages them. And how patient she is. :)
翻译:我参观了冰岛马术之旅(虽然没时间骑马),因为作为一名资深的马术爱好者,无论身在何处,我都喜欢了解一些关于马场和马匹护理的知识。
我很喜欢冰岛马术之旅的网站,于是给其中一位老板卢卡·德雷纳(Luka Dreiner)发了邮件,问了几个问题。她的回答非常详尽且有趣,在旅行前的几个月里,我们多次通信,她耐心解答了我关于马匹护理和训练的诸多疑问。她细致的回复给我留下了深刻的印象,也让我非常感激,所以我特意拜访了她,和她当面聊了聊。
关于他们的训练/工作,卢卡解释说,训练方案会根据每匹马的性格、年龄、体能等因素量身定制。同样重要的是,要考虑到马匹和人一样,也会感到精神疲惫。当一匹马不断更换骑手时,它所承受的身心挑战会成倍增加,而且并非每匹马都适合所有类型的工作。卢卡致力于了解每匹马的个性、性情和学习方式,以此指导它们的训练、工作类型和工作休息安排。马匹们有充足的时间进行身心休息。正如卢卡所描述的,训练过程温和而循序渐进。
希望这在冰岛是普遍的做法。我很感激卢卡付出的时间、耐心和坦诚。如果我再次回到冰岛,我一定会再次选择和她一起骑马,因为我知道她对每匹马都非常了解,而且管理得非常好。她也很有耐心。:)