The FT Icelandic Horse Trainer’s Exam:
This trainer’s exam showed up on the internet a couple of years ago. It makes some very good practical points about evaluating horses whether in their training or for buying. I find that whether for personal riding, training or buying, it holds some good thought and an important framework even if just for how to shop and look for horses to buy and own. I know that in my own mind I check horses out this way. It is nice to have such a checklist just as a re-minder. It is also a real good checklist to help prioritize one’s own riding and training anyway.
- Doug
<snip from e-mail:>
<Just out of curiosity about the relative
merits of "certified" trainers, I downloaded the (FT)test and advise others
to do so, too. >
<I found that this test would be a wonderful basis for a grading process
for horses prior to being sold and/or exported for sale. I think it is worth discussing.>
<The link for the file is: http://tamningamenn.is/
The exam is under the ‘laws’
tab
If
you click on "Profreglur" (on the main
page) the option "FT Trainer's
examination in English" will show up.. their link to the exam is broken now.
>
<copy & paste:>
Frumtamningapróf
FT - Utanskóla 1
FT’s
Trainers test – outside the school system
Trainer
who finishes FT’s Trainers test outside the school system
joins the Society of Professional
Trainers if he/she passes testing in the
following requirements. He/she will
join FT, receive the society’s
approval as a trainer of a young
horse (“young horse trainer”)and may
call himself/herself a trainer.
Young horse trainers are allowed to wear
the uniform of the Society, the blue riding
jacket, and FT’s initials made
of bronze. Those who wish to take this young
horse training test outside
the school system have to pass the following
requirements:
The training of young horses (55%)
The training horses (33%)
A written essay (12%)
A shoeing course
A course in judging breeding horses
Marks
are awarded on the scale of 0-10, in whole and half numbers. They
are awarded according to the following
criteria:
0
= not shown
1
= extremely bad
2
= very bad
3
= bad
4
= average
5
= adequate
6
= fairly good
7
= good
8
= very good
9
= excellent
10
= without fault – perfect
Minimum
requirements to pass the test are:
1)
5.0 average grade.
2)
5.0 average grade awarded by a judge who tests the young
training horses.
Frumtamningapróf
FT - Utanskóla 2
.
The training of young horses (55%)
The test itself and goals:
The test itself:
The
prospective trainer must provide five untrained horses for the test.
The
horses may be used to leading and may have been shod when the
judges inspect them at the
beginning of the test.
The
trainer will then choose the best three for the final testing.
Goals:
The
goal is that at the end of the training period the following has been
obtained:
• The
horse is not nervous and trusts the trainer as its leader.
• The
horse is comfortable with the trainer and follows him/her when
turned loose in the round-pen.
• The
horse obediently steps sideways and does rein-back (reverses) inhand.
• It
is easy to put a bridle on the horse.
• The
horse is easily led on both reins, beside the trainer and also
following the trainer.
• The
horse is easily led in-hand by the trainer riding another horse – on
both reins.
• The
horse is calm and stands still while being tacked up – it shouldn’t
matter from which side it is
approached.
• The
horse is calm and stands still when the reins are put over its head
and the rider should be able to mount it from
either side.
• The
horse waits for the rider and won’t start without the rider’s
encouragement.
• The
horse starts calmly without stress and is focused ahead.
• The
horse has a supple mouth and responds easily to both reins.
• It
should be easy for the horse to walk in a short circle (volte)
on each
rein and it should stop instantly
and stand still when asked to do so.
• The
horse should respond to leg aids and know how to step sideways–
both from standing still and
while in walk.
• The
horse should be eager to go forward and obediently go wherever
its rider wants to go.
• The
horse should be balanced in the basic gaits: walk, trot and canter
(natural gait ability/tendency is taken into full
consideration).
Frumtamningapróf
FT - Utanskóla 3
• The
horse is without tension and its movements are free and natural.
• The
horse should use its topline correctly and know how
to bend its
neck in walk.
• The
horse should be prepared for tölt training and if
able it may be
starting to tölt.
(The tölt itself is not evaluated).
Frumtamningapróf
FT - Utanskóla 4
1.2. The judging
The
nature of the young horses (character and gait
ability/tendency)
is taken into consideration when the horses and their
training is judged. The training is
compared against the first impressions
of the judge when the horses were inspected
at the beginning of the test.
1.2.1. The appearance and the health of the young horse.
3%
The
young horse must be well fed, well cleaned and groomed, with
a shiny coat. Hooves must be trimmed and the
shoeing must look
nice, the shoes must fit the
hooves correctly and the horse’s feet
must be at a right angle
(correctness of legs). The horse’s mouth
has to be without wounds and there may not be
any wounds on the
legs due to overreaching. If a
horse is seriously injured,
undernourished or the shoeing
terrible the judge has full authority
to dismiss it from the test – thereby
automatically failing the trainer
in the test.
1.2.2. Riding equipment and its uses. 3%
The
trainer must saddle the horse calmly and in an organised
way.
The
horse should be saddled while standing inside, in a wide aisle
or other available space. The horse must not
be tied and if someone
has to hold it must be done by the trainer.
The saddle is put on the
horse’s back in a rather forward
position and then slid backwards
so that the hairs underneath it are lying
flat. The length of the
saddle must fit the young horse and
care must be taken that it is
correctly positioned and is neither
hindering the shoulders nor the
back. The girth must be tightened
1-3 hands behind the front legs,
the hairs are smoothed underneath with the
hand and then the same
thing is done on the other side.
Then the crupper is put on gently
with care taken that it is not
strapped on too tight. It should be
possible to put a hand’s width
between the crupper strap and the
horse’s croup. The bridle and
noseband must be correctly fastened.
All
riding equipment should look good and fit the horse – be clean
and in good order.
1.2.3. Feet picked up. 3%
The
trainer should be able to pick up all the horse’s feet without
problems. The trainer should stand
beside the young horse, stroke
his/her hand quietly down the leg
until the horse picks the foot up
easily. The foot should then be put
down carefully.
Frumtamningapróf
FT - Utanskóla 5
1.2.4. Mounting and dismounting. 3%
The
trainer should stand closely beside the young horse when
he/she puts the reins over the
horse’s head and mounts the horse.
The
trainer mounts the horse when it is standing perfectly still, with
a light rein contact or with loose reins.
The trainer steps into the
stirrup, stops for a moment before
he/she puts the leg over the
horse’s back, puts the other leg
into the other stirrup and sits
quietly into the saddle. The young
horse should stand quietly and
calmly and wait for a signal from
the rider. The trainer then takes
his feet out of both stirrups and slides out
of the saddle. This must
then be repeated from the other
side of the horse.
1.2.5. The trainer rides the young horses. 20%
Equipment:
Saddle – noseband – whip – snaffle bit.
Facilities:
The horses are evaluated while being ridden on a straight
track or road as well as in an outside
riding school or an indoor
school. The marks are awarded in
the following order:
1.2.5.1. Mental and physical balance. 5.0%
The
young horse must be relaxed and confident (not nervous) and
should trust the trainer. It’s muscles should be supple and without
tension. It’s
movements should be supple and regular. The young
horse should put its head down and
stretch its neck when allowed
to do so. The trainer must ride the horse
also on a loose or long rein
in walk and trot (or gait of choice). (The
trainers seat and riding is
taken into consideration.)
1.2.5.2. Attentiveness, obedience, commands. 5.0%
The
young horse should accept the leadership of the rider and be
willing to go into the direction the
rider points it towards. The
trainer must ride circles in walk
and trot (or natural gait of choice)
and perform stopping exercises in walk and
working trot with the
horse standing in a straight line.
The young horse should respond to
a half-halting rein and light rein contact
on either side, its head
carriage should be natural and
without tension. The young horse
should know how to “kiss” each
stirrup (touch its nose to each
stirrup). It should be supple in its
neck in walk and while being
asked to stop performing this with
a supple mouth. The young
horse should respond to leg aids
both forward and sideways and
know how to step sideways from
standing still and walk with
Frumtamningapróf
FT - Utanskóla 6
attentiveness, lightness and
without tension. The rider moves in
balance with the horse’s movements and
all aids and commands
must be correctly timed and
executed.
(The
seat of the trainer and his/her riding are taken into
consideration).
1.2.5.3. Basic gaits. 5.0%
The
young horse needs to be balanced in the basic gaits. The first
impressions of the horse
will be considered when it comes to
taking into account the natural
gait ability/tendency of the horse.
(The
seat of the trainer and his/her riding is taken into
consideration when this is
evaluated).
1.2.5.4. Preparations for tölt.
5.0%
The
young horse should understand the relationship between
encouraging aids and halting
aids and should respond easily to the
aids when asked to tölt. The tölt itself is not
judged and the first
impressions of the horse are
important when it comes to evaluating
natural gait ability (trotty-pacey). (The seat of the trainer and
his/her riding is taken into
consideration.)
1.2.6. The horse running freely in a round-pen, lead in
hand by the
trainer and exercises in-hand. 12%
Equipment:
Rope pressure halter, lunge reins and whip. A bridle,
noseband, reins and whip are also
permitted.
The
trainer chooses one of the young horses to perform the
following four parts of this phase of
the test.
1.2.6.1.The horse running
freely in a round-pen. 3%
The
trainer drives the young horse a few rounds in the round-pen
on each hand/rein. When the trainer allows,
the young horse should
turn towards the centre of the round-pen, and towards the trainer.
The
trainer should walk around the horse, stroking it everywhere.
The
young horse should follow the trainer as he/she walks inside
the round-pen. The horse should be calm and
easy to catch, should
seek the attention of the trainer
while respecting his/her authority.
Frumtamningapróf
FT - Utanskóla 7
1.2.6.2.Leading the horse
in-hand 3%
This
exercise is performed in a riding arena (not a round pen). The
trainer stands beside the horse. The
reins are down and held in the
hand closer to the horse while
the whip is in the hand positioned
further from the horse. The trainer
uses encouraging voice
commands to ask the horse to walk on
and follows the horse
walking by its side.
The
reins are kept as loose as possible and it should be evident that
the young horse is attentive to the trainer,
obeying him instantly.
The
horse should be bent a little towards the trainer and there
should be an obvious gap between
the trainer and the horse while it
is being led. The young horse should be
stopped by using voice
commands and rein contact. The horse
should walk approx. 40 m.
and then stop for ca. 3 seconds. Then it
should trot or use a
preferred gait for approx. 40 m then
slow down and stopp. The
same should be done on the other
hand/rein. The whole of the
school arena should be used with
changes of hand/rein across the
long diagonals.
1.2.6.3. Leading the horse behind the trainer 3%
The
trainer leads the young horse behind him/her in walk and trot.
The
reins should be loose. The trainer shows stopping from trot or
preferred gait and then asks the horse
to reverse/do rein-back while
turning his/her back towards it.
Then the horse is asked to move
forward in walk. This should be
performed at least twice.
1.2.6.4. Exercises in-hand 3%
This
phase of the test is in three parts:
1.
The trainer stands on the left side of the young horse, the reins
are kept in the left hand and the whip in the
right hand. The
trainer strokes the whip along the
top of the neck, down to the
back, down the flanks towards the
hind legs. Voice commands
are added to the movement while the trainer
gently pulls the
reins. The young horse should
easily move its hindquarters to
the side. The young horse should step a little
bit forward while
yielding to the command.
2.
The trainer asks the horse to move its forehand by using a whip
or the hand. The horse should respond easily
by crossing the
front legs – it may not reverse/do
rein-back.
Frumtamningapróf
FT - Utanskóla 8
3.
The trainer should let the young horse do rein-back by using a
light rein contact or body
signals, and using voice commands.
The
horse should then step confidently towards the trainer.
It
is important that the horse is attentive to all aids, trusts the trainer
and is unafraid of the whip while being
disciplined in a fair
manner.
1.2.7. Leading the young horse from another horse 7%
Equipment
is the same as in 1.2.6. All the young horses are led.
The
horse should lead without problems on both reins. The position of the
leading horse is approximately a
head further back than the riding horse.
The
leading horse should bend his neck towards the riding horse, the
reins should be almost loose and a
visible gap should be between the two
horses (approx. 50 cm.). The
trainer starts in walk, then goes in medium
tempo tölt
or trot, slows down after 80-100 meters to walk and then to a
full stop for approx. 3 seconds.
The trainer should ride forward again
without problems into medium tempo tölt or trot, and go into medium
tempo canter for 50-100 metres. Then the trainer slows down again to a
full stop. The young horse should
then be moved to the other side of the
riding horse. The trainer may
dismount for this purpose. The same
exercise is then repeated. The
leading exercises should be performed
outside and it is not permitted to
do this in an enclosed riding school.
1.2.8. Lungeing. 7%
Equipment:
7-9 metres long reins, a lungeing
whip plus one of the
following optional gear:
a)
Rope pressure halter.
b)
Lungeing cavesson (or
halter) bridle with the reins attached to a
ring on the halter
c)
Bridle and noseband, with reins fastened to the noseband and the
ring of the snaffle bit.
Facilities:
Closed circle of 19-16 metres in diameter, and the
ground must be soft but not too
deep nor too firm. The trainer
chooses one of the young horses for
this exercise.
The
young horse must be disciplined and focused ahead. The
trainer’s commands must be clear and
precise i.e. voice commands
–
whip – body language. The trainer makes sure that the
use of
reins and whip is controlled and
professional throughout the
exercise.
Frumtamningapróf
FT - Utanskóla 9
The
trainer leads the horse beside him/her towards the centre
of the
circle. The horse is encouraged to
step away from the trainer in
walk. The horse should then trot
2-4 circles, walk approximately 1
circle, stopping for approx. 5
seconds on the outside tracks. The
horse should then trot 1-2
circles, walk for one circle and then stop
again. The trainer then repeats
the exercise on the other hand/rein.
The
trainer leads the horse beside him/her when they leave the
circle.
1.2.9. A judge rides the young horses. 36%
The
last section of the test is when the young horses are ridden by a
riding judge/judges. If a judge
feels that a horse is not rideable he
has the authority to dismiss that horse from
the test thereby failing
the trainer. The judge should wear a hard hat
when trying out the
horses and must be polite and
considerate to the trainer.
The
judge will especially note the attitude of the young horses, they
must be confident/not nervous
with a trusting attitude towards the
rider, physically and mentally
stable, obedient, comfortable and
eager to please. The judge should
try to determine by testing the
horse if the trainer has made
reasonable demands on the horses, if
the training has been well organised
and how well the horses know
what the rider is asking them to
do.
The
grading is split into the following percentages:
1.2.9.1. Mental and physical balance 6.0%
The
young horse should be confident/not nervous with a trusting
attitude towards its trainer. It’s muscles should be supple and without
tension. It’s
movements should be regular and natural. The horse will
stretch it’s neck forward and down
when that is offered.
1.2.9.2. Eagerness and obedience 6.0%
The
young horse needs to accept the leadership role of the rider and
must be willing to go in whatever
direction it is asked to.
1.2.9.3. Basic gaits 6.0%
The
young horse must be balanced in the basic gaits. This should
be compared against the first inspection of
the horse and the natural gaits
of the horse.
Frumtamningapróf
FT - Utanskóla 10
1.2.9.4. Responsiveness towards the reins 6.0%
The
young horse must respond easily to a halt command and light
rein contact towards the sides
and stop softly when asked to do so.
Head
carriage should be natural and without tension. The horse’s
neck should be supple with a nice
bend in walk and it’s mouth
must be supple and sensitive.
1.2.9.5. Responsiveness towards encouragement to move
forward and
sideways 6.0%
The
young horse understands the leg aids and knows how to move
sideways from a full halt and from
walk, easily, lightly and without
tension.
1.2.9.6. Preparations for tölt
6.0%
The
young horse needs to understand the interaction between the
commands to move forward and to halt
and must respond without
complaint when asked to show tölt. The tölt itself is not
judged and
natural gait ability as noted in the
first inspection is considered
when this part is graded (trotty-pacey).
1.2.10. The trainer and how he/she works the horse. 6%
This
grade is awarded to the prospective trainer by the young horse
teacher in both tests. In test II
the grade is determined after hearing the
comments of the horse trainer’s
employer. This grade is based on the
ability of the student and how
he/she works with the horses. Taken into
full consideration is the nature
of each horse and other external factors.
The
trainer should use the methods he/she has learned in the approved
school.
1.3. Rules of equipment.
The
use of protective boots and methods of tongue tying is
forbidden. In general the horses
should be shod with normal shoes
(8x20 mm, with 10% variable).
It is not permitted to use 10 mm.
shoes unless the teacher has
recommended its use. The rules of LH
concerning gćđingakeppni apply to bits and bridles. The use of
hoof pads is not permitted unless
it has been authorised by a
veterinarian and is
accompanied with necessary documents.
Frumtamningapróf
FT - Utanskóla 11