Schmalztopf, a breeding farm for icelandics

Schmalztopf breeding stock was carefully chosen in Europe for their line breeding capabilities with attention to excellence in all five gaits of walk, trot, tolt, canter and flying pace. Schmalztopf is perhaps the only breeding farm on this continent, paying acute attention to producing stock for the breeders of the future. Schmalztopf is able to provide Icelandic breeding horses that are proven to produce gaited offspring that are of consistent quality, conformation, and size. Many of the gaited horses at this Icelandic breeding farm appear to be virtual clones of each other. The immediate ancestors of our imports have honor prize mares as well as stallions for parents and grandparents. This distinction, very rare among mares, but are not so difficult for a good stallion to achieve, if he is bred to enough mares. One of the Schmalztopf stallions, Odinn frá Søtofte, was purchased in Denmark before his birth. His dam is the ONLY mare outside of Iceland, earning an honor prize, because of her consistent and numerous first prize offspring. Both her dam and her sire were also honor prize individuals in Iceland. A prospective Icelandic horse breeder would be hard-pressed to find this depth of breeding strength on this side of the Atlantic.

Schmalztopf has been breeding gaited Icelandics since 1989, and has been in the breeding business for over 30 years. They think the tolting Icelandic horse is without doubt one the best of all horses breeds, and that with the addition of the tolt and pace gaits, it a breed that is fun to own for beginners as well as expert equestrians. The desire to have one's horse continually improve in his four or five gaits is a constant impetus to improve one's horsemanship. There just doesn't seem to be another breed out there where the fun of informal trail riding can be combined with the constant schooling for improvement of the gaits. The Icelandic horse makes his rider want to learn to give better aids, because a good Icelandic horse is always ready to give more of himself and to try harder He is a horse, when treated with respect, who has great pride and intelligence. The Icelandic approaches the dog intellectually.

They interact socially much as does the human. Their social structure is amazing to observe. Perhaps that is why it is so popular to have a herd of Icelandics, whether it be large or small.

The training program at Schmalztopf emphasizes modern non-force techniques which produce a confident, willing, and secure mount. The youngsters are handled carefully so as they learn to be respectful to the lead brood mare, as well as the human. They are raised in herds and learn to pay constant attention to their rank. Thus training comes quite naturally to most of them. A well trained horse is one who knows how to pay constant attention. A good trainer and rider must learn to do the same. This takes a lot of work and practice on everyone's part.

Please call Nancy or Arvid Schmalz at 805-693-9876...Buellton is 40 minutes north of SantaBarbara, California in the Santa Ynez Valley. Their farm is a one-hundred acre tree shaded paradise of irrigated pastures on the banks of the Santa Ynez River, the first farm on the right, going west on Santa Rosa Road, a US 101 exit, for Buellton.