Icelandic horses in Australia

In Australia, the Icelandic horse has reached a good foundation as there are now about 100 horses there…..

One family who owns over seventy horses can be thanked for this, and this is the Haldane family in the state of Victoria. In the Australian newspaper Weekly Times there is an extensitve interview with Amy Haldane, who is along with her sister overseeing the breeding and training of the horses.

It is brought forth in the article that the Icelandic horses was first transported to Austrailia in the year 1863 but as to their whereabouts now, noone knows. When Clyde Haldane travelled to Denmark in 1995 in order to purchase some buffalo. But when he saw an Icelandic horse he was fascinated and bought nine of them and transported them home as carrying horses.

When Clyde passed away, his brother and his family came to the possession of the entire herd of the small horses. The systers, Amy and Thea have been taking care of the horses and have been working energetically at the breeding and training of those horses. According to Worldfeng the stallions Galdur frá Dæli and Tandri von Roetgen are predominent and sort of the ancestors of the Icelandic horse stock in Australia. Tandri was born in Germany and is out of a sone of Andvari, but Galdur is out of Galsi frá Sauðárkróki and Brúnku frá Syðri-Hofdölum.  Neither of them have been presented. Last year the family bought the stallion Haukur frá Stuðlum, out of Dynur frá Hvammi and Þerna frá Arnarhóli.

Amy and Thea have a great homepage – Haldane Icelandic Horses-  where the horse breed is introduced as well as their enterprise. Evidenally they are hard working women and great horse people as well as spokesmen of the horse, they train them and sell and present them at great horse show, they host introductions at their ranch (see attached video) offer tours and riding to mention some of the things they have to offer.

Fantastic!