Gifts for Icelandic Horse Riders: Our Gift-Guide
It's that time of year again, Christmas is just around the corner. It's always nice to see the joy in the eyes of
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The best clipping patterns for your Icelandic horse
You know the pros and cons of clipping and now you want to take the first step? But don't know which shearing
All about our sweet itch blanket
Everything you need to know about our sweet itch rug. Fabric, cut and fit. The blanket is designed for the highest protection and comfort of the horse.
How well can horses withstand heat?
How well can horses really withstand warm temperatures? In the worst case scenario, overheating leads to death, but in the
Fit into spring with work on the double lunge
In addition to the work from the saddle, the double lunge work offers us a nice opportunity to train the horse in a healthy and fit way.
Our Horse Equipment Guide: Wool
You notice it more every day, wool is the trend material in the horse scene. There are extremely many positive qualities
Does my Icelandic Horse get too cold in the winter?
Some of the most common questions we receive are: Does my horse freeze in winter? When should I put a blanket on it? How
Wool Saddle Pads with fish leather - Melasól x Sportsfreund
Sportsfreund and Melasól have designed their first saddle cloth collection together. Wool meets leather. Two natural materials combine into one
Sportsfreund meets Takt und Verstand – Veronika in the podcast
Social sustainability, environmental protection, taking responsibility - everyone is talking about sustainability, but how does it work, how can I
Interview with a saddler: Why do you use a saddlecloth?
Melasól x Sportsfreund – The Talk: Truths about Saddles, textile competence, consumption and is luxury even allowed? Katharina from the leather manufactory Melasól
How to care for your Sportsfreund Equipment
Author: Veronika Conen, CEO Sportsfreund-Studios Fleece sweat rugs You can wash all our rugs yourself. Since they only have Velcro fasteners instead of metal buckles, you can
How Do I Use A Cooler Rug?
Your Sportsfreund blanket is a classic sweat blanket. Fleece and wool blankets are NOT made for use in paddocks and outside stables. That's why
Sporty and Zeltschule – or why education is everything
Author: Veronika Conen, CEO Sportsfreund-Studios We are regularly left with colourful remnants of the very finest cloth loden from our saddle blankets - it does us
Basic training for Icelandic horses
Anyone who owns a young horse will sooner or later be faced with the exciting stage of breaking in. Questions that arise are, who takes over the training,
Decorating horses: Really just a trend?
Swarovski stones on the rug, amber on the bridle and all the equipment in tone: While some people enjoy decorating their horses
Injured: Keep your horse's muscles and brain fit with ground work
When horses are not allowed to be ridden due to a musculoskeletal injury or after a bout of laminitis, many horse owners lack ideas on how
The walk, the underestimated gait of the Icelandic horse
Thoughts and tips on the subject of stride riding by Silvia Ochsenreiter-Egli Author: Silvia Ochsenreiter-Egli, Hafnersholt, World Championship participant, Swiss Champion In stride riding
Sustainability: What does it mean and can a fleece rug really be sustainable?
For a long time we wanted to write a blog article on the topic of sustainability in equestrian sports. But somehow it never felt right - after all, our cooler rugs
Sure-footed Icelandic Horses: The Influence of Enviroment and Training
Our Icelandic horses are generally considered to be cuddly, robust and sure-footed. The latter must be the horses from the island of fire and
Buying a Icelandic Horse: How do I find my Dream Horse?
Finding your dream horse is not that easy. We can tell you a thing or two about that - for Marie from #teamsportsfreund, it took numerous test rides
What equipment do I really need for my horse?
The saddle cupboard can hardly be closed, the tack room doesn't have enough space for all the halters and the cellar is also full of horse equipment. Does this
Whip when riding: Yes or No?
When it comes to the question "Whip when riding: yes or no?" Opinions differ widely. While some horse owners say one
How Horses Learn
If we want to train our horses as finely and Sportsfreundlich as possible, we should not only deal with how the anatomy
Lifgun – our first horse
Sportsfreund-Studios was founded by Veronika Conen, who only got into the world of late into the world of Icelandic horses with her daughter.
do not force it
Sentences like "You just have to be more strikt, your horse is messing with you. " or "He's not in the mood for it right now, it's too strenuous for him. " are often heard at stables.
How to train your horse in the winter
When it's wet, cold and dark outside, it sometimes takes a little effort to leave the cosy warmth of the house to go to the stable. Especially when there is not
Help, Christmas made us lazy: This is how many calories riding burns
When, after three days of feasting, your breeches pinch and your belly hangs over your waistband, you know it's been Christmas. And although you've
Wearing a Rug permanently: Yes or no?
The question of whether, and if so, when, one should let our Icelandic horse wear a rug is always the subject of heated discussions. We think that, just as with
Should I clip my Icelandic horse? The advantages and disadvantages
Should I clip my horse? This is the question we Icelandic horse owners ask ourselves every year when the days get shorter and the temperatures colder.
Summer Coat to Winter Coat: Facts about the Coat Change in Autumn
At the end of August, beginning of September, the hair just trickles off the horse when grooming: the airy summer coat is exchanged for thick winter plush. We
Saddle cloth oder saddle pad – what is best for my horse?
The choice of saddle pads is large: it ranges from the classic saddle blanket and saddle cloth to saddle pads in all variations, from lambskin pads to anti-slip and gel
Your first competition: What you have to pack and what helps against nervousness
The first competition is associated with great excitement for horse and rider and weeks are spent practising for the selected competition. But apart from
Does my Icelandic horse a need a rug in summer?
Winter time is rug time. Sure. But what about in summer? Today we'll tell you which blankets you should always have on hand in summer.
Interview with Silvia Ochsenreiter-Egli
Silvia Ochsenreiter-Egli is based at Hafnersholt in Bavaria and has been connected to Icelandic horses since she was a child. The Swiss Rider of the Year is a
Become a better rider with more fitness training
Riding uses a lot of muscles - from head to toe. Whether arms, shoulders, stomach, back or legs - there are muscles everywhere that we need to sit
Interview with Marleen Stühler
Autorin: Veronika Conen, CEO Sportsfreund-Studios Liebe Marleen, stell dich und dein(e) Pferd(e) doch einmal kurz vor: Wo kommst du her,
Riding is Sport: Muscle Training from Head to Toe
"Riding is not a sport, you just sit on the horse. "There is probably not a single rider who has not heard this sentence. If you feel the same way and can't think of
How to care for a Cooler Rug properly!
Yay! Your new sweat rug has finally arrived: it feels cosy and soft, the colours are bright and you are looking forward to putting it on your horse. To make
Cooler Rug: What Size Do I Need For My Icelandic Horse?
How do I find the right size for my sweat rug? Many Icelandic horse owners ask themselves this question, and we are also asked time and again by our
5 Facts about the Change of Coat in Horses
Twice a year, everything revolves around one topic for many horse owners: the change of coat. The most popular question at every stable is: Does your horse
Everything about our Wool Rugs
Why do I need a wool blanket for my horse? Are you thinking about getting a woolen sweat rug for you and your pony? But you are still unsure about the
Why Do I Need A Cooler Rug?
Do I really need a sweat rug? This is a question many horse owners ask themselves as soon as the cold season begins. We would like to give you a few
The Pommerndecke: Or visit to the Blumencron Icelandic Horse Farm
This is it, the first horse rug made of Pomeranian sheep wool. We have long wanted to offer a rug in addition to our standard range that at least comes
More on sweating and heat regulation in horses.
Heat regulation is especially important for robust horses with thick skin and coat. Under certain circumstances, it is even the limiting factor when it
Endurance training
Definition. What is endurance? Meaning. Why is fitness important? Physiology. What processes take place in the horse? Energy metabolism.
Sportsfreund Studios
The Sportsfreund Studios blog contains numerous tips on dealing with horses. From fitness training to the learning behaviour of horses - you can read it all here. The blog is written by Karolina Kardel from 360 Grad Pferd.
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About Sportsfreund
A Sportsfreund is a friend who keeps you company during work-outs. But he is so much more than that. He is your loyal friend who accompanies you through thick and thin. Someone you can count on, you rely on each other. He’s got your back and doesn’t get mad at you. You want your friend to be happy. It’s a long friendship. Between two people. Between horse and rider. Between you and your Sportsfreund.
We have three Icelandics ourselves who live at an Icelandic horse stable near Munich. Training and carring for our horses and talking to our stable colleagues regularly gives us new ideas on which we base the development of our products. Before our author Karolina Kardel sits down to write, we first have a heated discussion! This is about much more than just horse blankets. And because we are also a design company, we just felt like sharing the content of our online blog, of which we are a bit proud, in a lovingly designed magazine - a piece of knowledge and horse love that you can hold in your hands.
Sportsfreundliches Horse Training
"You just have to be more strikt, your horse is messing with you. "Sentences like these can be heard at every stable. They come up, for example, when your horse stops and won't let you lead him on, when he fidgets at the farrier and doesn't give his hooves properly, or when he keeps running to fast during training on the oval track and you have no idea what you can do. But can our horses even intentionally fool us?
So instead of getting angry that our horse does not behave the way we want it to and punishing our horse for what we see as unruly and wrong behaviour, we should rather start to show our horse more understanding. We should ask ourselves why it is that it reacts the way it does. In the end, we are all Sportsfreunde. A Sportsfreund is not only a (horse) sports lover, but also a friend with whom we do sports together. And we should treat this friend with as much respect and understanding as we would wish for ourselves.
