October 3, 2025 • 30 mins
Why are horses so big? Why do horses have tails and manes? How do their legs move? Are their bones in their hooves? What do they eat and how do they run and jump? We tackle those questions and more in this episode all about horses. We’ll also learn a little bit more about the unique horses in Iceland, where there’s a strict ban on horses coming in from other countries. But Why visited riding instructor Sonja Noack at Hestasnild, a riding school in Iceland, to get answers to all your equine questions.
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Episode Transcript
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Jane (00:20):
This is But Why
Public. I'm Jane Lindholm. Onthis show, we take questions
from kids all over who arecurious about the world around
them, like you are, and it's ourjob to find interesting people
who can offer answers. You'vebeen sending us questions about
(00:41):
horses for years, so we thoughtit was high time to do an
episode all about them. When wewere in Iceland a few months
ago, we visited a school forkids and sometimes adults, who
want to learn how to care forand ride horses. Sometimes they
even do horseback ridingcompetitions. The woman who owns
the school and cares for all ofthe horses there is named Sonja
(01:04):
Noack. She invited us to meet afew of her horses and learn
more. And I love the name of herschool, Hestasnilld. It's a
combination of two Icelandicwords, hesta, horse, and nild,
genius. So her school's name,Hestasnilld, is basically horse
genius!
Sonja Noack (01:22):
We have here, Twister, my horse, my pace
horse. He is looking at us andSkiði and Kulu, three of of my
horses.
Jane (01:34):
So Kulu is a beautiful gray horse. Describe that
beautiful color.
Sonja Noack (01:40):
He's blue dun, actually, and he has a little
star. The dun horses, they havethis black...
Jane (01:50):
Like a black line almost on his spine.
Sonja Noack (01:53):
Down the spine, exactly.
Jane (01:54):
And his mane is two different colors too. It's kind
of almost a dark brown or blackand then an almost white color.
Sonja Noack (02:02):
Yeah, it's under it's dark, and upper is light,
and they are actually just like,it's not from the sun. It's just
happened to be like this in thatkind of color when they are blue
dun.
Jane (02:15):
He seems kind of quiet and shy, but your white horse over
here seems to want someattention, and he's got a
beautiful set of bangs that hekeeps throwing his head back to
show us. Do they have differentpersonalities?
Sonja Noack (02:26):
Oh yes, they are very different. And also, like,
Kulu has been working thismorning, and he's chilling a
little bit. We have been ridingtwo hours this morning with the
kids and Skiði, he hasn't beenworking today, and he's just
waiting for his time today to dosomething fun.
Jane (02:43):
And what's Twister thinking?
Sonja Noack (02:45):
Twister probably just wants to say hello and get
some cuddles from you. He lovesattention.
Jane (02:49):
Twister, do you want to say hello to the microphone?
It's not food. Twister wouldlike to eat my sweater and the
microphone.
Sonja Noack (03:00):
He loves food.
Jane (03:03):
We have a lot of horse questions, and since we're here
in Iceland, let's start withPoppy's question.
Poppy (03:09):
My name is Poppy, and I'm from London, Vermont, and I'm 11
years old, I would like to knowmore about the history of the
Icelandic horses.
Jane (03:16):
Are Icelandic horses special?
Sonja Noack (03:18):
Oh yes, they are. They're very special. They are,
actually, very, very, very longtime ago, they came here with
boats, with the Vikings, mostlyfrom Norway, but not only, but
mostly. And what makes it veryspecial now it's that the
Icelandic horse has been bredpure over 1000 years, and that
(03:42):
means too, which is sometimes alittle bit sad, but all
Icelandic horses that leaveIceland, they may never come
back. So it's very pure breed,and probably the purest breed in
the world,
Jane (03:55):
Because it hasn't been cross bred with other horse
breeds, because other horsesaren't allowed in Iceland, and
so these horses are alldescended from those horses that
came across with the Vikings.
Sonja Noack (04:07):
Exactly, exactly.
Jane (04:09):
Since it's an island in the middle of the Atlantic
Ocean, Iceland can keep somepretty strict controls about
what comes in and what goes outof its country. And Iceland has
decided that the Icelandic horseis a breed they want to protect
and control. The country allowshorses to leave Iceland, so you
can find them in lots of othercountries, but you won't find
(04:30):
any other kinds of horses inIceland, which means these
horses are pretty similar to theones brought to Iceland by
Viking explorers and settlersover 1000 years ago. Icelandic
horses are known for being onthe small side, but most
Icelandic people would beannoyed if you called them
ponies.
Sonja Noack (04:48):
They are having a lot of fur and a long mane, and
most of them thick mane andtail, which makes them extremely
beautiful, of course. And theyare very... so many different
colors, which is also specialfor the Icelandic horse.
Jane (05:04):
So horses in Iceland need to be able to withstand some
pretty harsh weather. How dothese horses make it through
really cold winters andoftentimes a lot of wind and
snow and rain?
Sonja Noack (05:17):
They have very, very good and long fur, and they
are built like... they are notlike very long leg most of them.
They are like, a little bit, youknow, strongly built. And they
just eat a lot. Especially theones that are just outside, they
have to eat a lot, specially inthe fall, to get fat and
everything, and which helps theskin to take care when rain is
(05:42):
coming and snow and wind,because then it will peel away
the cold and the wind and thesnow, and then we, of course,
give them... We are feeding themoutside. They are not they're
maybe very, very big fields, butwe are giving them hay as snow,
as soon as the snow is there andthey can't get the grass
anymore.
Jane (06:00):
you'd probably want a long mane and thick fur if you were
going to spend the winteroutside in the wind and snow of
Iceland, too. Icelandic horsesare also known for having a
special way of running. You mayhave heard of a walk, a trot, a
canter and a gallop, butIcelandic horses can do two
other styles. We'll have Sonjasaddle up and ride one of her
horses a little later on, so youcan hear what we mean. But
(06:24):
first, let's get to some of yourother questions.
Parker (06:26):
I'm Parker. I'm seven years old. I live in
Pennsylvania. Why are horses sobig?
Jane (06:31):
Why are horses so big?
Sonja Noack (06:34):
Yeah, they were not so big for a million years ago
or something. They were likesmall as a dog, and then they
have been getting bigger becauseit's easier to run away from the
predators. And it's also about,you know, then they are a little
bit higher up, so they seebetter when there's coming
something, something dangerous.But of course, it's very
different. We have, like,really, really small ponies,
(06:57):
Falabella pony in the world.They are, like, so small as a
dog still. So it's verydifferent. They can be from dog
size up to very big.
Jane (07:06):
As Sonja said, when the ancestors of horses first
started appearing, actually morelike 56 million years ago, they
were quite small. But over time,they've gotten much bigger and
taller. Modern horses have somuch variety because humans got
involved in breeding them andselecting horses for different
characteristics, like beingreally fast or being able to
(07:29):
pull a heavy load or being tall.So that's why there are so many
different types and sizes ofhorse bodies today.
Henry (07:36):
My name is Henry. I'm five years old. I live in
Kokomo, Indiana. Why do horseshave a tail?
Riggs (07:44):
My name's Riggs, I'm five years old, and I live in
Lincoln, California. Why dohorses have tails?
Jane (07:52):
Henry wants to know why do horses have tails? And so does
Riggs.
Sonja Noack (07:56):
Yeah, the tail is actually, it's very important
for the horse to to push awaythe flies, mostly. It's, and
also, of course, it's aprotective for their butt and
the main it's also from for therain. And also, when horses bite
each other, it is giving kind ofprotection with the neck.
Omer (08:16):
My name is Omer, and I live in Princeton, New Jersey,
and I'm six years old. Why dohorses have hairs on their back?
Jane (08:24):
Why do they have hairs on their back? What's the deal with
the mane?
Sonja Noack (08:27):
Yeah, the mane is like protective and also on the
back, the hair, the haireverywhere. Of course, they are
mammals, and they need, theyhave the hair to protect their
skin, and especially theIcelandic horse, which is a lot
outside, and when it's cold,it's just protective against the
weather. It's very, very long inthe winter, and thick and and
(08:50):
then when they change their fur,you know, then it's a lot of
hair everywhere.
Jane (08:56):
They shed like a dog.
Sonja Noack (08:57):
Yes, more.You could probably to pillow out of it.
Jane (09:02):
That would be quite a pillow.
Sonja Noack (09:03):
Yeah, it would be quite a pillow.
June (09:04):
My name is June. I'mthree years old. How does horses' legs
move?
Jane (09:13):
Horses have really interesting legs. The part you
might think looks like theirknee bends in different
directions, depending on whetheryou're looking at the front legs
or the back legs. The front legsbend out towards the front and
the back legs bend back behindthe horse. But here's something
you might not know. Those aren'ttheir knees. Their knees are
(09:35):
actually much higher up in theirbody, so you can't really see
them unless you have X-rayvision, and can look at the
horse's skeleton. The part yousee bending when they run is
more like an ankle joint, andhorses actually walk on their
toes.
Olivia (09:49):
My name is Olivia, and I'm four years old. I'm fron
Clayton, Indiana. Why doeshorses have hooves?
Bonnie (09:56):
My name is Bonnie. I am 6 years old. I live in Eugene,
Oregon. Why do horses havehooves?
Chloe (10:04):
My name is Chloe. I live in Thailand. I am six and a half
years old. I do horses havehooves and we don't?
Sasha (10:15):
My name is Sasha. I live in Tahoma, California. I'm four
years old. Why are horse hoovesflat, not round?
Audrey (10:30):
My name is Audrey. I'm five years old. Are horses
hooves bones or not?
Jojo (10:36):
My name is Jojo. I live in Webster, New York. Why do horses
wear shoes?
Jane (10:43):
Let's talk about hooves, that very bottom part of a
horse's leg. The hoof hasseveral parts, including some
internal bones, tendons andligaments, some cushiony bits
that act like a shock absorber,and a hard part around the
outside made of keratin. That'sthe same stuff your fingernails
and toenails are made out of.Keratin is also what horns are.
(11:05):
When it's thick, like a horse'shoof, keratin is very tough
stuff. That outer wall, thatpart that's kind of like a big,
thick toenail on the horse isconstantly growing. If a horse
is running around on roughground, all that rubbing and
scuffing can keep the hoof fileddown. But a lot of horses need
to have their hooves filed downby people, and many horses wear
(11:27):
horse shoes. They look prettydifferent than our sneakers,
though. Their shoes are metaland just go right around that
hard outer wall of the hoof.They help protect the horse's
foot, especially on pavement orother surfaces that would wear
those hooves down prettyquickly.
Audrey (11:43):
Hi, my name is Audrey. I live in California. What do
horses eat?
Jane (11:48):
Audrey wants to know just generally, what do horses eat?
Other than my microphone.
Sonja Noack (11:54):
They eat mostly grass and hay, which is, of
course, dried grass. That's whatthey eat mostly, and we always
try to, at least, I give myhorses always also vitamins, and
some of them get, like, alsokind of extra food out of corn
(12:15):
or something. Depends a lot onthe horse. What they need, if
they need extra food, but whatthey eat mostly is grass.
Henry (12:22):
Hi. I'm Henry. I live in Alberta, Canada. I'm six years
old. Why can horses eat grasswhen it can't hurt our stomachs?
Jane (12:28):
Why can horses eat grass and hay when that would hurt our
stomachs?
Sonja Noack (12:35):
They have just a totally different digestive
system than us, and also, theyget a lot of energy, for
example, out of the grass, as wewouldn't, not at all. And, yeah,
we can't digest the grass withour stomach.
Elina (12:51):
My name's Elina. I'm nine years old. I live in Barry in
Wales. Can horses taste sweetand sour?
Sonja Noack (12:58):
Yes, they can. And they love sweet, actually. And
they also can taste like bitter,and salt. And bitter, for
example, is very interesting. Itcan be, you know, they will feel
it when there is somethingpoisoned, like poisoned plants,
they are bitter. So they won't,won't eat it, but they love
sweet.
Ronan (13:19):
Hi, I'm Ronan. I live in Charleston, South Carolina. I'm
nine years old. Why do horsessleep standing up?
Jane (13:26):
Horses can sleep standing up because their bodies are
designed to allow them to do it.Unlike ours! We'd most likely
collapse if we fell asleepstanding. But horses can lock
their legs to help keep theirbody in place. And have you ever
seen a horse standing tall onthree legs while its fourth leg
is bent and not taking anyweight? As a horse naps, it
(13:47):
rotates which leg is getting abreak, so by the time it wakes
up, all of its legs have gottensome time off. But there's
another reason horses sleepstanding up.
Sonja Noack (13:57):
It's also very important for them that they
could run away very fast whensome predator would come. And so
it's just about their naturethat they could run away. But
when they really want to sleepand get REM sleep, they need to
lay down for that, and that'smostly for a short time. And
when they are in a herd outside,normally you see always one or
(14:19):
two standing at least, which aretaking care if everything is
fine for the others to sleep.
Jane (14:26):
And I think if anybody's seen a horse lying down and
watched it try to get up, youcan see how that would take a
long time. If something thatreally wanted to eat you was
chasing you, it might put you ina very vulnerable position.
Sonja Noack (14:39):
Yes, 100%.
Lucy (14:41):
My name is Lucy. I live in Canada. Why do horses breathe
through their mouth?
Jane (14:47):
Why do horses breathe through their mouths?
Sonja Noack (14:50):
They don't, actually, they can't. They
breathe through their nose.They, they have very strong
nostrils, and they can open itquite much up. They maybe would
open the mouth and but it's notreally the way for the air
through the mouth. It's just forthe food.
Jane (15:08):
Phew, that was a lot of questions about horses, and we
haven't even talked much abouthow they move. So get a drink of
water, let those wiggles out andget ready for even more horse
stuff.
This is But Why. Today we'relearning all about horses from
Sonja Noack, a riding instructorand all around lover of horses.
(15:29):
Sonja runs a riding school inMosfellsbær just outside of
Reykjavik in Iceland. We talkedwith her in one of her barns,
where three of her Icelandichorses calmly watched as she
answered all of your horseyquestions.
Felix (15:43):
My name is Felix. I'm five years old. I am in
Amherstburg, Ontario. Why dohorses gallop?
Parker (15:51):
My name is Parker, and my age is three, and I live in
Wisconsin, Madison. How dohorses gallop?
Jane (15:59):
How and why do horses gallop?
Sonja Noack (16:02):
It's just their way of running, and it's the way of
they gallop that they can runaway and run away fast, mostly
out, also to run away from thepredators. But also because they
sometimes like to play and runaround and have fun, like we
sometimes like to run around andhave fun.
Goldie (16:22):
My name is Marigold, but they call me Goldie. I'm four
years old. I live in Oakland,California. I would like to know
how horses jump so high.
Sonja Noack (16:35):
They have very strong muscles and very powerful
hind leg which will help them,and then they will just give in
and jump high.
Jane (16:46):
Do horses jump naturally? Or is it something they need to
be taught when you're workingwith a horse that's going to be
a jumping horse?
Sonja Noack (16:53):
Like with Icelandic horse, we don't jump much. We
sometimes do it for fun, alittle bit, but it's very
different between differenthorses. You know, if they are
outside in the field and thereis something they have to go
over, they would also jump overit. But they would probably
often choose the way beside. Butit depends so much about
different characters. Some ofthem just love it. They really
(17:16):
like to go over. I have somehorses too. When it is
somewhere, some something tojump over, they like to go
there.
Jane (17:23):
What about this guy? Does he like to jump?
Sonja Noack (17:25):
No, he is not so much of a jumper. He's more of a
he likes pace and going fast inpace. He's not so much of a
jumper.
Sage (17:34):
I'm Sage. I live in Colorado Springs. I'm 10 years
old. Can horses swim?
Sonja Noack (17:39):
Yes, they can, and that also, it's very different.
Some of them really love theweather, and others not. It's
like with us, but we when it'ssummer and nice weather, we
often go without saddle and swimwith them. That's so fun. It's
very, we were just like lastweekend. We were swimming with
them and the horses, most ofthem really love it, too, and
(18:02):
it's actually very good for thejoints. And some people even
send horses to swim training.
Jane (18:08):
Wow, swim training.
Sonja Noack (18:09):
Yes, because it's also, you know, it's so light
for the joints and ligaments.
Jane (18:15):
Yeah. So it's like, they get swimming lessons, but it's
also kind of like physicaltherapy, or like, almost like a
massage that can help the horsesfeel good.
Sonja Noack (18:23):
Yeah, yeah, 100%. And horses that have been
injured, it can help them to getgood again.
Lucy (18:29):
My name is Lucy, and I'm nine years old, and I live in
Madison, Wisconsin. Why do horsetrainers whip their horses and
does it hurt them?
Sonja Noack (18:39):
You know, if you whip the horse like hardly it
would probably hurt them and butnormally when, for example, we
use the whip, when I have awhip, it's more thought about
being a longer hand. For me,it's a little bit getting me a
longer hand that I can help thehorse to understand what I want.
(18:59):
And then I will just put it veryslightly at the horse to help
him to move and understand whatI want, because maybe my foot
isn't reaching his hindquarters.And when I want to help the
horse with that, I can use thewhip a little bit so we are not
using it for slamming the horseor something. It's more like a
(19:20):
longer hand.
Jane (19:22):
And also with your feet. Are you kicking them hard, and
does it hurt when you kick?
Sonja Noack (19:26):
No, we are trying to get the horse, having the
horse as sensitive as they canbe with, like using a little,
you know, pressure with the withthe feet. I want my horse to
answer when I put my feet at thebelly slightly, they should
answer to go forward, and thesame when I take the rein to
stop and trying to have it verylightly that they answer when
(19:49):
they you know, when we are fastto answer them and let them be,
let them be when they answered,then they are also light. So
it's, it's so more fun to do itthis way and be nice together.
Jane (20:04):
So you think of it as communication, nonverbal
communication with the horse,where you're trying to tell the
horse, here's what I'd like youto do, and then the horse is
responding.
Sonja Noack (20:13):
Yes, exactly. It is just helping us to communicate
exactly, and that, of course,always it's the goal for us to
have and do as little aspossible. And if you look at the
rider and you don't see what therider does, and the horse, too,
does a lot of stuff. It is verynice, and that's always the
goal.
Emma (20:34):
My name is Emma. I am seven and 11 months. I live in
Madrid, Spain. Why are horsesafraid of snakes?
Jane (20:44):
Are horses afraid of snakes?
Sonja Noack (20:46):
Yes, I would say they are because, of course,
they could be dangerous. Theycould bite them, and they
actually don't like anythingbecause of that around their
feet, like when you walk with ahorse with a with a reins, yeah,
and it's yeah, a leash orsomething, and hanging down with
the feet they, most of them,don't like it, and could get
scared. So also, when you rideand you ride over something,
(21:09):
they can get a little bitafraid, because their feet are
so important to them. Because,of course, when the feet are
hurt, they can't run. And ifthere would be a predator that
want to eat them, which is, ofcourse, not so much of a problem
anymore, but it's so deep inthem that they are just trying
to take care of their feet.
Jane (21:29):
And the way horses' eyes work too. They can't necessarily
see their feet if they'relooking up right? So they they
want to make sure there'snothing down by their feet that
they can't see that could tripthem up, especially if they're
looking straight up or farahead.
Sonja Noack (21:43):
Yeah, exactly. We have like blind points, like
blind spots right in front ofthe horse, under the head and
right in front of them, and alsoall in the back. They don't see
at all when you are behind thehorse. That's why you always
should take care when you walkbehind the horse, take a big
circle and not walk too near,because when they get afraid,
(22:04):
they could, of course, kick justbecause they get scared and
think something happens so andthey don't see you there. And
it's the same with like whensomething is on the ground, like
a snake, for example.
Scarlett (22:16):
I'm Scarlett and I'm from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Why are there so many types ofhorses?
Jane (22:25):
We've talked about the Icelandic horse, which is
special and different from someother horse breeds. Why are
there so many?
Sonja Noack (22:31):
I would say it's because we have, of course, very
different landscapes and verydifferent you know, like when
you go to the Sahara, it's, ofcourse, very, very hot, and then
the horses are just totallydifferent bred, especially for
that. And like here in Iceland,we we have the Icelandic horse,
which is really good in thecold. So it's a lot about the
(22:51):
breeding, about and also whatyou are going to do, or you are
going to do dressage or gaitedriding or jumping, or leisure
writing or distance. So it'svery, very much different.
Difference between that and,yeah, out of it's, of course,
very every horse has, or horsebreed has all long story, or
(23:13):
most of them.
Aurora (23:14):
My name is Aurora. I'm 10 years old. No, not 10, 11. I
live in Holland, Vermont. What'sthe most popular horse breed?
Sonja Noack (23:21):
I heard it's the American Quarter Horse,
actually. But yeah, I thinkIcelandic horses are actually
very popular because of theirgaits. And I think it's getting
more and more also in America,in the United States, but all
over the world, I heard it's theAmerican Quarter Horse.
Jane (23:44):
Sonja has about 30 or 35 horses at her riding school, and
they're all Icelandic horses, ofcourse, because other types
aren't allowed in Iceland. Iasked her if she had a favorite
one.
Sonja Noack (23:55):
Oh, that's a tough one. I really love Twister, the
one we have here.
Jane (24:01):
Yeah, but that's because we're standing in Twister's
stall. You can't say you likesomebody else better when we're
standing right next to him.
Sonja Noack (24:06):
Yes, I love him, but I also love and, you know,
Skiði and, of course, I love allof them. I, I think it's very
important like also with theriding school horses. I, I
really like them all. They arevery, very different characters,
and I want them to be, and it'sokay to be different characters.
That makes it so fun, so andeveryone has its qualities.
Jane (24:29):
Like people. Everybody has a different personality.
Sonja Noack (24:32):
100% and that's just perfect.
Jane (24:34):
Before we let Sonia get back to her chores, we asked her
to show us one more thing (24:37):
the special ways Icelandic horses
can move. When you think of howhorses walk or run, you might
think of a walk, a trot, acanter and a gallop, but
Icelandic horses can do two moretypes, or gaits.
Sonja Noack (24:52):
Yes, we have the tölt and tölt is the same. They
are moving their legs, same asin walk. So all, there's always
at least one feet on the groundwhich make it very smooth. They
are not like jumping up in theair like in trot and gallop,
where sometimes the feet are alllike up in the air. So it's
(25:15):
getting very smooth. And it canbe from very slow to very fast.
And it's, it's very fun to rideit. It's like sitting on a
light, slightly moving sofa.When you have a good tölt horse
and their pace, it's reallyfast. Has to be really fast to
be really good. And it's mostlyridden out of the gallop. Then
(25:38):
they you are going, lay thehorse down to pace, as we call
it, and put it into pace, andthen that goes very fast. And
it's a little bit like thecamels, when they move the feet
on both on the just both leftfeet, and then they flying, and
then both right feet, and thenthey're flying, and then both
left and so on so. And they arelike stretching their head and
(26:05):
run really fast like this. It'svery fun to see.
Jane (26:08):
What's the difference in the way it feels from a gallop
to pace?
Sonja Noack (26:12):
Gallop is more, you know, it's three-beat. So it's
like doo doo doo, doo doo doo,doo doo so when it you always
like having this circle movingand in pace, it's a little bit.
It's just, it's, it's going sofast. So don't you, you don't
have so much time to think it'sjust, it's a little bit...
Jane (26:34):
You're making a hand expression like, vibration.
Sonja Noack (26:37):
Yeah, vibration, and going really fast. It's
adrenaline, you need to get, youknow, when you write really good
flying pace, you will getsometimes, like a little bit
like feeling at the knees and soand so, you get some adrenaline
with it. And you don't ride itfor a long time. It's mostly
ridden like, you know, between100 and 250 meters or 300 or
(27:01):
something, but only short atonce, because it takes a lot of
energy of the horse, becausethey put everything in it.
Jane (27:08):
Why would you use pace instead of gallop? When, what
would the situation be where youwould choose one over the other?
Sonja Noack (27:14):
When I ride up a hill, for example, I would
always choose the gallop. Andwhen I ride straight, I would
take the pace, if it's astraight line and enough place,
space, you know, and a clearway, and then I would choose
pace. And it's, it's justdifferent because it's, it's
(27:34):
something you ride not as oftenas the gallop. And gallop you of
course, can also ride very slowbut not flying pace.
Jane (27:43):
Seeing how these horses move in their different strides
or gaits would be great, right?But we're a podcast, so you
can't see anything. But hearingcan also be helpful. We asked
Sonja if she and one of herhorses would help demonstrate
these different ways of movingthat she was talking about. So
she saddled up Krumi, a darkbrown horse with an even darker
(28:05):
mane, and we went to the ridingring. We attached a microphone
to Sonja so you can hearKrummi's hooves and Sonja's
description as she rides aroundthe ring. So close your eyes and
just listen for the next minuteor two and see if you can hear
the difference in each type ofstride.
Sonja Noack (28:25):
So I'm gonna go to trot now.
Now I'm gonna ride tolt, thengallop and then pace.
Jane (29:25):
That was Krummi, the horse, and Sonja Noack, the
rider. Thanks to Sonja foranswering all of our many
questions about horses. She'sthe owner of Hestasnilld, a
riding school in Mosfellsbær,Iceland. We have pictures and
videos of Sonja and her horseson our Instagram and YouTube
pages, if you'd like to see whatan Icelandic horse looks like
(29:45):
and what those different gaitslook like. As always, if you
have a question about anything,send it to us. We get a lot of
questions, and we really wish wecould answer them all. But even
if we can't answer yourquestion, we love hearing it. We
want to know what's on yourmind, what you're feeling
curious about, and what youthink we could help you learn
about. You can have an adulthelp you record your question
(30:08):
using one of the free apps on asmartphone or tablet, and then
you can send the file toquestions@butwhykids.org. If you
like our show, please leave areview or some stars on whatever
platform you use to listen. Ithelps other kids discover us.
Our show is produced by SarahBaik, Melody Bodette and me Jane
Lindholm at Vermont Public anddistributed by PRX. Our video
(30:31):
producer is Joey Palumbo. Ourtheme music is by Luke Reynolds.
We'll be back in two weeks withan all new episode. Until then,
stay curious.
This is But Why
Public. I'm Jane Lindholm. Onthis show, we take questions
from kids all over who arecurious about the world around
them, like you are, and it's ourjob to find interesting people
who can offer answers. You'vebeen sending us questions about
(00:41):
horses for years, so we thoughtit was high time to do an
episode all about them. When wewere in Iceland a few months
ago, we visited a school forkids and sometimes adults, who
want to learn how to care forand ride horses. Sometimes they
even do horseback ridingcompetitions. The woman who owns
the school and cares for all ofthe horses there is named Sonja
(01:04):
Noack. She invited us to meet afew of her horses and learn
more. And I love the name of herschool, Hestasnilld. It's a
combination of two Icelandicwords, hesta, horse, and nild,
genius. So her school's name,Hestasnilld, is basically horse
genius!
Sonja Noack (01:22):
We have here, Twister, my horse, my pace
horse. He is looking at us andSkiði and Kulu, three of of my
horses.
Jane (01:34):
So Kulu is a beautiful gray horse. Describe that
beautiful color.
Sonja Noack (01:40):
He's blue dun, actually, and he has a little
star. The dun horses, they havethis black...
Jane (01:50):
Like a black line almost on his spine.
Sonja Noack (01:53):
Down the spine, exactly.
Jane (01:54):
And his mane is two different colors too. It's kind
of almost a dark brown or blackand then an almost white color.
Sonja Noack (02:02):
Yeah, it's under it's dark, and upper is light,
and they are actually just like,it's not from the sun. It's just
happened to be like this in thatkind of color when they are blue
dun.
Jane (02:15):
He seems kind of quiet and shy, but your white horse over
here seems to want someattention, and he's got a
beautiful set of bangs that hekeeps throwing his head back to
show us. Do they have differentpersonalities?
Sonja Noack (02:26):
Oh yes, they are very different. And also, like,
Kulu has been working thismorning, and he's chilling a
little bit. We have been ridingtwo hours this morning with the
kids and Skiði, he hasn't beenworking today, and he's just
waiting for his time today to dosomething fun.
Jane (02:43):
And what's Twister thinking?
Sonja Noack (02:45):
Twister probably just wants to say hello and get
some cuddles from you. He lovesattention.
Jane (02:49):
Twister, do you want to say hello to the microphone?
It's not food. Twister wouldlike to eat my sweater and the
microphone.
Sonja Noack (03:00):
He loves food.
Jane (03:03):
We have a lot of horse questions, and since we're here
in Iceland, let's start withPoppy's question.
Poppy (03:09):
My name is Poppy, and I'm from London, Vermont, and I'm 11
years old, I would like to knowmore about the history of the
Icelandic horses.
Jane (03:16):
Are Icelandic horses special?
Sonja Noack (03:18):
Oh yes, they are. They're very special. They are,
actually, very, very, very longtime ago, they came here with
boats, with the Vikings, mostlyfrom Norway, but not only, but
mostly. And what makes it veryspecial now it's that the
Icelandic horse has been bredpure over 1000 years, and that
(03:42):
means too, which is sometimes alittle bit sad, but all
Icelandic horses that leaveIceland, they may never come
back. So it's very pure breed,and probably the purest breed in
the world,
Jane (03:55):
Because it hasn't been cross bred with other horse
breeds, because other horsesaren't allowed in Iceland, and
so these horses are alldescended from those horses that
came across with the Vikings.
Sonja Noack (04:07):
Exactly, exactly.
Jane (04:09):
Since it's an island in the middle of the Atlantic
Ocean, Iceland can keep somepretty strict controls about
what comes in and what goes outof its country. And Iceland has
decided that the Icelandic horseis a breed they want to protect
and control. The country allowshorses to leave Iceland, so you
can find them in lots of othercountries, but you won't find
(04:30):
any other kinds of horses inIceland, which means these
horses are pretty similar to theones brought to Iceland by
Viking explorers and settlersover 1000 years ago. Icelandic
horses are known for being onthe small side, but most
Icelandic people would beannoyed if you called them
ponies.
Sonja Noack (04:48):
They are having a lot of fur and a long mane, and
most of them thick mane andtail, which makes them extremely
beautiful, of course. And theyare very... so many different
colors, which is also specialfor the Icelandic horse.
Jane (05:04):
So horses in Iceland need to be able to withstand some
pretty harsh weather. How dothese horses make it through
really cold winters andoftentimes a lot of wind and
snow and rain?
Sonja Noack (05:17):
They have very, very good and long fur, and they
are built like... they are notlike very long leg most of them.
They are like, a little bit, youknow, strongly built. And they
just eat a lot. Especially theones that are just outside, they
have to eat a lot, specially inthe fall, to get fat and
everything, and which helps theskin to take care when rain is
(05:42):
coming and snow and wind,because then it will peel away
the cold and the wind and thesnow, and then we, of course,
give them... We are feeding themoutside. They are not they're
maybe very, very big fields, butwe are giving them hay as snow,
as soon as the snow is there andthey can't get the grass
anymore.
Jane (06:00):
you'd probably want a long mane and thick fur if you were
going to spend the winteroutside in the wind and snow of
Iceland, too. Icelandic horsesare also known for having a
special way of running. You mayhave heard of a walk, a trot, a
canter and a gallop, butIcelandic horses can do two
other styles. We'll have Sonjasaddle up and ride one of her
horses a little later on, so youcan hear what we mean. But
(06:24):
first, let's get to some of yourother questions.
Parker (06:26):
I'm Parker. I'm seven years old. I live in
Pennsylvania. Why are horses sobig?
Jane (06:31):
Why are horses so big?
Sonja Noack (06:34):
Yeah, they were not so big for a million years ago
or something. They were likesmall as a dog, and then they
have been getting bigger becauseit's easier to run away from the
predators. And it's also about,you know, then they are a little
bit higher up, so they seebetter when there's coming
something, something dangerous.But of course, it's very
different. We have, like,really, really small ponies,
(06:57):
Falabella pony in the world.They are, like, so small as a
dog still. So it's verydifferent. They can be from dog
size up to very big.
Jane (07:06):
As Sonja said, when the ancestors of horses first
started appearing, actually morelike 56 million years ago, they
were quite small. But over time,they've gotten much bigger and
taller. Modern horses have somuch variety because humans got
involved in breeding them andselecting horses for different
characteristics, like beingreally fast or being able to
(07:29):
pull a heavy load or being tall.So that's why there are so many
different types and sizes ofhorse bodies today.
Henry (07:36):
My name is Henry. I'm five years old. I live in
Kokomo, Indiana. Why do horseshave a tail?
Riggs (07:44):
My name's Riggs, I'm five years old, and I live in
Lincoln, California. Why dohorses have tails?
Jane (07:52):
Henry wants to know why do horses have tails? And so does
Riggs.
Sonja Noack (07:56):
Yeah, the tail is actually, it's very important
for the horse to to push awaythe flies, mostly. It's, and
also, of course, it's aprotective for their butt and
the main it's also from for therain. And also, when horses bite
each other, it is giving kind ofprotection with the neck.
Omer (08:16):
My name is Omer, and I live in Princeton, New Jersey,
and I'm six years old. Why dohorses have hairs on their back?
Jane (08:24):
Why do they have hairs on their back? What's the deal with
the mane?
Sonja Noack (08:27):
Yeah, the mane is like protective and also on the
back, the hair, the haireverywhere. Of course, they are
mammals, and they need, theyhave the hair to protect their
skin, and especially theIcelandic horse, which is a lot
outside, and when it's cold,it's just protective against the
weather. It's very, very long inthe winter, and thick and and
(08:50):
then when they change their fur,you know, then it's a lot of
hair everywhere.
Jane (08:56):
They shed like a dog.
Sonja Noack (08:57):
Yes, more.You could probably to pillow out of it.
Jane (09:02):
That would be quite a pillow.
Sonja Noack (09:03):
Yeah, it would be quite a pillow.
June (09:04):
My name is June. I'mthree years old. How does horses' legs
move?
Jane (09:13):
Horses have really interesting legs. The part you
might think looks like theirknee bends in different
directions, depending on whetheryou're looking at the front legs
or the back legs. The front legsbend out towards the front and
the back legs bend back behindthe horse. But here's something
you might not know. Those aren'ttheir knees. Their knees are
(09:35):
actually much higher up in theirbody, so you can't really see
them unless you have X-rayvision, and can look at the
horse's skeleton. The part yousee bending when they run is
more like an ankle joint, andhorses actually walk on their
toes.
Olivia (09:49):
My name is Olivia, and I'm four years old. I'm fron
Clayton, Indiana. Why doeshorses have hooves?
Bonnie (09:56):
My name is Bonnie. I am 6 years old. I live in Eugene,
Oregon. Why do horses havehooves?
Chloe (10:04):
My name is Chloe. I live in Thailand. I am six and a half
years old. I do horses havehooves and we don't?
Sasha (10:15):
My name is Sasha. I live in Tahoma, California. I'm four
years old. Why are horse hoovesflat, not round?
Audrey (10:30):
My name is Audrey. I'm five years old. Are horses
hooves bones or not?
Jojo (10:36):
My name is Jojo. I live in Webster, New York. Why do horses
wear shoes?
Jane (10:43):
Let's talk about hooves, that very bottom part of a
horse's leg. The hoof hasseveral parts, including some
internal bones, tendons andligaments, some cushiony bits
that act like a shock absorber,and a hard part around the
outside made of keratin. That'sthe same stuff your fingernails
and toenails are made out of.Keratin is also what horns are.
(11:05):
When it's thick, like a horse'shoof, keratin is very tough
stuff. That outer wall, thatpart that's kind of like a big,
thick toenail on the horse isconstantly growing. If a horse
is running around on roughground, all that rubbing and
scuffing can keep the hoof fileddown. But a lot of horses need
to have their hooves filed downby people, and many horses wear
(11:27):
horse shoes. They look prettydifferent than our sneakers,
though. Their shoes are metaland just go right around that
hard outer wall of the hoof.They help protect the horse's
foot, especially on pavement orother surfaces that would wear
those hooves down prettyquickly.
Audrey (11:43):
Hi, my name is Audrey. I live in California. What do
horses eat?
Jane (11:48):
Audrey wants to know just generally, what do horses eat?
Other than my microphone.
Sonja Noack (11:54):
They eat mostly grass and hay, which is, of
course, dried grass. That's whatthey eat mostly, and we always
try to, at least, I give myhorses always also vitamins, and
some of them get, like, alsokind of extra food out of corn
(12:15):
or something. Depends a lot onthe horse. What they need, if
they need extra food, but whatthey eat mostly is grass.
Henry (12:22):
Hi. I'm Henry. I live in Alberta, Canada. I'm six years
old. Why can horses eat grasswhen it can't hurt our stomachs?
Jane (12:28):
Why can horses eat grass and hay when that would hurt our
stomachs?
Sonja Noack (12:35):
They have just a totally different digestive
system than us, and also, theyget a lot of energy, for
example, out of the grass, as wewouldn't, not at all. And, yeah,
we can't digest the grass withour stomach.
Elina (12:51):
My name's Elina. I'm nine years old. I live in Barry in
Wales. Can horses taste sweetand sour?
Sonja Noack (12:58):
Yes, they can. And they love sweet, actually. And
they also can taste like bitter,and salt. And bitter, for
example, is very interesting. Itcan be, you know, they will feel
it when there is somethingpoisoned, like poisoned plants,
they are bitter. So they won't,won't eat it, but they love
sweet.
Ronan (13:19):
Hi, I'm Ronan. I live in Charleston, South Carolina. I'm
nine years old. Why do horsessleep standing up?
Jane (13:26):
Horses can sleep standing up because their bodies are
designed to allow them to do it.Unlike ours! We'd most likely
collapse if we fell asleepstanding. But horses can lock
their legs to help keep theirbody in place. And have you ever
seen a horse standing tall onthree legs while its fourth leg
is bent and not taking anyweight? As a horse naps, it
(13:47):
rotates which leg is getting abreak, so by the time it wakes
up, all of its legs have gottensome time off. But there's
another reason horses sleepstanding up.
Sonja Noack (13:57):
It's also very important for them that they
could run away very fast whensome predator would come. And so
it's just about their naturethat they could run away. But
when they really want to sleepand get REM sleep, they need to
lay down for that, and that'smostly for a short time. And
when they are in a herd outside,normally you see always one or
(14:19):
two standing at least, which aretaking care if everything is
fine for the others to sleep.
Jane (14:26):
And I think if anybody's seen a horse lying down and
watched it try to get up, youcan see how that would take a
long time. If something thatreally wanted to eat you was
chasing you, it might put you ina very vulnerable position.
Sonja Noack (14:39):
Yes, 100%.
Lucy (14:41):
My name is Lucy. I live in Canada. Why do horses breathe
through their mouth?
Jane (14:47):
Why do horses breathe through their mouths?
Sonja Noack (14:50):
They don't, actually, they can't. They
breathe through their nose.They, they have very strong
nostrils, and they can open itquite much up. They maybe would
open the mouth and but it's notreally the way for the air
through the mouth. It's just forthe food.
Jane (15:08):
Phew, that was a lot of questions about horses, and we
haven't even talked much abouthow they move. So get a drink of
water, let those wiggles out andget ready for even more horse
stuff.
This is But Why. Today we'relearning all about horses from
Sonja Noack, a riding instructorand all around lover of horses.
(15:29):
Sonja runs a riding school inMosfellsbær just outside of
Reykjavik in Iceland. We talkedwith her in one of her barns,
where three of her Icelandichorses calmly watched as she
answered all of your horseyquestions.
Felix (15:43):
My name is Felix. I'm five years old. I am in
Amherstburg, Ontario. Why dohorses gallop?
Parker (15:51):
My name is Parker, and my age is three, and I live in
Wisconsin, Madison. How dohorses gallop?
Jane (15:59):
How and why do horses gallop?
Sonja Noack (16:02):
It's just their way of running, and it's the way of
they gallop that they can runaway and run away fast, mostly
out, also to run away from thepredators. But also because they
sometimes like to play and runaround and have fun, like we
sometimes like to run around andhave fun.
Goldie (16:22):
My name is Marigold, but they call me Goldie. I'm four
years old. I live in Oakland,California. I would like to know
how horses jump so high.
Sonja Noack (16:35):
They have very strong muscles and very powerful
hind leg which will help them,and then they will just give in
and jump high.
Jane (16:46):
Do horses jump naturally? Or is it something they need to
be taught when you're workingwith a horse that's going to be
a jumping horse?
Sonja Noack (16:53):
Like with Icelandic horse, we don't jump much. We
sometimes do it for fun, alittle bit, but it's very
different between differenthorses. You know, if they are
outside in the field and thereis something they have to go
over, they would also jump overit. But they would probably
often choose the way beside. Butit depends so much about
different characters. Some ofthem just love it. They really
(17:16):
like to go over. I have somehorses too. When it is
somewhere, some something tojump over, they like to go
there.
Jane (17:23):
What about this guy? Does he like to jump?
Sonja Noack (17:25):
No, he is not so much of a jumper. He's more of a
he likes pace and going fast inpace. He's not so much of a
jumper.
Sage (17:34):
I'm Sage. I live in Colorado Springs. I'm 10 years
old. Can horses swim?
Sonja Noack (17:39):
Yes, they can, and that also, it's very different.
Some of them really love theweather, and others not. It's
like with us, but we when it'ssummer and nice weather, we
often go without saddle and swimwith them. That's so fun. It's
very, we were just like lastweekend. We were swimming with
them and the horses, most ofthem really love it, too, and
(18:02):
it's actually very good for thejoints. And some people even
send horses to swim training.
Jane (18:08):
Wow, swim training.
Sonja Noack (18:09):
Yes, because it's also, you know, it's so light
for the joints and ligaments.
Jane (18:15):
Yeah. So it's like, they get swimming lessons, but it's
also kind of like physicaltherapy, or like, almost like a
massage that can help the horsesfeel good.
Sonja Noack (18:23):
Yeah, yeah, 100%. And horses that have been
injured, it can help them to getgood again.
Lucy (18:29):
My name is Lucy, and I'm nine years old, and I live in
Madison, Wisconsin. Why do horsetrainers whip their horses and
does it hurt them?
Sonja Noack (18:39):
You know, if you whip the horse like hardly it
would probably hurt them and butnormally when, for example, we
use the whip, when I have awhip, it's more thought about
being a longer hand. For me,it's a little bit getting me a
longer hand that I can help thehorse to understand what I want.
(18:59):
And then I will just put it veryslightly at the horse to help
him to move and understand whatI want, because maybe my foot
isn't reaching his hindquarters.And when I want to help the
horse with that, I can use thewhip a little bit so we are not
using it for slamming the horseor something. It's more like a
(19:20):
longer hand.
Jane (19:22):
And also with your feet. Are you kicking them hard, and
does it hurt when you kick?
Sonja Noack (19:26):
No, we are trying to get the horse, having the
horse as sensitive as they canbe with, like using a little,
you know, pressure with the withthe feet. I want my horse to
answer when I put my feet at thebelly slightly, they should
answer to go forward, and thesame when I take the rein to
stop and trying to have it verylightly that they answer when
(19:49):
they you know, when we are fastto answer them and let them be,
let them be when they answered,then they are also light. So
it's, it's so more fun to do itthis way and be nice together.
Jane (20:04):
So you think of it as communication, nonverbal
communication with the horse,where you're trying to tell the
horse, here's what I'd like youto do, and then the horse is
responding.
Sonja Noack (20:13):
Yes, exactly. It is just helping us to communicate
exactly, and that, of course,always it's the goal for us to
have and do as little aspossible. And if you look at the
rider and you don't see what therider does, and the horse, too,
does a lot of stuff. It is verynice, and that's always the
goal.
Emma (20:34):
My name is Emma. I am seven and 11 months. I live in
Madrid, Spain. Why are horsesafraid of snakes?
Jane (20:44):
Are horses afraid of snakes?
Sonja Noack (20:46):
Yes, I would say they are because, of course,
they could be dangerous. Theycould bite them, and they
actually don't like anythingbecause of that around their
feet, like when you walk with ahorse with a with a reins, yeah,
and it's yeah, a leash orsomething, and hanging down with
the feet they, most of them,don't like it, and could get
scared. So also, when you rideand you ride over something,
(21:09):
they can get a little bitafraid, because their feet are
so important to them. Because,of course, when the feet are
hurt, they can't run. And ifthere would be a predator that
want to eat them, which is, ofcourse, not so much of a problem
anymore, but it's so deep inthem that they are just trying
to take care of their feet.
Jane (21:29):
And the way horses' eyes work too. They can't necessarily
see their feet if they'relooking up right? So they they
want to make sure there'snothing down by their feet that
they can't see that could tripthem up, especially if they're
looking straight up or farahead.
Sonja Noack (21:43):
Yeah, exactly. We have like blind points, like
blind spots right in front ofthe horse, under the head and
right in front of them, and alsoall in the back. They don't see
at all when you are behind thehorse. That's why you always
should take care when you walkbehind the horse, take a big
circle and not walk too near,because when they get afraid,
(22:04):
they could, of course, kick justbecause they get scared and
think something happens so andthey don't see you there. And
it's the same with like whensomething is on the ground, like
a snake, for example.
Scarlett (22:16):
I'm Scarlett and I'm from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Why are there so many types ofhorses?
Jane (22:25):
We've talked about the Icelandic horse, which is
special and different from someother horse breeds. Why are
there so many?
Sonja Noack (22:31):
I would say it's because we have, of course, very
different landscapes and verydifferent you know, like when
you go to the Sahara, it's, ofcourse, very, very hot, and then
the horses are just totallydifferent bred, especially for
that. And like here in Iceland,we we have the Icelandic horse,
which is really good in thecold. So it's a lot about the
(22:51):
breeding, about and also whatyou are going to do, or you are
going to do dressage or gaitedriding or jumping, or leisure
writing or distance. So it'svery, very much different.
Difference between that and,yeah, out of it's, of course,
very every horse has, or horsebreed has all long story, or
(23:13):
most of them.
Aurora (23:14):
My name is Aurora. I'm 10 years old. No, not 10, 11. I
live in Holland, Vermont. What'sthe most popular horse breed?
Sonja Noack (23:21):
I heard it's the American Quarter Horse,
actually. But yeah, I thinkIcelandic horses are actually
very popular because of theirgaits. And I think it's getting
more and more also in America,in the United States, but all
over the world, I heard it's theAmerican Quarter Horse.
Jane (23:44):
Sonja has about 30 or 35 horses at her riding school, and
they're all Icelandic horses, ofcourse, because other types
aren't allowed in Iceland. Iasked her if she had a favorite
one.
Sonja Noack (23:55):
Oh, that's a tough one. I really love Twister, the
one we have here.
Jane (24:01):
Yeah, but that's because we're standing in Twister's
stall. You can't say you likesomebody else better when we're
standing right next to him.
Sonja Noack (24:06):
Yes, I love him, but I also love and, you know,
Skiði and, of course, I love allof them. I, I think it's very
important like also with theriding school horses. I, I
really like them all. They arevery, very different characters,
and I want them to be, and it'sokay to be different characters.
That makes it so fun, so andeveryone has its qualities.
Jane (24:29):
Like people. Everybody has a different personality.
Sonja Noack (24:32):
100% and that's just perfect.
Jane (24:34):
Before we let Sonia get back to her chores, we asked her
to show us one more thing (24:37):
the special ways Icelandic horses
can move. When you think of howhorses walk or run, you might
think of a walk, a trot, acanter and a gallop, but
Icelandic horses can do two moretypes, or gaits.
Sonja Noack (24:52):
Yes, we have the tölt and tölt is the same. They
are moving their legs, same asin walk. So all, there's always
at least one feet on the groundwhich make it very smooth. They
are not like jumping up in theair like in trot and gallop,
where sometimes the feet are alllike up in the air. So it's
(25:15):
getting very smooth. And it canbe from very slow to very fast.
And it's, it's very fun to rideit. It's like sitting on a
light, slightly moving sofa.When you have a good tölt horse
and their pace, it's reallyfast. Has to be really fast to
be really good. And it's mostlyridden out of the gallop. Then
(25:38):
they you are going, lay thehorse down to pace, as we call
it, and put it into pace, andthen that goes very fast. And
it's a little bit like thecamels, when they move the feet
on both on the just both leftfeet, and then they flying, and
then both right feet, and thenthey're flying, and then both
left and so on so. And they arelike stretching their head and
(26:05):
run really fast like this. It'svery fun to see.
Jane (26:08):
What's the difference in the way it feels from a gallop
to pace?
Sonja Noack (26:12):
Gallop is more, you know, it's three-beat. So it's
like doo doo doo, doo doo doo,doo doo so when it you always
like having this circle movingand in pace, it's a little bit.
It's just, it's, it's going sofast. So don't you, you don't
have so much time to think it'sjust, it's a little bit...
Jane (26:34):
You're making a hand expression like, vibration.
Sonja Noack (26:37):
Yeah, vibration, and going really fast. It's
adrenaline, you need to get, youknow, when you write really good
flying pace, you will getsometimes, like a little bit
like feeling at the knees and soand so, you get some adrenaline
with it. And you don't ride itfor a long time. It's mostly
ridden like, you know, between100 and 250 meters or 300 or
(27:01):
something, but only short atonce, because it takes a lot of
energy of the horse, becausethey put everything in it.
Jane (27:08):
Why would you use pace instead of gallop? When, what
would the situation be where youwould choose one over the other?
Sonja Noack (27:14):
When I ride up a hill, for example, I would
always choose the gallop. Andwhen I ride straight, I would
take the pace, if it's astraight line and enough place,
space, you know, and a clearway, and then I would choose
pace. And it's, it's justdifferent because it's, it's
(27:34):
something you ride not as oftenas the gallop. And gallop you of
course, can also ride very slowbut not flying pace.
Jane (27:43):
Seeing how these horses move in their different strides
or gaits would be great, right?But we're a podcast, so you
can't see anything. But hearingcan also be helpful. We asked
Sonja if she and one of herhorses would help demonstrate
these different ways of movingthat she was talking about. So
she saddled up Krumi, a darkbrown horse with an even darker
(28:05):
mane, and we went to the ridingring. We attached a microphone
to Sonja so you can hearKrummi's hooves and Sonja's
description as she rides aroundthe ring. So close your eyes and
just listen for the next minuteor two and see if you can hear
the difference in each type ofstride.
Sonja Noack (28:25):
So I'm gonna go to trot now.
Now I'm gonna ride tolt, thengallop and then pace.
Jane (29:25):
That was Krummi, the horse, and Sonja Noack, the
rider. Thanks to Sonja foranswering all of our many
questions about horses. She'sthe owner of Hestasnilld, a
riding school in Mosfellsbær,Iceland. We have pictures and
videos of Sonja and her horseson our Instagram and YouTube
pages, if you'd like to see whatan Icelandic horse looks like
(29:45):
and what those different gaitslook like. As always, if you
have a question about anything,send it to us. We get a lot of
questions, and we really wish wecould answer them all. But even
if we can't answer yourquestion, we love hearing it. We
want to know what's on yourmind, what you're feeling
curious about, and what youthink we could help you learn
about. You can have an adulthelp you record your question
(30:08):
using one of the free apps on asmartphone or tablet, and then
you can send the file toquestions@butwhykids.org. If you
like our show, please leave areview or some stars on whatever
platform you use to listen. Ithelps other kids discover us.
Our show is produced by SarahBaik, Melody Bodette and me Jane
Lindholm at Vermont Public anddistributed by PRX. Our video
(30:31):
producer is Joey Palumbo. Ourtheme music is by Luke Reynolds.
We'll be back in two weeks withan all new episode. Until then,
stay curious.
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