When deciding on an Icelandic Horse as a breed, the next step is to decide whether you want a trail horse or a competition horse.

These horses are separated not by simply the discipline chosen for them, but by their temperament and conformation.

The competition horses may lean towards having what is called the "higher temperament"... a little bit hotter horse, possibly more sensitive, sometimes nervous.

The trail horse may be the calmer type, less go-ey, most likely less lift in front, a horse that doesn't waste energy.

Once the temperament is picked, then the type of training needs to be chosen. The competition horses are trained "up", more energy, more presence, more tension.

The trail horses generally do well with natural horsemanship, trained calm, to communicate well with humans, for reliability.