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Our names are Mic (short for Michelle) Rushen, and Maria Wright. We both love horses, though Mic is the one with more experience. Maria (above left) became infected with the Icelandic horse virus when she met Mic in 2000 - until then she had never even touched a horse. She still prefers to remain mostly on the ground, but likes being around the horses. Maria works as a business administrator when not busy on the farm, and she loves cats, playing the guitar, gardening and doing DIY. Her favourite horses are Dögun, Tíbrá and Ólga.

Mic (below left) was born with a great love of horses, and started riding almost before she could walk. When she wasn't riding, she would constantly draw pictures of horses instead (much to the annoyance of her teachers at school). She got her first pony at 10 years old, and did all the normal "pony-mad child" things, until unfortunately she had a bad fall and completely lost her confidence. Although she continued riding, she found most horses were either ploddy cobs, and a bit boring to ride after a while, or else very unreliable and liable to buck, rear, bolt or shy at any excuse. Then one day in 1986 she was lucky enough to discover Icelandics.... not too big, fast, fun and forward-going, but generally very sensible, with the added bonus of the extra gaits and a millennium of history. She was hooked.

25 years on, and Mic and Maria have around 25 Icelandics of their own on a small farm in West Wales along with another 20 or so liveries and retirees. Young Icelandic horses belonging to other people here grow up as part of a herd, where they can learn to be horses and be taught discipline by their herdmates. There are also Icelandic and Jacob sheep, goats,  chickens and far too many cats, and the vegetable garden is almost a full-time occupation on its own.

Mic has nearly 40 years of experience with horses and ponies, 25 of that with Icelandics. She has bred and imported many good horses, done a lot of competitions (she has been British Champion several times in various disciplines and ridden at 5 World Championships), judged both in the UK and abroad (she is an IHSGB Judge), spent several years on the committee of the IHSGB (she is currently the IHSGB website manager), given many Icelandic horse displays, taken part in Viking re-enactment with the horses, appeared on TV several times, written plenty of magazine articles about the breed and introduced numerous people to the joys of the Icelandic horse. Sadly she has M.E. so now has to take life a bit easier. When she's not looking after the farm, she still draws and paints horses a lot of the time - she is an accomplished artist, specializing (needless to say) in Icelandic horses. To see some of her work, click here.

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