Horses and Horse-Names

I noticed this piece out of IceNews.IS today....over regulation.

There's an association that exists in Iceland....called the FEIF (International Federation of Icelandic Horse Association).

The members met up and drafted this regulation within the system....which passed, and the regulation states that Iceland horses shall NOT have any name other than those registered in the WorldFeng database.

If you came up and wanted a non-WorldFeng name for your horse?  You have to approach the committee which handles names.  They will survey your application.....the name you suggest....and either accept it or forbid you from using the name.

So, like you'd expect....some horse-owner has come up with a name (Mosan) for their horse, and the committee met over this.....then said no.

The owner?  They weren't happy and this has become a legal case now.  The question is....just how much authority does this association have over horse owners in Iceland.  The Justice Ministry?  Well....they've had the complaint for five months and still not made any decision over this.

It is amusing in several ways.

First, if the government has accepted this authority and says FEIF is the absolute authority over horses and horse names.....what's the odds that some association will appear and say they have authority over all cows, all cats, or all dogs....in Iceland?  

Second, what if this one single owner is forced to accept the name regulation (on paperwork), but then refers to their horse in daily matters by the unauthorized name? Hay-time each morning.....the illegal name being used?

Third, who exactly granted FEIF this great status over horse-names?  I'm guessing the Justice Ministry is standing there and asking this question....with no one able to cite any legal structure existing.

Fourth, you have to feel sorry for the young lawyer within the Justice Ministry.  They are getting a reputation as the guy or gal stuck with this package and finding no one within the ministry willing to approve or disapprove the whole application.  You probably are being called the 'horse-guy' whenever you enter an office.

The problem with regulation....is that eventually....you regulate yourself into a corner, and start to look pretty stupid over childish things like this.

Somewhere out there in the rural lands of Iceland....there's some horse-owner contemplating the name....Number Four....for their next colt.  No rhyme or reason....just a name that will get the FEIF folks all disturbed.