Horsing around in Iceland
If you love horses, Iceland is truly the place to go. Horses are paramount to the Icelandic people with about one horse to every three people. The Icelandic Horse is a special breed and although only the size of a pony, it is a mighty horse. They are strong but regal and are known for having a unique gait, the tolt. The Icelandic horse has to be sure-footed due to the ever changing and rarely smooth terrains. The tolt is a fast, smooth, graceful pace similar to a trot. It is beautiful to ride and watch and you instantly know when the horse has moved into this gait. Although bred for different purposes, strong and stocky for farm work or lithe and graceful for riding, the Icelanders have protected their breed and once a horse leaves the country, it cannot return.
After hearing so much about this special breed, I was really excited to meet the horses and experience the unique tolt. I haven’t ridden a lot since my childhood but it is a passion of mine. I was horse crazy as a child and was lucky enough to own a couple, from little but feisty Harvey to big, strong, gentle Brandy. I had been taking lessons for a couple of months prior to this trip to regain some confidence and work on my balance. I took lessons at a wonderful farm in Newmarket, Waterstone Estates and Farm. The instruction I received here prepared me well for my riding adventures in Iceland.
I had spent a great few days exploring Iceland but was ready to get on the horses. The day finally arrived and I apprehensively went to the paddock to help tack the horses. I was afraid of making a fool of myself. Would I mount okay, would I handle the horse okay, would I stay on? I needn’t have worried, everything went smoothly. With Bjork’s help, we got all the horses tacked and I mounted without incident. Mounting is performed facing the horses head rather than facing the rear as I am used to. After riding a 16 hand Shire for the past couple of months, mounting the adorable 14 hand Aska was a breeze. I remembered my mounting lesson and took my seat gently so as not to startle the horse and also so she didn’t collapse under me! We took off into an adjoining paddock to get acquainted. I felt comfortable and eager to head out on the trail and we finally headed off down the driveway and out onto the road. It wasn’t long before Bjork called out “Everyone ready for the tolt?” I was ready. Aska had not been ridden in a few years having given birth to 2 foals. She was a little lazy in her tolt and often dropped back into a trot and often stumbled making me thankful for the lessons I had taken but when Aska transitioned from trot to tolt, it was exhilarating. I could see her graceful movements in the shadows running along side us. I was in my own world and oblivious to those around me. It was me and Aska, the sun and the mountains and there was nowhere I would have rather been.
After a lunch break that was appreciated by both riders and horses, I switched horses with Bjork and had an opportunity to ride Lilla, a fiesty mare. Lilla decided to test my balance and patience and took off running in circles and generally in any direction except the one we wanted to go. I sat deep in my seat and guided her toward the fence and let her do her thing for a moment. When she realized she was stuck with me, she took a final stumble that failed to lose me and then settled down and behaved for the next 2 days! I felt accomplished and proud. I had earned my spot on Lilla. We had a fabulous fast ride that afternoon. We rode through fields, past farms and enjoyed the coolness of the day. We ended the day at a neighbours farm who had agreed to board the horses in his field overnight. Bjork had already arranged for a car to be left at the farm to take us back to the summer house. The following day we were driven back to the farm. The horses were quite at home in the farmers lush paddock. We quickly tacked up, mounted and were on our way. It was a fast ride and we were at our morning stop, Sundhestar, a horse training facility. As we walked in, the owner arrived and offered us a tour of his amazing stables. The stables themselves were immaculate and at one end was an amazing swimming lap pool for the horses. The water is kept at a specific temperature and the horses swim along the length. Swimming allows for development of muscles difficult to engage but critical to a fast, smooth tolt. Horses are trained and rehabilitated here and we were lucky enough to meet one of the amazing Stallions and watched him swim in the pool before being let out in the pasture where we got to watch his beautiful tolt. I think he was probably the most magnificent horse I have ever seen.
As we prepared to leave, my sister proudly showed the owner her horse, Sol. His trained eye noticed that Sol had slight swelling on her ankle and advised my sister not to ride him. I had hoped to ride Sol that afternoon and was disappointed but concerned for her. Luckily we had a spare horse for my sister to ride home and she led Sol the rest of the way.
The afternoon proved to be challenging to our patience and endurance. Iceland is covered in road grids to control the sheep. At each grid, is a gate. At one gate, somebody had tied it closed and we were unable to open the rope. We were debating how to rectify this when a car pulled up. We asked the driver if he had a knife and amazingly, he got out, went in the back seat where he had a toddler in a car seat and pulled out a knife! Luck was on our side. We travelled down a path where we were stopped by the owner of Sundhestar who informed us the gates to the pastures would be locked. Bjork assured him we had the keys required and we continued on. We got to the first gate and quickly discovered we had been provided the wrong keys. Of course she had forgotten her phone that day and figured she would be fine without it since my sister had her phone, however, all Bjork’s contact numbers were on her phone! While attempting to find and dial Icelandics numbers from my sister’s phone, a motorcycle appeared out of the fog. He was taking a shortcut across the pastures and had a master key. Our luck continued but was about to run out.
We came to another farm who had agreed to let us pass through their fields, however, Icelandic farmers use moveable fences and are known to move them each season. We dismounted the horses and walked through a boggy marsh trying to find the way across. After walking for a while we realized that our chosen route was not going to work. We had to backtrack through the marsh. The horses are not a fan of this and you really have to just keep moving to keep the horses moving forward. This is easier said than done as we got sucked into the wet mud, losing our balance and our boots. Icelandic ground is very uneven and is difficult to traverse. At one point, Aska gave up and just refused to move. My sister had both Aska and Sol. It took some coaxing and yelling but we finally got her moving again. Due to the terrain, it was not safe to ride the horses and we spent the next 45 minutes dragging ourselves and the horses across this marsh. Looking back at it now, it is quite humorous but we were not laughing at the time. We were so relieved to find the river that indicated we were close to home, even more relieved to find the fence down so that we could cross. Our adventures were not quite done, our next challenge was an electrified fence crossing our path. We found the end so we could move it out of the way to pass but then spent 15 minutes looking for the ground iron to reconnect it. From there is was a smooth ride back to the summer house. I think the horses were just as relieved to see their familiar paddocks. I was relieved to see the hot tub steaming in anticipation of our arrival! Quite an adventurous afternoon.
Note: After a week of rest and some antibiotics, Sol was fine.
Several days later, after the tour was over and the ladies had gone home, my sister treated me to a 3 hour ride at Eldhestar, the place that started it all for her. This is a totally different place from the summer house. They have hundres of horses and run many different types of tours. We had booked a river ride and were lucky enough to be the only 2 booked. It was a lovely ride crossing the quiet fields and the river. Yet again, i enjoyed just being at one with my horse. From time to time we would pass a group of riders and I was happy that we were on our own with our guide. We kept a very fast pace over the 3 hours and covered a lot of ground. The day was cool but amazingly sunny providing us with amazing views all around us. It was a great ride and I was sad that it would be my last one in Iceland.
The Icelandic horses are truly special. They have a gentle nature and are eager to please. Their unique tolt gait is truly a pleasure to ride and their mighty but small stature is a joy to experience. I loved every minute I spent with these magnificent beasts. They are adaptable in both navigating different terrains and dealing with Iceland’s contrary weather. Beautiful horses in a beautiful land!
