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Like some much else about the horse in Iceland, it starts at Kolkuós... actually, on the beach at Kolkuós and, like so much else in Iceland, with a story that took place long, long ago.
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I spent a few days at this famous breeding farm, Fluguymýri. Through video, you can come along!
Here is the first prize mare, Klara, IS1999258626, out for a little exercise before she goes for breeding. This can be an exercise for those new to Icelandic horse to see how well you can tell the diffeence between tölt and trot.
Palli showed me some of his other mares.
Flugumýri is famous as a breeding farm, but their horses have to be trained and ridden. And some farms send horses here for their training. It's a good place for a young person starting out in the horse field to get some training around fine horses.
Elisa comes back from a training ride.
Elisa gets assigned to a new project...
This is the young stallion Palli wanted to show me: Segull frá Flugumýri, IS2005158629, who shows a lot of promise for future breeding at Flugumýri.
I would not call this a kindergarten, but Segull is certaiinly part of a play group!
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It was time, shortly after foaling, for a mare to go back to a stallion. A short distance down the road from the farm was a large field of lush green grass growing over high hummocks, þúfa. Struggling to walk while shooting with the camera, I could understand how these horses grow up so hardy on such a diet and become so strong yet supple by walking between and on the þúfa. Could this be the secret to the tölt?
Palli led the mare on and the foal followed dutifully.
But there was not another horse to be seen!
And then... but click on the picture and see for yourself!
Note: this is only very slightly edited.
And it works the oher way, too. The stallion has to be taken to the mares. Palli has chosen this young stallion, sill untrained, to breed. First, he gives the horse an antibiotic injection to treat a slight wound before he turns him out.
In the next field you can the black and white pinto mare, the famous Sif frá Flugumýri (of course). Sif,
IS1994258629, one of the highest evaluated mares now in Iceland, received 8.63 for riding ability, for the combined rating of 8.40.
A new herd is established with its very own young stallion.
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