Wondering what it's like to go on a horse trek in Iceland? This is a video I shot during my first trek, the one that really got me hooked on horseback riding.
It was in 2000. I had been taking lessons for all of four months and I was about to go on a 5 day riding trek. But first we were going to spend a few days at the Landsmot.
I really don't think the Landsmot is good preparation for trekking if you are an inexperiended rider. There I was, watching the best riders zipping around the track on the best, most explosive, horses in Iceland. All my ideas of what actually would hold me on a horse fell, as I knew I soon would, by the wayside.
Each night they would be turned out in a pasture and then herded into a paddock where the ones who were to be ridden would be selected. Sometimes it was a little game, as you will see.
The length of each day's ride is often measured in horses -- a one, two, or three horse day. The spares would ride with us in a loose, but very orderly herd.
We would stop for a snack, a change of horses, and some kidding around. Here, we took advantage of a round-up pen that the local farmers use to herd and separate their sheep and horses from the highlands in the fall.
The roads -- and not all of them in the country -- have horse tracks just off to the side.
The trek was organized by Holly Nelson and Brad Vogel who rode with us. They had recently formed Horses North, a company that arranges tours and travel in and to Iceland.
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