Check out the tölt, the smooth gait where the rider seems to float through the air on the horse. Compare this to the bouncy trot which some riders are using for training or to to cross some rough terrain.
Yes, it is common for a herd to go loose like this. They follow the lead riders although you will see some free-lancers who have no problem getting back in line. All over the country you can see horse trails like this one along the side of the roads.
Notice how the riders take a break and get off the horses so they can rest. This is also typical. They will ride at a good clip, in tölt, of course, for about a half hour and then let the horses rest and graze. With a loose herd, very little is done at a walk!
Everyone, especially the horses, enjoys an outing like this!
So, where is this valley, anyway?
I will be patching a fully functional Google map at the end of each story. I realize that many of the locations are unfamiliar to visitors of the site.
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Lukka and her husband, Láki, live on the farm Langhús with his parents. They have dairy cows, sheep, dogs, and, of course, horses. Lukka runs a service helping people find horses. She does this primarily through her website which is well worth a visit for its information about many things in addition to sales horses.
Let´s go with Lukka as she visits a farm to evaluate a new horse. I have made this video on the long side, about 20 minutes, so that you can see in pretty much real time what it is she does with the horse. I have my reasons for showing all this, explained in the note below, as well as for the sake of credibility, or “reality”, if you will. This is what happened and nothing was cut out. This is what she does and how she does it.
Lukka, the nickname for Arnþrúður Heimisdóttir, (you can see why she needs one!) is one of my oldest Icelandic friends. I met her on the first day of my first trip to Iceland in 1999. In fact, she is responsible for getting me on the first horse I had ridden since I was 10 years old, some 50 years before! And that ride is what not only got me on a horse, but it inspired me to take riding lessons, go trekking in Iceland, and create this video blog. But that is a whole other story.
I have to preface this video with the disclosure that when I started out on this farm visit, I thought Lukka would be the only person I would know. After all, we were in the northernmost tip of Northern Iceland… it was so far up that if you believed that the Earth were flat you would worry about falling off. For that simple reason I am convinced that the Vikings knew that the Earth was round.
I digress. Here we were north of the middle of nowhere, and I would find I knew everyone at the farm and I even had a close connection to the horse Lukka was going to check out. And this is what happens in Iceland, particularly Skagafjordur. It is what you can get when you buy a horse in Iceland: a connection to the place and its people.
Update, 2011
Lukka is still actively providing this service as can be seen here on her website.
We bought a mare, Komma frá Langhúsum, from Lukka in 1999 and brought her back to our farm where not only has she been a wonderful riding horse, but since this piece was filmed bore two colts for us which are on their way to becoming our future riding horses. You can meet them and Komma on Thokki Blog. Lukka has every right to be proud!
So, where is the middle-of-nowhere-in-northern-Iceland, anyway?
NOTE: Lukka has evolved her own method of evaluating horses, but there are criteria that could be adapted as the basis for the pre-purchase examination of a prospective horse. Several years ago, the Trainers’ Association (FT) published the test for admission to the organization at the entry-level as the out-of-school (utanskóla) test administered to candidates who were not Hólar students. That process has been discontinued in favor of one administered by Hólar itself and the file, of course, has been removed. I had saved it at the time and am making it available as a PDF download with the understanding that it has been modified and is not current. But it could be used as a conceptual framework for assessing the horse rather than the trainer or presenter.
It would be worth a discussion whether an independent judge or assessment center could rate horses, particularly for export. I am generally not in favor of buying horses “cold”, but I think it is something that the Icelandic horse breeders should look at. Economics, not to mention ethics, are in its favor.
The comment section below is open….
]]>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 inexperienced 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.
Play Flash Video
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.
Play Flash Video
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.
So, where is this place, anyway?
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Every other year, the best horses and riders from all over Iceland come and compete against each other. It’s called the Landsmot. In 2006 the crowd came for some nice, fast tolt. And they got plenty of it.
Everyone was filming and photographing. I wanted to show something original, in my own style. So I had to find my unique story….
Click to Play Flash Video
This website is a kind of journal about my experiences with becoming a horseman. It is a series of digressions. In fact, I sometimes refer to it as Digressions on the Horse. But things have a way of coming together. But somewhere in this crowd there just has to be an unusual story. So, I scanned the crowd.
And if you’ve been spending any time at hestakaup.com, you’ll remember her, too!
Remember her? Riding her stallion, Hagangur?
The whole family — present and future — turned out to see this! One of Hagangur’s offspring get evaluated.
Talking about connections, there is Mette Manseth.
She’s here riding, knows Ingunn, is a great camera subject…
But she has her own pit crew… The Factory Team…
Oh, of course! Thordur! Perfect…Good-looking, good-natured, and good rider…
But this is really his busy, busy day… I would not dream of interfering with him today.
There are the behind-the scens heroes of the horse world, the farmers and breeders. And there are a few in this crowd.
Just to make it clear, Helgi is Ingolfur’s father and therefore Ingunn’s grandfather. He is here to see a mare he bred get a 10 for tolt. Yes, 10 for tolt.
There is no way to add to or top this story. Ten for Tolt. Wow! There it is.
But speaking of top breeders, though, here is Skapti from Hafsteinsstadir. He has a connection to one of my favorite places in Iceland, the old farm, Kolkuos.
Skapti actually bred Feykir on his farm. My horse, Sómi, comes from Feykir.
But I am going to Kolkuos the next week…
I need a story now! I am desperate!
Kids! How about a sideline of kids at Landsmot?
Looks like the kids are too busy playing Vikings.
Okay, I could profile people wearing HESTAKAUP.COM hats…
That would be really jumping the shark. And would reveal my total desperation for a story.
And then, a total unconnected stranger, a guy I had never met before, gave me the story!
So, friends, for the the story I decided to tell, go here to Three Guys and a Horse from Dalvik.
So, where is this Landsmót, anyway?
There is no one location for the event. It has been alternating between a large plain in the north of Iceland and the capital, Reykjavik, in the South. As this was shot when it was in the north, in Vindheimermelar, I will show that on the map. It is just outside the crossroads of Varmalhid, in Skagafjordur. It is just about my favorite region in Iceland.
So, here’s the story I found. It really starts here in Dalvik.
In the likely event that you’ve never been there, Dalvik is a very scenic and charming fishing village along the Eyja Fjord above Akureyriin the north of Iceland. A couple of hours from Varmahlið.
Eyja Fjord? Akufeyri? And Varmahlið?
Okay, it’s time we had a little geography. Here. This is a satellite map of the part of Iceland we are talking about. Notice the rugged terrain, still snow on the mountains in the summer…. (The little yellow marks are route signs on the map.)
Our story goes back and forth between the Landsmot and Dalvik. Every day. And it is very important to get the feel of the distance and what it must mean to drive there through the mountain passes, the one lane bridges, the hairpin turns… What must this be like for an 86 year-old man who has….
Whoops! I am getting ahead of myself. Let’s get back to the Landsmot.
So, during dinner, this stranger, Hilmar, tells me about this fabulous horse that he part owns. I listened politely because in Iceland, just about everyone either owns or part-owns a fabulous horse. I was almost a one-third owner in the World Champion for tolt. But Hilmar was beside himself with anticipation because although he was not a competition rider himself, his horse had made the Five Gait Finals that would be held the next morning.
Now I took him more seriously. The Five Gait Finals. The top 8 horses, winnowed down from hundreds, would be competing with the top riders in Iceland. And the guy telling me this was not a one sixtieth share-holder, but a true half owner of the horse. And he would be ridden by the other half owner, his good friend from Dalvik, Stebbi.
As if this were not enough to get me out there with the camera, there is much more to this story.
First, let’s go back to the opening procession. If you haven’t already seen it, you can watch the 20 minute film here. But below is a clip of all you need to see for this story.
Each of the riding clubs rode into the stadium led by a horseman with the club flag. You just saw the Hringur riding club from Dalvik go past. But there is something I bet you missed!
Let’s look at the replay in slow motion.
Can you make out that one rider with something black on his back?: A backpack?
Care to guess what is in that backpack? His lunch? No.
His life!
For that rider is Stebbi’s 86 year-old father, Friðgeir, and he is carrying an oxygen tank on his back. Riding in the opening ceremony meant that he would be on horseback for about 2 hours, more than he could be separated from his oxygen. So he carried it in the backpack. Of course!
Also, every day that his son, Stebbi, rode, Friðgeir drove down from Dalvik with the oxygen on the seat beside him.
,Time to meet Friðgeir. Hilmar goes to meet Friðgeir and we go too!
The tolt and trot competition.
Now it’s time for flying pace. You can see from the still frames why it got that name!
The riders go back to the start of the pace track for a second run. If you can identify the other riders by sight, you will see that Dagur and Stebbi are in very good company!
Stebbi was the only person who did not earn his living from horses. In fact, he had a “day job”.
They get another run at the pace, but we only have eyes for Dagur…
Did you notice that the announcer referred to Dagur as an “isabell” rather than a palomino? We asked about it….
So it turns out that the word is “Isabell” and if anyone uses it for a nightclub, please credit my friend Trausti from Skógarnes.
Still, we had no idea how this was connected with a color. But thanks to the internet, one of our readers (and a friend) came through with an explanation. Andrea Brodie wrote:
“The name originated from an occurrence involving the Spanish Princess Isabella Clara Eugenia, who was the sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands and who was the daughter of Philipp II.
“Princess Isabella vowed not to change her originally white blouse until her husband , the Archduke Albrecht of Austria, had in fact conquered the city of Ostende, which had been beleaguered by him since 1601. As this Beleaguering of the town lasted 3 years, 3 months and three days (until 1604), one can safely assume that the colour of the shirt was indeed a dirty yellow by that time.There is another variant of the story, in which the shirt belonged to Queen Isabella, the Catholic, and the event was the takeover of Granada, liberating it from the Moors. “
Thanks Andrea! And I I hope that anyone else will write in with information when I get in a hole. By the way, I like this explanation so much that I might never use the word “palomino” again just so I can tell the story!
The results came out and Dagur was in good company.
1 Steingrímur Sigurðsson / Geisli frá Sælukoti Gustur
2 Daníel Jónsson / Þóroddur frá Þóroddsstöðum Fákur
3 Þórarinn Eymundsson / Kraftur frá Bringu Stíganid
4 Sigurður Sigurðarson / Skugga-Baldur frá Litla-Dal Máni
5 Sigurbjörn Bárðarson / Stakkur frá Halldórsstöðum Andvari
6 Atli Guðmundsson / Ormur frá Dallandi Fákur
7 Elsa Magnúsdóttir / Þytur frá Kálfhóli 2 Sleipnir
8 Stefán Friðgeirsson / Dagur frá Strandarhöfði Hringur
Even in last place, Dagur gets to take a well-deserved victory lap and a final pace.
The story is not yet over!
In 2 weeks there will be another big competition, the Islandsmot, and Dagur will be there. I can’t make any promises, but these guys from Dalvik are no slouches!
I am looking forward to going up to Dalvik and spending time with Freiðgir and his son (who, by the way, is 58) and filming them riding together! It’s all in another installment.
In the meantime, there’s another competition, so it’s off to the Islandsmot!
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Over dinner with friends, the subject of Dagur came up…
I’ve never really understood the difference between the two types of competitions, the kind that is done at the Landsmot and the other, done at the World Championships. Fortunately, I met a Elisa Klose, a recent Holar graduate who was working at Flugumyri and who knows Stebbi and had actually ridden Dagur. And she gave me the explanation I needed. Here it is for all to see!
Islandsmot was coming up, but I was in the North at the time, I have asked to borrow the following coverage from Hestafrettir. (This link should take you to their English page.) These excerpts are courtesy of Hestafrettir.
In the sport competition, all the classes are on the oval track. A familiar scene, though, of Stebbi tolting Dagur.
One class you will never see at a Landsmot is the walk. Generally, the Icelanders hate to see or ride horses at the walk. Here, they admire manes…
Notice how the pace is on the oval track. But it does not cramp their style!
And a second chance to see Dagur pace. Just before the judges make their decisions.
It’s down to 2, and the last one standing is the winner.
Stebbi came in 2nd place against a horse that, for the first time, won both the 5 and 4 gaited competitions. What odds!
The scores
1 Þórarinn Eymundsson / Kraftur frá Bringu 7,98
2 Stefán Friðgeirsson / Dagur frá Strandarhöfði 7,76
3 Sigurbjörn Bárðarson / Stakkur frá Halldórsstöðum 7,48
4 Mette Mannseth / Kylja frá Stangarholti 7,45
5 Elsa Magnúsdóttir / Þytur frá Kálfhóli 2 7,05
6 Viðar Ingólfsson / Riddari frá Krossi 6,07
Now come back to Dalvik with me and visit Stebbi, his father, Hilmer, and, of course, Dagur!
I promise some surprises…
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The Hringur Club and stable is in a kind of no-man’s land between the scenic shores of Eyja Fjord and the green valley of Svafaðardalur. Let’s orient ourselves and get a feel for the place… Remember, we’re less than 100 miles from the Arctic Circle…
Hringur, Dalvik’s horse club, is in what had been fox or mink farm. (I’m not sure which, so please let me know through a comment) It is now the largest stable building in Iceland. You will notice that there are not that many horses here now. It is summer and they are, for the most part, turned out in pastures in the countryside until Fall.
Horsemanship runs in this family. I don’t know how far back (I assume all the way). Stebbi passed his love and accomplishments with horses down to the next generation and beyond with their own family website. I am very happy that they are able to link to my videos!
Yes, there is a future. Hilmar took me to visit a Dagur baby of his.
So, life goes on. What do you do after you came in second at the Islandsmot? If you are Stebbi, you go back to work.
Ingibjörn Jóhannsson
1920-2007
So, where is Dalvik, anyway?
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Do you like Icelandic horses? Well, here’s a chance to see lots of them!
The opening ceremony of Landsmot 2006 from a viewpoint that is, well, unusual.
It’s long, about 20 minutes. You did say you liked Icelandic horses, didn’t you? Kick back and enjoy!
And notice how well-behaved the horses are, all packed together, standing still, waiting for the parade to start. That alone is impressive!
Oh, in case you are totally unfamiliar with Iceland and need to know who is leading this procession, she is none other than Unnur Birna Vilhjálmsdóttir, Miss World 2006. Obviously, she really does ride!
In the unlikely event that someone stumbled on this site who would much rather look at lots of beauty queens rather than horses, I have provided the following interlude:
What comes after “frá”?
First, a little lesson in Icelandic. Don’t worry, it won’t be a long lesson beause I don’t know much Icelandic!
If you’ve been around Icelandic horses a bit, you must have noticed that each horse has two parts to its name. For example, I have a horse whose name is Sómi frá Dýrfinnustöðum. First comes the given name, then where the horse is from. Sómi from the farm, Dýrfinnustaðir. Put it together in proper Icelandic grammar and from Dýrfinnustaðir becomes frá Dýfinnustöðum. The accent over “a” in frá causes it to rhyme with “how” and “cow”.
It is not just to make life more difficult for foreigners, but Icelanders often use both names when referring to a horse. And even when they don’t use it, they know it. It not only clearly identifies the horse, but it gives the farm credit and acknowledge its role in the breeding.
You might have already spent a bit of time at Dýrfinnustaðir with Ingolfur and his five year old daughter, Ingunn, on Hágangur through this website. And you might have guessed that my horse, Sómi, is from that same farm. That is a whole other story is told in Hestakaup.com.
Many, if not most, Americans drop that toungue-twister of a name that comes after frá. Understandable. But many don’t even know it without looking it up in the papers of ownership. That’s really sad because the after-frá is not only where their horse was bred, but also where their horse probably spent the formative first four or so years of its life and where it started its training. And developed its basic character.
Yes, it had another life before being exported. It was a very important life for that horse.
It is where the very special qualities that made it “Icelandic” took place.
And that is what I would like to show you here.
How Iceland gets into the Icelandic
Come along with me on a video field trip. Literally. To a farm in Northern Iceland, to the pastures where Herdis and Indridi keep young horses at their farm, Grafarkot.
Herdis shows me some of her young horses. They are curious but I would not call them “pets”.
The youngsters are moved inside for the harsher months of the winter.
Life in the Barn
We now visit another farm, Homluholt, as Gudny Linda Gisladottir explains what the young horse’s life is like in the winter.
Let’s go with her into the barn and visit some horses.
About that heating… remember, in Iceland there is abundant geothermal hot water.
At Homluholt, Gudny tells us how they treat the young even when they are in the barn and people are around them.
Life in the herd
After the winter in, it’s back outside.
Life in the mountains.
Putting it all together…
And now you have that special Iceland-ic horse!
This is just the beginning, an introduction to what is left of the farm called “Kolkuós”. This is how it was on my second visit in 2005. As you will learn, it almost wasn’t at all!
Right! “Completely here.” There is no better way of saying it.
This is one of my favorite things about Iceland. You are always standing on a story.
For those of you who are seeing Kolkuós for the first time, I’m trying as hard as I can through these words and pictures to give you the experience of a very special place. My first visit to Kolkuós was so much more appropriate — I was on horseback, on the first day of my first trek in Iceland. We had been riding on a winding trail overlooking the ocean and our herd of loose horses was driven down a road by some old deserted buildings until we were right by the ocean.
While our horses grazed and we rested, I wondered around this little “ghost farm”, poking into windows and doors, afraid to touch anything. I could tell right then that it was special. I don’t think I even knew the name of the place. I certainly did not know anything about the famous horses from Kolkuós. It seemed child-like. Kolkuós. At that time, we pronounced it Kolkos, rhymed with “focus”.
I was not the only one who felt something very special about Kolkuós.
Valgeir Thovaldsson worked for years to stop the proposed garbage dump and fuel depot from being “developed” on this very special site. He had a plan…
Some neighboring farmers in Skagafjörður pitched in and donated some young horses of the Kolkuós line.
The word has spread across the ocean…
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