Buckle up! This was the biggest day yet and the media is plentiful. I hope you enjoy following along as much as I enjoyed this day - and, to be honest, as much as I enjoyed recounting the day here. I fall in love with Iceland and these horses all over again with each day's story telling/sharing.
A Golden Morning and New Horse
The rising sun shone golden across the green pastures and the herd of horses the next morning. It was absolutely picture perfect.
While I very much would have enjoyed sitting at the window bar top in my room enjoying that view while I drafted the story about the previous days’ ride, I had to retreat to the common room where I got wifi service to write.
Good morning, everyone!
Foxy (I think this was his name)
Icelandic sheep are hilarious to me. I adored them.
As I was enjoying my tea and drafting entries about the trip for this blog, Kim approached me and let me know I’d be riding a little mare, Visa, with plenty of pace in her. If I didn’t like her, Penny would be coming along as a hand horse.
Spoiler alert (!): Visa was incredible - a total doll baby with tons of speed and a flying pace. I would keep her as my mount for the rest of the trip.
I was honestly surprised to hear that I’d have a new horse! And I was more excited than I realized I’d be to learn it when she told me.
Þetta reddast
As we awaited breakfast and hearing the plan for the day, Kim shared her observation about Icelanders as someone who didn’t grow up here (she’s from Germany originally): Icelanders thrive in a bit of chaos without a set plan.
Kristín, one of our guides, was present as Kim shared this and while her eyebrows went up at first in a Oh boy what’s it going to be? expression as Kim said, “Here’s something about Icelanders...”, once Kim stated the bit about chaos/no plan, Kristín’s expression turned to a shrug and a nod of agreement.
Kristín then shared a common Icelandic expression that loosely means “it will all work out” or “everything will be alright in the end.” Þetta reddast (pronounced roughly “theh-tah reh-dahs-t”)
It carries a sense of optimistic resilience, trusting that things will somehow fall into place even if you don’t yet know how.
I’ve got to say, from our experience by this point, the expression was spot on and perfect! Truly not a bad life motto to endeavor toward when the going gets tough or uncertain.
The First Miles with Visa
Following breakfast, we readied ourselves to ride for the day and met outside to tack up the horses. The tacking up process was semi chaotic due to so many horse switches - including my own!
I was excited to meet Visa. She turned out to be a diminutive red mare with a kind eye. I put my saddle on her (we each kept the same saddle for the week), mounted up, and we headed out shortly after.
Atli and Kristín heading out to push the horses toward the gate
Horses not quite ready to be roused
Torra, who would end up being Jacquline's mount for the next few days. Visa adored her.
Semi-organized chaos!
Childhood me would have been overjoyed to know I was holding 4 horses in this moment
Horses everywhere! They're so calm and chill, y'all. The absolute best.
Siggi checking hand horse girths before we depart
The first stretch was along the road for ~4 miles of walking and tolting. Visa was a little forward at first, but then settled. My first impression of her was that she was more chill than Penny (less fussy in the mouth) and had a much better tolt (Penny really preferred to trot). She also appreciated stretching over her back a lot after every tolt. Every time, she would ask to stretch down and out and seemed to appreciate that I was eager to let her do just that.
I felt this strange connection with Visa. Something just clicked in a way I can’t put into words. I’m not sure I've ever had that kind of connection with a horse so quickly before. As we rode along the rode at a steady walk, I fell hard for that little mare and her entire breed. I don’t know when, but I can say with certainty that I will share my life with an Icelandic horse some day. Traversing trails and mountains with one of those rugged little souls feels profoundly right to me.
With Visa plodding steadily along beneath me, I enjoyed studying the farms we passed as we travelled along the road. It’s endlessly fascinating to me to see the similarities and differences in how people with working farms structure and design the land they have. I let my mind be lost for a time as I quietly observed and took in the visible pieces of Icelandic farming lifestyle.
Eventually, we stopped at high point for first pause of the day. Stori Kambur really does right by their horses in that they let them rest quite often throughout the day. I’d say at least once every hour, we pause the tour to dismount and give the horses a break. Every other break seems to be one without saddles.
These horses are superb eaters and drinkers. They take advantage of every opportunity. It’s truly impressive to me coming from the endurance world as I do.
And we're off!
Shadows!
More shadows!
A loose rein for this lil professional
In the center of the photo you'll see some lil' dots. Those are very happy horses.
Very happy horses left of center.
First farmstead ahead
How lovely is this place?!
Visa loved following Torra, so I'd stay behind her and Jacquline most of this day. Use Jacquline's coat as a measurement for how intense the wind would become.
Looking back toward Stori Kambur
Lola et al.
My little queen
Sweaty girl working so hard for me.
I adore her
Speed, Sand, and the Flying Pace
After the first break, we crossed the road and travelled for a time on a narrow single track in the side of the mountain. It eventually led down to an old road grade where we were able to enjoy our first gallop of the day.
Visa may be small, but she is mighty. She was SO fast. We quickly overcame and passed so many horse and rider pairs. I had a HUGE grin on my face following that gallop!
From the gallop, we settled again, descended a slope, crossed a road, and worked our way to another road that we followed until we reached the beach.
At the beach, we took an extended break with saddles off. The horses all got to drink their fill (Visa drank an impressive amount!), and we enjoyed our lunches. Visa, who had displayed her sweet nature intermittently up until this point, really showed her sweetness at this break. She is SUCH a doll baby. The sweetest, kindest little soul. I absolutely adored her.
Jacquline's coat starting to tell the story of the wind
These pastures are where the horses will be turned out for autumn
So. Fun story (or morbid, I guess) that Siggi told us about this farm in the foreground here. This is where Iceland's first (and only known, per the internet) serial killer lived in the 1600s. Travelers would come through his farm and ask for room/food overnight. He and his wife would take them in, feed them, and then once they'd gone to bed they would take axes (AXES!!) and murder them. They would then cut the bodies up and bury them in the lava field in the distance (rocky area beyond the pastures). The man and wife were eventually caught when a 14 year old boy who had stopped for the night went to bed and smelled something foul in the room. He found a dead body under the bed. He then took this body and put it in the bed while he hid under it. The killers cut the body up while the boy lay beneath the bed. The boy was later able to escape and spread word about the killers, ultimately leading to their arrest. HOW WILD! I didn't know the story about this property until several days later.
Anyway, back to the ride...
Visa's forelock in the wind cracks me up in this photo
As we rode toward this property with the waterfall, I thought to myself, Wow, what a cool place to live! but then later I'd learn that tourists hike up to the waterfall daily and I thought, Oi, those poor folks that live there dealing with tourists coming by their home daily.
Kristín's pretty boy. This week she was deciding if she wanted to buy him and !spoiler alert! she did. <3 Also, peep her sweet chaps. Custom made. She, Atli, and Siggi would wear them daily. I admired them a lot.
The first bit of water that is being crossed here is freshwater coming toward the coast from the mountains.
Swans in flight center of frame
Little queen tanking up on water
She'd take countless long swigs then look into the distance, then drink more. She carried on this way for many minutes
We weren't allowed to stand up on the bank due to landowner preferences (doesn't like horses) but the horses could graze from the sand.
I love how many colors Icelandic horses are. As far as I could tell, they are basically every color!
She was itchy so I slipped the noseband off and scratched her real good.
Just chillin' enjoying her break
Some opted for naps!
Tacked again and prepping for more miles
One more drink. And a fun study in how lighting affects a photo.
Moving to Visa's other side where the light was better, you see her brilliant chestnut coloring
After 30 minutes or so, we tacked back up and headed to the beach. Our first proper beach ride along the crashing waves.
These next miles were my favorite of the trip so far. The receding waves creating a mirror-like surface on the sand as we traversed along, the sight and sound of the crashing waves, the dramatic mountains with a lenticular cloud pouring over their peaks and descending toward the coastline, sunshine breaking through behind us, the wind whipping the Icelandic horse’s manes… It was every bit what I’d dreamed and thought about these many months waiting for this trip. My grin broke my face and tears stung my eyes from the beauty and perfection of that moment on horseback.
Cue a tolt session that led into our first beach gallop and my emotion only grew. I was grateful to hide it behind my sunglasses and enjoy it privately. To the rest of the world, the only giveaway of my intense emotion was the giant smile on my face.
We traversed the beach for nearly 7 miles pausing to let the horses drink at each freshwater tributary that was entering the sea, and pausing once off the beach, dismounted, to brush sand from girths and horses.
We had one more good gallop session on the beach in which I rode alongside our guide Lele, who coached me through cueing the flying pace. We went from walk to tolt to canter to gallop and then once in the gallop, nearly flat out, I picked up a strong contact with Visa while pushing her forward - hard - at the same time. It. Was. WORK. (Sooo glad I'm in peak shape from lifting and riding lots this year.) But I did it! I enjoyed few stunning strides of the flying pace before I lost it. Remarkable. And challenging! Especially wrapping my legs around such a small mare to squeeze her forward. Despite the brevity of the moment, getting to feel those strides of flying pace hooked me. I was determined to try for it again in future days when we had stretches to gallop.
Here we goooooo
The rule with galloping was don't go in front of Lele (on the palomino).
Smiles!
Letting the horses drink their fill. They work so hard for us!
Atli and the hand horses he had this day. Guides brought along hand horses in case someone's horse lost a shoe or came up lame, or in case of someone wanting to try a different mount.
I was absolutely FASCINATED by the system they used for bringing two horses along. Essentially, the horse in hand of the rider wore a specialized surcingle with one big reinforced ring where the second horse was clipped to. As I have one butt and three horses, I studied this setup a lot over the coming days thinking and plotting about how it might work for me getting all three of my horses out when I'm the solo rider.
Everyone drinking.
These horses were such professionals about this system. I'd have to be very thoughtful with how I did it with mine because Q likes to bite the shit out of Griffin and Stan is sluggish. It'd take some work, but I think I could make it work?
Shifting to allow for horses behind to reach the water and drink.
All smiles on this day. Just wow.
LOLing at the paint here.
Braided stream channels and dramatic clouds
Visa's mane tells you how the wind was picking up
Weee goes her mane
More photos of the hand horses.
Grey, black, and red. Loved it.
Looking back toward Stori Kambur
Such a dramatic cloud
Onward for a bit more
Away from the beach and toward the night's pasture
Waiting to double check that we were heading the correct way
Evening Calm & Uncertain Plans
Finally, we veered off the beach and traversed across grassy flatlands to the pasture where we’d release the horses to spend the night. A weather front was moving in as we traveled this last mile; the winds picked up and the clouds and light became rather dramatic.
At the field, we untacked the horses and released them for the evening. Nearly every one of them dropped and enjoyed a thorough roll before setting about to grazing.
Super dramatic light for a few moments
Wind was whippin'
Maureen and Silfra
Once again looking back toward Stori Kambur where we left this morning
Eyeing up her rolling spot
Ahhh yeah
Thaaat's the spot
My GPS track of the day's ride
We humans hopped in shuttles to travel back to our accommodations for the evening where we enjoyed hot showers and another incredible dinner of traditional Icelandic fare from Siggis’ family recipe collection - a seafood soup with scallops, white fish, and shrimp. Everyone had a second serving. Dessert was an Icelandic pancake (crepe-like!) with rhubarb jam inside. (Rhubarb is big in Iceland. No complaints from me!)
Super dramatic clouds at home
The house uphill here is the other accommodation Stori Kambur has. You walk down to the Holy Ram for meals, but have a nice quiet room and common area in the house.
Waiting for dinner to be served
Dramatic skies
All the way round.
Just stunning
Seafood stew
Dessert
Following dinner, we were told that our plan for the following day would be decided in the morning. As things stood that evening, the weather report boasted strong winds that might prohibit us from riding at all. However, weather reports change quickly, so we would touch base in the morning with a final plan. If we rode, it would be a 20km day.
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