Let's talk about HORSE RIDING HOLIDAYS

I've set up this riding holiday blog to tell you more about my site WWW.FINDARIDINGHOLIDAY.COM and also to create a community of horse lovers to discuss our riding holiday adventures

Friday, August 19, 2005

Riding in Iceland


Just got back from a riding holiday in Iceland. Wow, it's such a unique experience. We rode right across Iceland's interior in a six-day marathon trek with between four and seven hours in the saddle each day. The Icelandic horses are just wonderful, such characters, really great disposition and so endearing. We changed horses at least once, sometimes twice every day, and travelled with a herd. In total we had 96 horses with us for 20 guests! The herd travelled either in front or behind us and I could never tire of watching them arrive or depart from our lunch spot or a midway grazing spot.

It was really something to experience the tolt, the fifth gait unique to the Icelandic horse. It's like a running walk and very smooth to sit to. I spent most of my time asking my horse to tolt as we went at a trotting pace all day and tolt is much more comfortable! Some are happy to do it naturally, some you need to find the right button and it can take a while!

The company I went with was Ishestar. They are one of the biggest, most long established companies in Iceland and everything was really well organised. Each night we stayed in a mountain hut in dorms (sleeping bags provided) and enjoyed wonderful food cooked by Siegrun.

The tour I did was the Kjolur tour which goes from south to north across the middle of Iceland between two glaziers. The scenery was terrific, very different. The glaciers were in sight for a couple of days, other times it was just like a moonscape with rocks as far as the eye can see.

I'll be posting a full review of the holiday on the site very soon. Look out for it on the Riding holiday reviews section

Find out about Ishestar Holidays

Also, I'd love to hear if anyone else has ridden in Iceland and what they've thought about the experience