Hestakaup!

Menue of Videos on Hestakaup.com

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Click on the picture to go to the story

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AN ICELANDIC TRAIL RIDE

It's all about  trail  riding.  Let's go for a ride with some friends in Skagafjörður.  This gives us the context for  just about all that follows.

Click on the picture at the left and it will take you to a story. Once there, all the images lead to videos.

 

 

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LANDSMOT 2006 LOOKING FOR A STORY

My version -- unofficial -- of the Landsmot 2006.  You see, I had to find my own story in this crowd of people and horses.   

It was not easy and until I found one I was rather desperate.

This is the story of my finding a story and about Landsmot and a lot about Icelandic horses and horsepeople.

Just keep following the images!

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Three Guys and a Horse from Dalvik

Part One: Landsmót

This is the story I finally found at the Landsmot!  And it is truly an amazing story.  It's about the great stallion, Dagur frá Strandarhöfði, and the men from Dalvik who kept him in Iceland to make it to the A Five Gait Finals at the Landsmot.

But it's really about so much more...

 

Part Two: Islandsmót

And then a couple of weeks later, Dagur is back in competition, this time at the Islandsmot.

And finally, I get a good explanation of the differences between the popular competitions in Iceland and Europe.

The results are surprising!

Part Three: Home in Dalvik 

We all meet back in Dalvik: Stebbi, his father Friðgeir, Hilmer, and, of course, Dagur. 

There I was able to film a ride that I will never forget and one that I want to share with you and that I doubt that you will ever forget, either.

And Stebbi goes back to work.

 

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A VISIT WITH LUKKA

 

Many of you have heard of Lukka and many of you have even bought horses through her!  Here is a chance to go on a video visit with Lukka as she travels to a farm to evaluate a new horse for her sales list. This video can also be a guide in what to look for when horse shopping.

 

 

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KOLKUÓS:  THE HORSES ARE COMING!

That famous line of horses originally came from the farm, long abandoned, called Kolkuós. Through the efforts of some farmers in Skagafjörður led by Valgeir Þorvaldsson it is being restored and is becoming a home for horses once again.

Valgeir tells us his personal reasons for wanting to restore Kolkuós.

This story is so much more than about horses.  A visit here is to a very special -- even spiritual -- place.

UPDATED

 

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FLUGUMÝRI: A FARM VISIT

A video visit to the well-known breeding farm, Flugumýri, in Skagafjörður to see how horses are bred and trained. 

We will get a chance to meet some hot young stallions, and prize breeding mares.   

We also go with the horses to the pastures as they are bred. 

 

 

 

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OUR FAVORITE LITTLE RIDER!

A series of videos about a young girl and her great stallion, Hágangur.  It's about the different ways she learns to ride -- on the farm the old way, and taking dressage lessons from Mette Manseth who teaches and trains top horses and riders at Hólar. 

UPDATED

 

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MILL FARM EVALUATIONS 2006

This is a story about a girl and her horse, the only amateur at a very professional breed evaluation in the United States to show and ride her own horse. 

The quality of the Icelandic breeding horses in improving in the United States.  And with it, the quality of riding and knowledge of the breed keeps getting higher. This series of 3 videos proves it!

 

 

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LÖNGUFJÖRUR -- THE LONG BEACH

There can be many arguments about just which is the best riding in Iceland. But in any grouping, no matter how small, a contender is always the Long Beach, Löngufjörur, on Snæfellsnes. It certainly is one of my favorites, and I made this video to show why!

As you will see, though, I am not alone in this opinion. Those little dots in the thumbnail image are riders... just a few of the many who tölt by on a good weekend.

 

I am unbelievably lucky to have as a friend, Trausti, whose farm, Skógarnes, is on the choicest part of the beach.  Well into his 70's, Trausti still guides groups of riders on the beach.  He often takes 2 horses, ponying one for the fresh ride home!   

A stay at Skógarnes means great riding on the tidal flat and being part of a moving landscape of Icelanders enjoying their country and their horses.   

 

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PEANUTS ON PARADE

Who says they don't give Icelandic children riding lessons? 

Well, in this case, the horses steal the show.  Here we get a chance to see about 20 kids, no older than 5, go on a trail ride!

 

 

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THE YOUNG HORSE: WHAT COMES AFTER THE "FRÁ"?

Video visits to farms to find out how Iceland is put into the Icelandic horse.

Life in the herd.

 

 

 

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THE CLUBS

 

The club is at the heart of the riding culture in Iceland.  We visit to the Dreyri club in Akranes on a Saturday afternoon.

They are having a training show for children of all ages and abilities.  The one thing in common are some really nice horses.  Caretakers!

 

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  MY FIRST HORSE TREK

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.   

 

 

 

 

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WISCONSIN EVALUATIONS 2004

This was so well organized that I decided it needed to be preserved so that others could see what is involved in putting on a breed evaluation.  There are behind-the-scenes vignettes as well as some educational discussions of breed lines.

 

 

 

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VERMONT SHOW 2000

 

Some fun classes -- costume, trail obstacles, and a beer tölt to enjoy a summer day in the sun. 

Yes, that is a stein of beer the rider is holding while she is tölting!

 

 

 

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Why I Care About Icelandic Horseback Riding

Really, with all that is going on in the world today, why am I taking up bandwidth on the Internet to write about riding Icelandic horses?

Because I feel it is important.

The relationship between man and horse seems trivial only when we forget our history of reliance on the horse. Until less than 100 years ago, we were dependent on the horse for most of our transportation, our farming, and, as we are learning from books such as Seabiscuit, our entertainment and sport. I clearly remember draft horses from my own childhood during World War II when engines and mechanical vehicles were being shunted to "the war effort".

It's a two-way relationship. Just as we were dependent on the horse, it was on us. Now that I care for horses at home, I am keenly aware how fragile they are, how susceptible they are to colic, diseases, injury and pedators.

Man's dependence on the horse was extreme in Iceland as perhaps nowhere else in the world. The horse litterally pulled the Icelanders through the first settlement in 873 until the beginning of World War II when Iceland became important enough to the rest of the world to become mechanized.

But they still kept the horse.  Many, many of them.

I sense that to Icelanders the sight of the horse and, certainly, the experience of riding one, is a celebration of their very survival as a people.   

What draws me to the horse is the closeness I feel to it when I am riding one. And the closeness to a part of my self that I otherwise don't have.

What is "Hestakaup"?

Literally, hestakaup means a horse trade with no money exchanged. But that describes it about as much as calling the Kentucky Derby a horse race. We are talking about an old tradition that has been taking place between Icelandic horse farmers. Between competitive neighbors. Barters to avoid taxes. Trades out of boredom for a chance to have a good visit. Practical ways of solving a problem. Swaps on a whim. There are many kinds of hestakaup.

Hestakaup in Reykjavik can be very different from one in Skagafjordur or Akureyri because the people are different. To get an idea of hestakaup in Skagafjordur (involving people I know and can vouch for its authenticity) read the account written by Lukka from the farm Langhus in Skagafjordur. It's long, but a good read.

It is a balance, a tension, between people and horses. It is about both. And that is why I chose "hestakaup" for this blog.

"Hestaukaup!" has become a cheery greeting between me and some of my Icelandic friends. I assure you, I would never venture into any form of hestakaup, and because of the impossibilty of it, the frank admission of my innocence in their culture has made it into a casual greeting.

 How this blog works

Unlike a web site, a "blog" is an on-going process in the same way that a diary is different from a novel or short story. It is always being written an added to. This is a video blog, sometimes called a "vlog" because it embeds short videos in each entry. Wherever there is a picture with controls below it, the cursor will change to a hand and that means a video can be played by clicking on the picture.

Enjoy and keep checking in as I add entries.