Horses

Today, Jo and I went horseback riding east of Reykjavík. It was a trip organized by some group at the university of Iceland, but you didn't need to be a student to go. So we went!

I should point out that I have only gone horseback riding once before, last year in the US. Although, it turned out to be muleback-riding, which I deduced after:

• Looking at the animal
• Reading the fine print in the stable's documentation, which pretty much stated that any four legged horse-like animal could be called a horse
• Seeing the competitors next door putting up posters that said 'No mules here!'

Anyway, horses in Iceland were originally imported from Scandinavia along with the viking settlers. They're small, and shaggy haired. Now, though they may be pony sized, you cannot call them ponies... Icelanders will get upset, supposedly! Icelandic horses also have an extra gait, named tölt. Not that I have any idea what it is like...

I was given a horse named Flugur, which I promptly renamed Flugvöllur. As we went for the trail ride, it wasn't necessarily that responsive (mostly it was following the horse's ass that precedes it) but I was able to get it to walk outside of the line for a bit. At one point, the horses started trotting quickly, which made the trip very bouncy, but still fun.

I'm looking forward to more horseback riding trips in the future, with more independent riding.

On our mighty horses

Multi-toned