Icelandic horse ride - part 2

 Days 5 - 7

Hestasport are a fantastic company who look after their horses and guests beautifully.

Day 5 began as usual with a soak in the thermal pool and a delicious breakfast. Then we were driven back to where the horses spent the night. We saddled our assigned horses and headed out into the wild highland terrain.

We dismounted to give our horses a drink and to wait for the herd to catch up.

We rode through a mountain pass, pausing to give the horses a rest.

The weather was so perfect we removed a layer of clothing.

With a mix of walking and tolting we covered a lot of ground quite quickly. Down into the valley where we had a fast ride to a paddock not far from the Hestaport stables. So much fun!

We had now ridden 9 horses over 5 days. At dinner we were asked to choose our three favourites and one of those would be assigned for our final ride on day 6. And we would also have a special ride on another horse at the end of the day.

The day began in the thermal pool even though it was cool and threatening to rain. After breakfast Magnus gave a little history talk and drove us to see some traditional turf homes and a local knitting shop on a farm. 

Then it was time to ride! Our chosen steeds had already been seperated from the herd and were waiting for us at the paddock. This was to be the the only time we rode a horse we had ridden before. I was on the very forward, energetic little mare called Vissa who I had had so much fun on the day before.

We rode a 2 hour circuit across the broad floor of the valley. It rained a bit. I didn't take any photos. Whisky was shared from hip flasks. We tolted and cantered and I even managed an unplanned flying pace as Vissa seemed to prefer pacing to cantering. Woohoo! 

We ended our ride back at the stables where we had begun 6 days ago. We unsaddled our horses as usual, gave them some horse treats and released them into a paddock. Lunch was then produced from a van at their pacing race track. We were given the opportunity to take turns riding one of two pace horses. Wow! Instant transition from a walk to a fast flying pace -100 metres in around 13 seconds. So smooth to ride and impressively flashy to watch.

After the flying pace rides, we adjorned to the stable where we were given a taste of traditional dried fish and femented shark washed down with a whisky. The shark was...awful, but not as bad as I expected. The dried fish and whisky were pretty good. 

Back at the cottages we all warmed up in the thermal pool and lots of fun was had over dinner. We thanked our hosts and they gave us a small gift. We were sad to be leaving. About 120kms of stunning landscape covered in comfort and style on 11 different horses, all of which were gentle and friendly in nature. A unique experience.

Day 7 - Magnus drove us back to Reykjavik after breakfast, stopping for lunch on the way.

We were greeted by Pete and Joel when we arrived mid-afternoon. The other men will arrive soon today. And then the next Icelandic adventure begins.