Lögberg-Heimskringla - 26.07.1991, Page 21

lögberg-Heimskringla • Fösttidagkjr>-26. júlí 1991 • 21
lcelandic Horses Spreading Rapidly in The United States
Lindsay & Stefanie Byron and lcelandic horses.
Ridcrs carrying a mug of beer at full
speed, without spillinga drop, are being
spotted with increasing frequency in the
United States. The Icelandic Horse, bred
for centuries by the Vikings for endur-
ancc, surefootedness, smoothness, and
comfortable riding, is rapidly spreading
throughout North America.
The first recorded imports of Icelan-
dic Horses to thc United States took
place in the early 1960’s and brought the
horse into various isolated areas, most
notably the Icelandic settlement of Wash-
ington Island, Wisconsin. The largest
known single import took place in 1978,
when Elisabeth Haug, a native of Den-
mark who had spent over a decade pio-
neering the Icelandic Horse in Europe,
brought thirty-eight carefully selected
Icelandic Horses to Califomia on a char-
tered jet. The one hundred twenty horses
at Haug’s Viking Saga Ranch in Solvang,
Califomia, include many of these origi-
nal horses and their descendants.
“The Icclandic Horse offers an in-
credibly smooth ride,” said Haug. “Rid-
ingat a fast speed while carryingfull beer
mugs without spilling a drop is a trade-
mark of the breed. Almost all lcelandic
Horses have the potential for learning to
perform all of the five basic gaits, but, of
course, some are more talented than
others.”
Spending a millennium in the harsh
and unforgivingclimate of Iceland, where
the horses would often have to scrape
away the snow
during the winter
to find the sparse
grass, only the
strongest horses
lived long cnough
to reproduce.
Travel on horse-
back was the only
available meansof
covering the vast
and rocky Icelan-
dic terrain where
U.S. astronauts
would later prac-
ticefortheirMoon
expeditions. De-
spite his small size,
the horse leamed
to carry the heavy
Vikings and their baggage over long dis-
tances.
Experienced riders and newcomers
to the horse world are often attracted to
the horse because of his fricndliness and
gentle disposition. Far from shy, the
horses will usually walk up and greet
visitors, even whcn a wide opcn field
offcrsampleopportunityforescape.“You
get one and you’rc hookcd,” said Eloise
Coyne of Ojai, Califomia, a recent con-
vert who is trying to unload her other
horscsto make room formore Icelandics.
While more than half of the estimatcd
five hundred head U.S. Icelandic Horse
population is found in Califomia, thc
horse is rapidly spreading throughout
the country, and Icclandic Horse clubs
have reccntly been foundcd in Alaska
and Washington. In addition to several
other national and regional associations
throughout the country, the Icelandic
Horse Advcnturc Society was founded
earlier this year “to havc fun and enjoy-
ment while sharing unusual and invigor-
ating expcriences through the Icclandic
Horse.” The Society can bc contactcd at
795 Entrance Road, Solvang, CA 93463,
(805) 688-7472.
The New Land
by Stefania Morris
Like thc appcarancc of a mirage in a
desert, Leifur Eiríksson’s eyes saw in thc
far off horizon thc vision of a new land,
andSOOycarslatcr mygrandfather,Ólafur
Ólafsson, camc in a ship from Iccland to
the land Lcifur Eiríksson had found.
Ólafurwascmploycd by theRichieShip-
pingCompany and thcy landed in Nova
Scotia. Grandfather likcd the new land
and decided to stay.
It was a long and tiring voyage from
Iceland to America. When thc wind was
favourable it filled thcirsailsand thc ship
sailed on, but whcn storms blew up - the
mighty waves tosscd and bounced the
vessel like a plaything. Other times there
was no wind to movc thc sails and the
men had to wait and drift on a calm and
mirrored sca, but still it was a great con-
trast to Leifur Eiríksson’s voyage. He
had no map or compass to guidc him,
only the sun stonc, which could tell him
which dircction thc sun was, even on a
cloudy day.
Mygrandfather, likc LcifurEiríksson,
left behind a swccthcart and an unborn
child. Howcver, Hclga, mygrandmother,
came later with her son. Thcy travelled
with a group of emigrants also from Ice-
land. My grandparents scttled in the
Musquodoboit district in Nova Scotia.
The Icelanders named the area Markland,
because Leifur Eiríksson had given that
name to one of thc places he came to in
America.
After several years in N ova Scotia, the
people decided to go to Manitoba where
the govcrnment of Canada had given
them land. Thcy wcrc able to set up their
own govcmmcnt in what bccame known
as Nýja Island. As the younger genera-
tion grcw up, thcy lcft the area to find
work. Later, New Iceland became part of
Manitoba, whcn the province was ex-
tendcd to the North Wcst Territory.
Leifur Eiríksson discovered America
a thousand years ago. As the world hon-
ours thc mcmory of Lcifur Eiríksson, the
first European to find America, I will
also honour the sailing of my grandfa-
ther, Ólafur Ólafsson, who decided to
settle and build a homc in thc new land.
A Message From the Honourable
George Johnson, m.d.
Liculenant-Governor Of Maniioba
Manitobans have enjoyed a long and close
relationship with Iceland which is reaffirmed
and strengthened each year through the
celebration of Islendingadagurinn in Gimli.
To the organizers of this festival and all
participants, to the Fjallkona, I extend warm
greetings and best wishes. May the 1991
festival once again be a memorable and
enjoyable occasion, strengthening the ties
that bind Iceland and Manitoba together.
George Johnson, M.D.
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