Reykjavík Grapevine - 26.09.2014, Page 33

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staff member recommends hold-
ing the reins very short, so that the
horse’s head is forced up, and sitting
deep in the saddle.
“They can all tölt, but some of
them have to be coaxed into doing
it. Some just do it automatically, like
Stormur here,” she says, giving my
horse a pat on the neck. I feel lucky
that I got such a well-gaited horse
and give Stormur a pet on the nose.
After a few more minutes, we mount
back up and continue on the trail. We
tölt then walk then tölt then walk,
and I’m really getting the hang of it.
Sometimes our guide even leads us
into a canter, which is a faster, rock-
ing gait.
All too soon,
we’re merging
back with the slow
group at the cor-
ral we started at.
The entire ride was
about an hour and
a half, but as they
say, time flies when
you’re having fun. I
dismount and say
goodbye to Stormur, thanking him for
such a nice time. I’m sure he doesn’t
care about me and is just looking for-
ward to hanging out with his pals in
the pasture, but for me the ride was
close to magical. It’s
so much better to go
on a tour when you
have a horse to ride
on, especially one
that tölts.
Dozens of horses are just a
20-minute bus ride outside of
Reykjavík, at Íshestar, a riding tour
company in Hafnarfjörður. They’re
all of the same breed, as is every
other horse in the country, de-
scended from the stock brought
over by the Vikings hundreds of
years ago. They’re small, but are
technically horses, not ponies.
Horses,
Not Ponies!
33The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 15 — 2014 TRAVEL
Distance from Reykjavík
10 km