Thursday, September 12, 2024

The perfect souvenir: Handmade wool reins - and a text that makes my day

 During the ride we stopped at goat and sheep farm, where the owner also has a small store in the loft of her barn. She sells items made from her animals, such as wool, hand knitted sweaters, woven blankets, etc. I spotted the woven wool reins, and immediately thought they'd be a perfect and practical souvenir. When do you ever know who made an item and how? 





Remy sporting his new reins

I did post the photo of Remy with his new reins on FB, and this morning I got a message from my friend Glenda:

"Good morning, Birgit! I saw your post with Remy and the new reins.  Very cool. And such a wonderful memory every time you take up the reins!! I always look into a horse’s eye to see where they are in life.  Look at Remy’s eye, as I am sure you do.  But Remy’s eye is happy, contented, at peace. That is unusual for horses today, I think.  Most are worried, sad, or confused and ready to defend.  It was so good to see Remy’s eye.  It made me have faith in the horse world again to see a horse just so peacefully calm and present in life.  We so seldom see it now. I know he may kick up his heels and be a horse now and then but most likely is out of glee and mischief than anything else."

Glenda is a lifelong horsewoman (she trained for years with Gabor Foltenyi), a dressage judge, and one of the most passionate and educated horse people I've ever had the privilege of knowing. I know she will always honestly and exactly give her opinion, so this message made my day. 

Wednesday, September 11, 2024

A truly transformative trip - it feels almost like a new lease on life

Tomorrow will be the third anniversary of JP's accident. It's been a rough road, to say the least. Losing my beloved companions Ziggy (my dog) and then Jerry (my cat) recently took me on a downward spiral. I felt I needed to take a break in order not to break down. Initially I had thought of going to Europe, visiting my best friend Stephanie, my brother and nephew, as well as seeing the Marbacher Hengstparade. But then I decided I needed something completely new and challenging, somewhere I hadn't been before. 

My friends Michel and Patricia had raved about a trip to Iceland, so why not Iceland? But what to do? Well, horses, or course! I contacted Equitours (Equitours.com), a riding travel agency based in Wyoming (JP and I had booked with them years ago). As luck would have it, the agent handling Iceland tours happened to be German and has the same first name as I do. Biggi had been to Iceland and done the tours. She was super to correspond with and answered all my questions. It was meant to be: "Iceland, here I come!"

Travel to Iceland is easy, direct flights from Detroit to Reykjavik are daily and reasonably priced. I arrived the day before I was to meet the group and used that to visit the famous Blue Lagoon. It was quite beautiful, and luckily not overly crowded. I soaked in the hot waters, which was a relief after the long flight and bus trip. 

Blue Lagoon

The following day it was time to meet the group at the bus station. I was a bit apprehensive, after all, I was about to spend a week with strangers in close quarters. After a bit of 'fremdeln' (being a bit shy) all went well. My fellow 10 travelers turned out to be amazing women from all walks of life. We had a fun time together throughout the trip. No dressage queens in sight LOL. 

Stefnir, who owns Hekluhestar (Hekluhestar.is) together with his partner Anita, picked us up and off we went on the Golden Circle tour by van, visiting the Thingvillir National park, Gullfoss and Geysir on our way to the Hekluhestar farm. 

I had been a bit leery about the accommodation. The description noted "bunkhouse style shared accommodations" - and I do not share well. Luckily, Karin and Rebecca (the Swedish mother-daughter team) and I got assigned the most charming new guest house, and I got my own room.  

Guesthouse 


We learned that Stefnir and Anita are continuing their family's business that started 30 years ago. The farm has about 100 horses, the horses are born at the farm and stay in the vast pastures their entire lives. Anita assigned me Funi (Flame), She proudly pointed out that Funi is a true five-gaited horse, doing walk-trot-gallop-tolt-pace. I liked him immediately, and he turned out to be an awesome traveling partner. 
Lunch break with my trusted steed Funi

"There is no bad weather - only inappropriate clothing" 
Sporting waterproof oilskin pants and jacket, as well as waterproof boots and helmet cover

The entire week was just pure joy. Sometimes the weather didn't quite play along, on the longest riding day it was raining and sometimes sleeting, but that didn't deter us from having fun. Like they say: "There is no bad weather, only inappropriate clothing". The pace was fast, lots of tolt and gallop up and down hills. The horses were so surefooted and well behaved, so one could truly "sit back and enjoy the ride". 
Funi (on the right) and friend


River crossings are no problem
What a view!

The Icelandic horses are living in herds in huge pastures



Stefnir is an outstanding horseman and a very passionate tour guide. We learned so much about the history of Iceland and the life on the island.


A good roll after a fun ride

                                                    
Following the horses to dinner - Pasture for our steeds, wonderful home cooked meals for us.

After the day's ride we were treated to home baked cakes and hot drinks, and every night Anita spoiled us with delicious and healthy meals (always with vegetarian and GF options). After a sauna it was falling into bed happily tired. 

Sauna

Usually we packed our lunch, but on Wednesday Anita surprised us with a traditional Icelandic buffet in an historic barn. This barn also held the entry to the oldest man-made cave in Iceland, monks dug it about 800 AD. There, in the dark cave, Stefnir played traditional Icelandic horse songs on his accordion. It was so beautiful I almost cried. 

Looking forward to lunch in a historic barn
Lunch is served. Entry to the cave is on the left.

Stefnin playing the most touching Iceland horse song.

On the last day we visited Vik, the most southern village in Iceland, which is famous for the black beaches and basalt rocks. This country is truly breathtakingly beautiful.



I had one more day in Reykjavik before heading home, which I truly enjoyed. The only nail-biting moment during the entire trip was the bus ride to the airport... the bus driver got lost due to a road closure, and a few passengers had to come to the rescue with google maps to help him find the way.

Viking ship sculpture

Reykjavik downtown


Truly, this trip has been transformative for me. I hadn't been that happy, relaxed, and carefree in the three years since the accident. It gives me joy, strength, and appreciation of the people and horses I was privileged to spend time with. JP is happy for me, I'm sure. 

Stefnir, Anita, and Funi: Can't wait to see you again next year!