ICELAND 2016 Day 10, Sorting of the Horses

Well, once the horses are back from the mountains, they need to find their way back to their owners. This blog will merely be a photo collection, as photos speak for themselves. Not very much special to say about the process, its the same as previous years. Im glad I took a selfy stick with me, so the traditional arrival of the horses is now a stable nice movie, if the German kid next to me wasnt screaming so much ;) Well kids will be kids, it happens!

I didnt get a chance to win a horse this year, because they didnt give me a lottery ticket when I bought some food :( Bleeeehhh.... but two women of the Steinbjörn group decided to call it a lucky day and became owners of 2 horses they bought. I wish I was that fortunate... but I hope soon enough I can also buy a horse in Iceland, and keep it here.

After the sorting we had our ride back to Galtanes with all the horses. The herd decided to take a short cut, and after waiting in vain to return of the herd, they decided different. We had a little break that way to catch breath and proceeded the way back 'home' without the herd.
The last minutes of riding of course is always a bit hard for me, knowing it will take another year or maybe longer to get back on horseback. After their shoes have been taken off, I saw the horses vanish behind the hills, getting their deserved holidays. Goodbye Sunna! I think I will opt for you again next year. If I make it.... because well money is getting a problem. I have always managed to go to Iceland, but it is getting tougher every year. Sunna is luckily one of those souls that keep me alive and going and make for this moments feel like my life is worth living for. Thank you wonderfull horse!!!

ICELAND 2016 Day 9 Rounding up the horses

In the morning I got invited by Eva lina to join her group in a sightseeing tour around Hvatness Peninsula. I have been trying for the last years to catch a glimpse of the area around here, and Hvitserkur especially. I managed to get to Kolugljúfur last week. But of course I joined the group on this mornings sightseeing. Starting off with going to Hvitserkur.

Hvitserkur is a standing alone rock, I suppose a part of what once was a crater in the bay nearby. It is shaped like a prehistoric rhino x dinosaur crossbred. I expected it to be much taller than what I saw, but still its impressive.
Due to time we didnt have time to climb down to see it on eyelevel, but at least I could take it off my want to visit list.

Right after this visit we went to Borgarvirki, another dormant crater in this area, I had seen the roadsign for it but thought like with most sites ending with -virki thought it was a powerplant or another local utility. Driving in the middle of nowhere high up we reached it and it was no lie that the views were amazing. Here at this place, every year in July there is a summer concert to be held, which draws everybody from here and Hvammstangi to attend. I could only wonder how they get all the equipment inside this crater.... :) And one of the woman in our group who has been here, said that a man riding a white horse asuming to be Odin and Sleipnir, rode all the way up here, on the rims and looked quite eery in the midsummer darkness. It must be interesting to go here once I moved to Iceland.

After enjoying the views, we moved on once more and I felt it could only be Kolugljufur to be next. And it was. Well as it is for me Icelands most beautifull waterfall so far, that was not a bad thing. I took even more pictures here. It looks like fairy land to me sometimes! So much colors...

Our morning was gone quickly and after lunch (hurray soup again) we drove to the sheepcorral to get our horses ready for the rounding up. This year the weather was good, and the herd arrived extremely quickly after we arrived. They wont leave before 2 from here so it was no problem. But they arranged a few things for the better in how everything goes.

Sunna has become sooooo dirty.... Hehehhe my luck and reason why I probably dont want to own a paint horse with too much white. :p

We were riding out ahead of the herd calmly, mostly in walk or a slow relaxed tölt. Then when we crossed the first river, we rode up away from the river bank and waited there for the herd to catch up with us, giving plenty of opportunities to film, take pictures and watch. It was no longer possible nor allowed to ride within the herd. All riders waited here, and when the herd came in sight, those who wanted to be in front, left long before the herd crossed the first river. I think this was a good thing. I remember how epic it was last year when I ended up in the middle of the herd while crossing the rivers. But also realise this is very dangerous too as those loose horses can lash out, or bump you off your horse.
But watching from here to see the herd passing by was another thing that I totally loved. In some ways the herd doesnt look big, in other ways when they form a line, it seems endless.

We cross this river before the herd does and wait for the herd to pass us by from aside.

We followed the herd crossed some more rivers and ended up at the place we always have a longer break for coffee and kleinur. There we wait for the other herd to give signal to arrive at more or less the same time as our herd at the other side of the bridge. Once riding horse walked loose and managed to cross the barfence that avoid sheep to cross to no grazing zones. Usually those are made horse friendly, they wouldnt cross it, but if they do, if not too paniced they get out of them. This horse did, but its leg doesnt look good... Poor thing, it didnt want to put weigth on it, usually signaling either broken bone or torn tendons. But over time and a few check ups later it looked slight better. I hope it got better, because in Iceland, unless it is an expensive horse, they usually go to slaughter not really awaiting recovery. I think and hope this one was lucky, but it is not a nice sight to see... But if you let your horse walk free things like this can happen. I wonder though what this horse was thinking, they learn as foals that this is no go zone. And he confidently took this way.
Once given the signal to move on, we did move on, full speed to the second stop where we wait for the other herd.

And then we saw stupidity unfolding before our own eyes. A touring car with obviously Chinese (seeing so much flashlights...) made its way toward Kolugljufur. Insisting to go there, just when the other herd is expected to arrive. So yeah this bus ended up within this herd, and one guy fell of his horse with his face torn open. Ambulance had to get there, also through 2 herds, but ours was on a meadow, much easier to pass. The guy is ok, for your information. Wounds on faces and heads always bleed like crazy, looking worse and more dramatic than they are. But I guess this touringcar was just too much for some horses to pull through a herd of about 2-300 horses.  

When the herd finaly mingled with ours, we rode in the back following the ribbon of horses to their overnight pasture. And after a fast we are going home ride, we put our horses in the pasture at Litla Ásgeirsá the farm belonging to the horse round up. And we went back to Gauksmyri to await dinner. What a surprise... soup again. But now Kjötsupa, very welcome after a day like this. The vegetarians got a great looking veggy dish. Im jealous... after 2 days only soup you start to long for something else to eat. Though me even as vegetarian, wants to eat least eat once kjötsupa when in Iceland. Because its so delicious.

After diner we got invited to go over to Hvammstangi for a relaxed evening. I guess I will consider staying here next year, as Gauksmyri changed ownership also made the price double for the programm. Its gets too exopensive for me now. If I stay here for the same price, I save money for car rental and food. I can rent a car when they return me to Keflavik and travel out to South Iceland. It sounds like a plan. And they have a hot tub and oceanview with horses and whales in the garden. Well the whales in the bay. ;)
We had some beers and while the others did or did not go to the dancing later, I and the Finnish girl went back to Gauksmyri to close the day.

ICELAND 2016 Day 8 Riding tour Galtanes

As is usual the first day of my stay here is 2 riding tours. The programm told me we would pick up the horses and ride them to Gauksmyri in the morning and in the afternoon to the sheep corral where we would start the round up tomorrow. I was already happy that would mean fairly easy riding, no rivers to cross. I though the rivers would be deeper than last year due to all the rain last week, and last year we already crossed a few rivers touching the horses belly and made foals need to swimm.

But programs change, we did the same riding as last year, which means crossing rivers... Ai I am really not so fond on crossing rivers. But that has more to do with my current insecure situation on my life. I loose balance easily :(

Since this year, Steinbjorn who basicly executes this horse round up tour, took over the people who do this tour from Gauksmyri, I and a Finnish girl still booked with Gauksmyri but the other 8 woman stayed with Steinbjorn and Eva Lina in Hvammstangi. So a bit lonely for us two but we didnt have less fun. We met with the group and saw back the one regular who is every year in this program. And went to the horses staying at Galtanes.

I decided to take another horse for this ride. Thorra is very nice but maybe I outgrew her a bit, maybe she played tricks with me I dont know, but it was always a tiring job to keep her going, I had the idea I exhausting her to close death. So now I got a more lightfeet horse, a chocolate paint called Sunna. And I love her :)

We in the morning took the ride without the herd, just to feel comfy with our given horses, and we were all very happy. It was just the ride downstream Viðidalsá river, along the ringroad a bit and then back with crossing the river from the other side than last year. It wasnt so deep now, clearly could see the bottom and the boulders in it. Only the wall was quite steep to go down. But oh are the horses so capable... we all got there without wet feet.

Before lunch we went to Hvammstangi for the ladies to buy some booze at the Vinbuðin, the liquor store as in Iceland this is the only place where you can buy alcohol. I didnt buy anything, I had no money with me, and still I dont feel like making this a crazy beer party. Im too decent.

Lunch was just soup and salad. And after that we moved on to bring the herd from Galtanes to the sheep corral. Today we did cross 4 or 5 rivers, but surprisingly not much water in it this time, no wet feet at all. But Sunna has a magic belly and I had like 2 or 3 times check on her girth and tighten it more. The cold water makes the horses bellies flat out so you risk to have a saddle that slides left or right. And if it does, balance wont help you anymore. Its an weird feeling to experience, like being in a slap stick and the last thing you want is to end up in icecold water that way with a lot of horses on the loose around you. But all well and done, we all made it to the sheep corral, where all the horses would stay for the night awaiting tomorrows round up.

Nothing much happened today, I had skipped dinner in Gauksmyri today, saving some money.
Auroras were out again but with much more clouds than yesterday it only returned photo´s with faint green glows... Too bad... but very early in the morning it was all clear skies again and I watched them from my bed. Nice and comfy, and it was ok this way.