I would never have considered myself a “horse-girl”, but I have always loved these large animals. Having the opportunity to attend Réttir in Reykhólt, Iceland, I may have changed my mind about considering myself a “horse-girl.”
How I spent an hour.
These small community gatherings take place every fall to bring the herds of sheep, which have been in the highlands since the beginning of summer grazing, back down to the farms. The shepherds go together to gather the sheep, typically on horseback, to herd them down to the traditional separating area. These areas are large stone circles broken into donut-like shapes. The middle is where the sheep are first herded and the outer circles are broken into sections like flower petals where the farmers separate out their sheep. The horses that are ridden to the event, as well as the ones used to herd the sheep, go into these farmers’ outer circles as well. To get to the middle circle, onlookers (typically incorporating neighbors, family and close friends) assist in separating sheep, have to wade through the horses. Due to the majority of the people at the event being in the inner circle, the horses are left to graze and co-mingle with the sheep. Some farmers had separate sections in their section to divide the sheep and horses.
I made some friends in the hills
I had my first real Icelandic horse encounter at this event. The general consensus seemed to be, “you can pet my animals if you are not in my way or causing damage”. So that is exactly what I spent most of my time doing. I climbed over the outer fences and stroked the gentle beasts for the better part of an hour.
To continue on about my infatuation of the horses on this island, Sólheimar has a neighbor that owns, from what I can tell, about fifty horses. I am not sure what the rules are on petting animals that are not your own, other than to ask, but I have not seen the farmer to do so. One of our free afternoons I found myself saying I was going horse hunting. What I meant was going to pet the creatures – if they would allow me to get close enough. It did not take as long as I thought it would to climb the ridge to where the horses were grazing. I did climb over the fence, so yes, I am admitting to trespassing (as a side note though, I am comfortable around larger livestock because I grew up in an agricultural community with neighbors who have very large horses). I am aware that this may be breaking some sort of law here in Iceland, but the temptation to be amongst these animals was crying out to me.
I was curious to see what she did in this moment.
The horses I encountered were curious enough to come up to me and gave me permission to be amongst them. They were so soft despite being coated in dirt and grime. I found out they were cautious in their approach, but they were generous in humoring me by being allowed to be in their presence.
I got down low, and the crew came to check out the intruder (me).
I am not saying that this may not happen again, but if I do not get a chance to be with these giants again, I would survive in knowing that I was able to interact with them in a small controlled area, and then again in their natural habitat. My heart will be happy with just knowing that they had the ability to steer far from me, but they instead approached and not only allowed me to touch them, but embraced me in the odd horse-neck-hugs. For me as a foreigner and an animal lover, I will be content with these few hours that I spent with the Icelandic horses when the sun was shining and it was relatively warm out.
By- Nicole Lorence