Category: Little Viking Horse Blog

Many Fleygur Fans will remember the dramas of last years show – broken down Stable of Wheels, arriving a day late, My Mare Gydja not allowed on the show ground…. and, well, basically I did not perform at my best. So the stakes for this years show were high. My Mate Roger had a lot to prove, and my ever growing fan base had high expectations. I wasn’t worried. All year everyone has been telling me how awesome I am, what was there to worry about?

This year, My Mare Gydja got to stay at home, as the baby Blondie was to have his first Championship experience. We set off, with my newly finished logo on the the Stable on Wheels, stopping to feed the Landy on the way.

We arrived, without incident, and after settling in to our very small paddock, we had a look around, and a brief practice on the Oval Track. My Mate Roger was very pleased with me. Gradually the field filled up with small paddocks and lots of Icelandic horses, many of whom I recognised from the Spring Show, and last years Championships. There were some serious competition horses there and I was looking forward to catching up with Krafter, who has competed in the World Championships. I thought I might give him some tips.

There was a professional photographer at the event, and Blondie was absolutely sure he was there just to photograph him. I got really fed up of explaining to him that the competition was about how well he showed off his gaits, not how pretty he was.

Even one of the judges called him a ‘beauty queen’. Really, it doesn’t help, he is vain enough as it is. I would also like to point out that, the small crowds of Fleygur Fans that gathered around our paddock throughout the weekend were only taking lots of photographs of Blondie for practice, before taking the ultimate photo of me!

My first competition was the preliminary round for the Elementary Tölt, and I didn’t put a foot wrong. There was no repeat of my shouting as I was going round, though I do confess to taking a sideways look at Blondie as we went past. He was standing by the track, grazing! The next competition was the prelim for the Elementary Four Gait. This is much harder, and requires more concentration. I had to show walk, trot, tölt and canter (on the correct lead). Of course I was awesome at this as well and came first in both. That evening, My Mate Roger was chuffed to be presented with our Elementary Combination trophy, for the highest combined score in the prelim classes. I don’t know why they present these to the humans, when the horses do all the work, but I was through to the finals for both events, and that meant another opportunity to show off my enormous talent.

Blondie’s first outing was in the Intermediate Loose Rein Tolt, where they go once round the oval track with normal contact, and then have to ride the long sides with no rein contact at all, without losing the tolt. Blondie came second in prelim round, so he was in the final for his class too.

I was supposed to be in another class, a brand new one for the Championships. This very special class was organised by My Mate Roger and the Woman. It was the class with the most entries for the whole show, and designed to show a true partnership, and the versatility of the Icelandic Horse. The Handy Combination consisted of riding one round of the Oval Track in any gait, and getting a score. Then the partnership had to negotiate ten obstacles, from bending poles, rein back, scary tarpaulin, a bridge, S-bend and more. There was a ridden class and a led class, so everyone could have a go. At the last minute My Mate Roger withdrew me from the class. He said it was because they were short of volunteers, and he had to do all the judging of the obstacles, but I think it was because he knew I would trash the opposition, and he didn’t want to discourage them. Blondie and the Woman had a go though, but he didn’t even get into the rosettes!

At the end of day one we deserved a rest and My Mate Roger gave me a lovely massage, to make sure I was limbered up for the next day.

Day two was finals day, and the tension was high. First up was me in the Elementary Four Gait Final. Walk and tolt were done, and I was in the lead and looking good. We moved into trot, and then canter, and I was sure I was going to win, but I was pipped at the post, by Brekki! The Elementary Tolt Final was next, this was my specialty, and I gave it all I had . There was an awkward moment, where my prize was nearly presented to the wrong horse. I was about to demand a stewards inquiry, but the mistake was realised at the last minute, and I got my first place rosette and trophy.

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My classes done, Blondie managed a third in his Loose Rein Tolt class, which is not bad for his first Championship, and in an Intermediate class too!

After each final class there is a ‘Tack Check’ for every horse, to make sure that nose bands are not too tight, no inappropriate equipment is used, and there is no harm to the horse. This includes checking inside our mouths to make sure there is no pinching. I wasn’t keen on this bit, but it is good to know our welfare has such high priority.

Finally, the show was over, and it was time to head home. As usual we were last to leave, but as was tradition, we could not do so without a little incident with the Stable on Wheels. All loaded up and ready to go, and the Stable on Wheels went lame! A few choice words from My Mate Roger, and hastily arranged assistance, and we were finally on our way.

All in all, it was a good show. My Mate Roger always said I had it in me to do well. He said I just needed to get a grip of my separation issues first. He claims his special training did the trick, but I knew I was awesome all along.

For the next show I will be moving up from Elementary, to Intermediate classes, so look out – Little Viking Horse is coming!

But for now, I am off on my holidays to Wales on Saturday. At last time for a rest.

Find Stuart Earl Photography at  https://www.facebook.com/EarlPhotography?fref=ts

I am not the only Icelandic Horse living in the UK, though I am sure I must be the most famous. Icelandic horses were bred for transport over long, and rough terrain, and also for eating, but I don’t like to think about that! Icelandic horses can do lots of things, but I think rambling is what we are best at. So, in the midst of all the preparation for the Spring and Summer Shows, I thought you would like to hear from two of my cousins, who love their rambling as much as I do. Here is their story.

Hello, LVH fans. It is a great honour to be asked to write this blog on LVH pages. My name is Flo, which means Flea. I am nearly twenty-three years old, and live with my long lost daughter Flicka, whose name means Girl, near the New Forest, in England. Flicka and me was separated in Ireland, but ten years ago she came back to me. I was so pleased, we now live together and go everywhere together. We are looked after by our ‘mate’ Colin, who we are training to understand his role in life, which is of course to look after us. I have been with him for fourteen years, and think he is nearly trained. We are both Viking horses.
Like LVHs mate Roger, Colin has a mobile stable, and he puts us in it and takes us to the New Forest, a place called Ashley Walk. He parks in the same place, and gives us some hay while he sorts himself out, which can take ages. We have to be very careful of our hay, the wild ponies try to sneak up on us, and sometimes the long eared ones. Colin has to keep chasing them away. After our hay, he takes us to a small river to drink, then he gets on Flicka, sometimes with a struggle, and we go off on a ramble! I usually start ‘in hand’.

Flicka, who Colin calls ‘my friend Flicka’ most of the time, and when she tries to run off with him, ‘the Flicka monster’, can be very keen at the start. It’s a bit of a hill, and she tries to run up it, not always in the direction as Colin and me was going. I love this, as he sometimes drops the rope and it takes him a while to get it back. I have a lovely chomp on the heather, while he tries to get it from Flicka -great fun!
We climb the hill ,and soon have a nice tolt on a track where the ‘bouncing bombs’ were tested. Last year Colin fell off me up there, unlike the bombs he did not bounce, but he did explode! Before he hit the ground this yellow Jacket became very large, Flicka said he looked like the ‘Michelin man’, but I don’t know what that is? Then he made hissing sounds, and we ran off. He caught us, but seemed very lame, and hobbled back to the mobile stable. He did not ride us for a long while, we need to try this one again. It’s on Youtube, to watch Flo and Colin falling, click here.
We usually get a lovely rest under some trees. Flicka has a roll and we share an apple with Colin. We share it fairly, one slice for Colin three slices for me and Flicka. That’s fair, we have done all of the work.

 

Sometimes he brings blond ‘ yard friends’ with him, both have black dogs, we like black dogs. One has a lovely pony called Sexy Simon, I fancy him, but Flicka tried to bite him, and recons he is above his station! The other one came a couple of times, but neither come anymore. I hope it was nothing I did! Apparently they are both looking after us, while Colin goes to Iceland later this year. We wonder if we will get extra treats if we look hungry. Colin can be mean with the treats.

 

There was another blond, again with a big black dog, who had been out on me a long while back. She was at our home last week, I thought she was coming riding, as she has ridden me before, but she came and stuck a large thing in my mouth, and did things to my teeth . Apparently she is a vet. Moral beware blonds with black dogs! We like her really, our mate Willow, an Arab princess, was very lame, and she came and made her better again very quickly. We love Willow, thank you Helen, the vet, and her black dog!

Apparently another blond is going to ride me soon, but not very far, she has a big dog as well, but he is brown. She is only a little Flicka herself ,and needs her mummy with her. I have promised to be good.
Anyway, back to our rambles, we sometimes go up on a mound, it from the war again. We can see for miles and miles. Flicka thinks we can see Ireland, were we was born, but she is just dreaming, it’s Dorset, where Colin lives.

We come down through some woods, to a lovely stream with fresh water, we play a lovely game here. Sometimes Flicka goes through the water, I stop for a drink, Colin drops the rope, I have a drink, Flicka will not come back, Colin gets off, we both have a drink, and then a munch on the heather. A week ago a dog walker took a photo of this game. Her name is Susannah, she worried us a bit as she does ‘endurance’, and takes her Arab pony on very long rides. We don’t want Colin thinking he can do endurance – not with us he isn’t!

Sometimes we see strange things, they are called ‘Drifts’, where the wild ponies are chased by men on ponies, really fast. Flicka got caught in a drift once, with Colin, she was very good and stood still, despite charging ponies. Colin fell of a horse called Drift once,  in Iceland – but that’s another story.
Sometimes we scare other horses and people, but we don’t mean to. We did this to a man, all dressed up on something called a ‘Hunt’. He was with lots of girls on ponies, but had a very tall horse – it shot sideways – he said we was dragons! We are not dragons, we are Viking Horses, just like LVH!

We are usually tired when we get back. Colin takes the saddle off ,and I have a roll or two, then we go back to the trailer, and like LVH, we have to meet our public. Seems to be lots of ‘tourists’, with little Flickas and boys, who want to say hello, and often have their photos taken. We have have met people from, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Belgium, USA, Pakistan, India, and even from Wales. Only the Germans ,and the Finns knew we was from Iceland.
Anyway, then its back home, to tell Willow our stories , snooze in the sun, and watch the tall horses go round and round in the ‘school’. We don’t understand this ‘school’, why would you want to be in the school, there is no heather to eat if the rider falls off!

 

With thanks to Flo, Flicka and Colin, for sharing their story.