I was pretty excited about my one-hour riding tour, which was due to start at 11 a.m. I used to ride as a teenager but have been sitting on a horse only a handful of times since then. I was greeted by Vicky, one of the three German girls who had worked on the farm all summer. She showed me where I could borrow a helmet, gloves and waterproof over-pants, and I got ready. When I met her back at the horse pen, she told me that no one else would join us today as the rain forecast had spooked them. Brilliant! I got a private tour for the group price of 12,000 ISK/£71/€81, and we could go as fast as we wanted.
Icelandic horses are famous for their sure-footedness and special amble gait tölt, which is a speed similar to trot but easier to sit for the rider. My horse (sorry, I forgot his name) was very friendly and felt safe the whole time. His reddish-blond mane waved in the wind, reminded me of ALF or Gordon Shumway from the 1990s TV series, and made me smile. Vicky and I spent most of the time tölting or cantering through the autumnal countryside. Funny enough, there was no rain, and even the sun sometimes came out. The sturdy horses coped very well with the rocky and sand ground and caught themselves quickly when they stumbled. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride, and time flew by way too fast. I’ll definitely be back at Geyser Hestar next time I’m in Iceland.
