Horse Riding
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ICELANDIC Horses

Being a horse lover, I try to make an effort to visit one of the local stables. When I visited Iceland, I decided to stay at Gauksmyri, a horse stable hostel where we got some time to meet the Icelandic horses! 

When I asked the owner, is Icelandic horses warm blood or throughbreds, she couldn't answer as that is the only bred that ever existed in Iceland! 

I was surprised to find that horses are forbidden to be imported into Iceland, and any exported ones are not the be returned to preserve its unique breed. The current breed has been preserved to be bred pure in Iceland for at least 1000 years. Apparently 900 years ago, some horses were either brought from Scotland or Mongolia, so that's probably why they have similar features. 

Icelandic horses have broad shoulders, short and muscular neck, deep chest, and although somewhat like the size of a pony, they are known for withstanding some of the harshest winters in Iceland. Not to mention that hey also have a calm and big personality! 

Just look at those big adorable eyes :) 

icelandic horse

icelandic horse










[VIENNA, AUSTRIA] [Day 4] All that Jazz with Lipizzans & Spanish Riding School



The Spanish Riding School is one of the oldest riding institute in the world. Its 400 years of selective breeding ( and only from 6 different sires) has formed a strong foundation of a new breed - the Lipizzans that equivalents to strength, beauty and intelligence. 

Henry de Toulouse Lautrec - White Horse  
(I wonder if this was a Lipizzan!?) 

One must wonder why a riding school in Vienna is not called the "Viennese Riding School" instead. Since the Hasburg Karl V ruled his empire in Spain, he brought back the Spanish horses  (which was a cross bred between Berber and Arab stallions with Iberian mares) as well as other menagerie to Austria. 

This called for a need of a Stallburg. 

A bit of a surprise on the street -- all that jazz

Here our guide explained to us that there's only 6 foundational sires of breed lines, so it is a very controlled and selective breeding. 
 
They also use a very precise naming method: where the name of the horse will always start with the sire's name, followed by the name of the mare, so they will always know which line of breed it is from.

Every rider gets their own saddle -- and yes they are very, very expensive

The art of riding: dressage! 

It's shocking how beautiful the riding arena is, with a free floating ceiling without any supporting columns. The large symmetrical windows enlightens the hall with a calming glow of ivory.
When the riders enter, they usually take off the tricorns towards the portrait, to thank the Emperor for this wonderful facility they now have today to practice this noble art.



 
Obviously they don't let visitors ride these amazing Lipizzans so I found a place in the outerskirt of Salzburg for a true riding experience.
 Getting ready for the riding lessons




Sidenote: Work of art from Neueburg 

This saddle belonged to the King of Bohemia and Hungary (Rudolf II) and apart from the fact that it had an oriental look, it was filled with motif of St. George killing the dragon. The saddle also had a high rise at the back for better stability support. 

These fluted armor had slim waist which was the fashion trend in those days. 



















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