Winter with Icelandic Horse

_­In the winter of 2014 we chose to explore Iceland.  Due to harsh weather conditions, our truck got to Iceland few weeks later than planned. Unpredictable weather met us with strong winds and less than 6hrs of daylight but the warm welcome of Icelanders brightened our days there. Once we had begun to know this diverse country and its dwellers we slowly started to appreciate the challenges Iceland brought on us. In particular, it was the Icelandic horse that instantly won our hearts. Not only in Iceland is this wonderful creature loved, it just so happens that according to  the Chinese Zodiac ,2014 marks the beginning of the Green Horse Year.

Our goal – Iceland. Whatever else his year brings to us, we will try to get answers from those lovely, curious, furry, teddy bear looking animals.

The crew of three Lithuanians, collecting information, pictures, sounds and other not necessarily useful but never the less interesting material consists of:
Photographer – Žilvinas Vasiliauskas
Photographer – Giedrius Dagys

Colleague in crime – Giedrius Šuminas

As mentioned above, our journey started as a blank, white peace of canvas. Like diving in milk or driving through powder – everything around us lacks. Icelandic nature met us, three strangers, with an undesirable but magnificent white force.

And finally, far away on the horizon, lines began to emerge – shapes and familiar silhouettes. Contours that our eyes had long been waiting for. Wandering in biting frost, in wind that knocks you off your feet, the Icelandic horses cheered us up with their fearlessness and curiosity.

They where incredibly friendly from the very beginning, meeting us like long awaited visitors, poking their warm noses up our backs as if asking: “What are you doing here? Who are you? Let’s be friends!“

And they became our friends.

Mission: empathize with the local nature and interact with unknown creatures. Done.

After nasty and prolonged conditions, one morning brought us a surprise – sunshine no wind.

Weather slowly became less harsh, black and white colors start mixing with blue, unearthly incredible views constantly reapered in front of us. Roaring streams of rivers accompanied with giant ice pieces were breathtaking.

The blue colour palette soon started to fill with shades of green.

We were not even afraid to descend into hell, into the depths of the earth, closer to the centre, to the Gentlemen of all Sinners Fair.
Grjótagjá is a small lava cave near lake Mývatn in Northern Iceland, where thermal water run through. Until the 1970s it was a popular bathing site but during the eruptions from 1975 to 1980 the temperature of the water rose to more than 50 °C. Though the water temperature is slowly decreasing and mystery of dark cave pulled us in to this boiling pot it is still uncomfortable to swim.
A large geothermal area of Hverarönd in Northeast Iceland with boiling pools of blue-green mud, steam vents, a nasty smell will surely leave a lasting impression in the minds of anyone who ventures there. It is truly otherworldly to descend into hell though temperatures here probably are more tolerable. Ironically, a nearby lake bears the name Víti, or “Hell” in English.

From spending time in these hell-like surroundings, we were soon after greeted by the heavenly view of ocean and hot springs, both absolutely impossible to resist.

We already knew about Iceland’s only native land predator, the Arctic Fox that travelled the frozen sea during the last ice age, 10.000 years ago. But the reindeer on the eastern part of Iceland caught us by surprise. Apparently it is an 18th century import from Norway.

No shortage of waterfalls in Iceland and if you wander long and far away, you can be sure that you will stumble upon some wonderful views of them.

There are plenty of lighthouses which helped ships navigate around the island. In our days, the main transportation of goods is done by road, with trucks crossing the land.

New Year in Vestfirðir the remote northwestern part of Iceland where local people gathered around huge bonfires talking, singing or, as is so usual now, texting on the phone. Afterwards, there was no shortage of fireworks.

The Yuletide season is a time when Icelanders remember their departed loved ones. It is not only that technology has penetrated our every step, but the usual strong winds of Iceland make it difficult to keep candles flaring. It is now absorbed with brightly light neon crosses, which gives you a strange “disco” feeling.

One evening, after we had stopped yearning for good weather and calm winds, nature gave us a chance to experience the beauty of The Northern Lights. It was like a sign, it was as if our month long journey through this harsh but welcoming island was being wrapped in, like a gift. After a short recovery from overwhelming impressions, we were soon ready to present to our readers, a photo-story about a creature without which Icelanders had no chance to survive – Icelandic Horse.

Coming soon: Photo Story – Tölting Horse

The history of the Icelandic Horse can be traced right back to the settlement of the country in the late 9^th century. The breed has remained pure for over a thousand years and to this day, it is the only one horse breed in Iceland – The Icelandic Horse. This Horse is renowned for its five natural gaits. While most other breeds have only three, the Icelandic Horse can Walk, Tölt, Trot, Pace, and Gallop.

dikiy.me crew wishing you to be productive in the upcoming “Year of this incredible being”.

Teaser Trailer – Photo Story – Tölting Horse