The ICELAND Expedition

Some of you may know (perhaps if you follow me on Pinterest) that I'm a little bit obsessed with Iceland. It pretty much tops my list of places to visit - why, you ask? Let me see... Volcanoes. Geysers. Lakes. Valleys. Glaciers. And that's just the landscape. Let's talk about ponies.

image from National Geographic

Icelandic Horses are unique. Horses came along with some of the first settlers of Iceland (around the tenth century) and have been selectively bred ever since; the law not only prevents horses from being imported to the island, but even exported horses aren't allowed back. They're very careful to keep the bloodlines pure. This doesn't really happen anywhere else in the world - it's difficult to prevent breeds from crossing over when you have a hundred different types of horse in one place. Icelandic horses are small with wonderfully thick manes and a super awesome extra gait. Most horses only walk, trot, canter and gallop (a pretty good range already!) but Icelandic horses tölt AND flugskeið. These gaits are supposed to be very smooth.

But back to the point - Iceland. I have an ambitious plan, and I usually come good on my plans. I want to ride (on horseback, if you hadn't guessed) from one side of Iceland to the other, a distance of roughly 600km. This is hardly a groundbreaking distance for the world at large (see the Long Riders Guild, which I one day aspire to join) but for me personally it will not only be an awesome challenge but the chance to see Iceland, and better yet, to ride its unique horses long-distance.

image by Jvlivs on reddit

A number of obstacles need to be overcome before such a thing is possible. First and foremost, I need to fund said expedition, and since my friends and family have supported so many of my projects over the years I definitely want to do this one alone. There are many hours of toil ahead. I need to learn proper survival skills (Duke of Edinburgh just doesn't cut it) and find out how previous long riders factor in food and water carrying. My plan is to ride one horse and have one or two others carrying the gear, but there are so many specifics to be considered, and horses drink a lot. I will need to practice long distance riding, which is complicated by the fact that I live in a city and have no horse. I will need to plan a realistic route that doesn't have me riding through volcanoes and over glaciers. I will need to learn emergency veterinary skills in case a horse gets injured. I will need to learn enough Icelandic to get me through necessary situations. I will need to pick a realistic date for the expedition to start when I know I can be on the other side of the world, in a couple of years, that doesn't clash with my wedding, but gives me enough time to complete the trip and negotiate the buying and selling of horses and gear either side.

There's a lot to consider. But I've made a start in buying an 'adventure map' of Iceland and a book of walking trails, and starting my planning noticeboard. On the bottom left are pictures of Tim Cope, whose book I'm reading - he rode across the Eurasian steppe - and Robyn Davidson, whose book Tracks is a phenomenal record of her journey with camels from the centre of the Australian desert to the Indian Ocean. Oh yeah. I do plan to write a book about my travels, and make a documentary. 

We don't have picture hooks yet.

So, I may sound crazy, but I am so, SO excited at the prospect of this trip. If you have any useful information or ideas that might help me, please get in touch!