Pferdeabtreib - or one of the best days - Part 2

After we decided not to wait in the valley, we rode to the general meeting point - where there should also be a longer break for our horses. The decision was absolutely right, as we realized after a few meters that one of our horses had lost a shoe. Magnus briefly called his father Elias and then we met him on the farm where an iron was put on in Icelandic style - quick and painless. Then we put all our horses in a paddock, something that would be unthinkable in Germany, because there would only be fights, but here in Iceland everything is different. At the fence, there were felt 100 saddles with their respective reins and the occasional riding helmet side by side. In a shed, there was a very delicious cold buffet with sandwiches, cakes, a huge bowl of tuna spread, as well as coffee and hot cocoa. Interestingly, no alcohol, unless you brought your own. But that did not stop the Icelanders from having a little afternoon party with singing together. After about 2 hours, there was a magnificent spectacle, we could watch how about 80 horses each tried to find their own riding animal again. Especially because one or the other of these horses did not necessarily like to be caught. We waited until almost everyone had their horses and actually none was exchanged, until we also collected ours. It was quite funny, because ours also thought, hey we can behave a little funny and tease the riders. The horses sensed that something was in the air and were totally excited. At the gathering point, we waited a few more minutes and then the ride of our lives started. I have never ridden so fast with so many others. Our horses had the most fun and the challenge was not to overtake all the others and then lead the whole group at some point. At least Goa and Petra's horse, Gletta, saw themselves in that role. It was absolutely insane, my adrenaline level shot up and we couldn't stop laughing. Itwas a very special experience with your whole herd of free-running horses with a lot of excellent and extremely fast Icelandic riders. Then it was just about keeping up. But as I almost knew, I had the perfect horse. When all the horses and riders arrived at the destination to stand together overnight in a paddock, we rode the last 500 meters home and couldn't calm down at all. Arriving at the stable and taking care of the horses was quickly done and the first beer of the evening tasted amazing. We couldn't even loosen ourselves yet, even though Magnus' mom had cooked a big meal and we were supposed to go out to eat. There was lamb soup and then everyone took a shower to get ready for their own stable party. It was a mega fun evening, all the Icelanders who came danced while Magnus and Kitti provided the live music. A very enjoyable evening and the perfect ending to a perfect day.