Iceland - Home of Europe's Strongest Horses | Free Documentary Nature

[Music] with [Music] at that time the island was still uninhabited the highlands are still just as difficult to ride through [Music] [Music] did [Music] the settlement of iceland would not have been possible without horses when the vikings made this inaccessible island their home 1100 years ago the horses rendered them invaluable services the icelanders still have a special relationship with their horses today [Music] horses are bred almost everywhere on this sparsely populated island in vat stelli for example a fertile valley in the north four hours drive from the capital reykjavik [Music] hoyker gardasson lives with his family at the crimea stables how long today is a big day for the whole family we're droving about 45 horses and 14 foals up to the summer grazing land brewed mares and young horses that have to go up to the highlands this way we can serve the pastures in the valley it means enough grass can grow for the winter and we don't need to add as much hay 13 year old and his eight-year-old sister lia have been riding since they were small your nephew is a good and loyal horse are you happy with them he always does what you say after the long winter and the short spring in the valley pastures now in july a period of freedom begins for the horses only about two dozen animals stay behind at the stables for the summer seasons [Music] it will take two days to drove the animals to the mountains for the fulls it's their first big adventure icelandic horses are genuine viking horses small in size but giants in terms of stamina and courage in a country with no paths and bridges they carried the entire burden on their backs they carted the fisherman's catch the goods from merchant ships as well as valuable driftwood [Music] today many icelandic horses still live in the hinterland away from the coast and are left completely to their own devices [Music] is in charge he really needs to be everywhere at once in front behind and beside the herd the drovers can only keep all the horses together if they join forces i'm used to riding this stretch and i know exactly where the horses like to take off in the wrong direction you have to act quickly when that happens they have to be strong and powerful [Music] [Music] [Music] after a several hours trek they approach the destination the 800 meter high summer pastures the herds of the other farmers in the valley will arrive soon too they share collective pasture rights that's the way it has always been for three months now the horses can lead a life of freedom constrained only by rivers gorges rocky cliffs and glaciers they will feed upon grass moss and lichen as they prepare for the long winter when they will have to scrape through the layers of snow to get to the grass in iceland people still believe in the nordic myths everyone here knows the legendary horses slight near granny and flyga the first horse to touch icelandic soil with the vikings legend has it that every day rimfaxie the nighthorse drops the morning dew onto the earth from the foam from his bit the day horse skin foxy brings the light [Music] the next day the family sets off on a big journey wants to visit a few breeders he's friends with and look out for a suitable horse for his son so that he can ride in august on the tour of the highlands they're going to move up a lake in the north their destination farmer agri murguirs unstables a is he okay for riders with little experience and children yeah he is and looks good too you're halfway there tries out the horse along the banks of moving is not all that enthusiastic they continue to the next station all the horse breeders on this sparsely populated island know each other yeah she's a possibility but she's unsuitable for beginners she has an interesting color and she looks pretty good does she if you think the boy can manage here slowly please you don't know her yet [Music] he's even galloping do you think he can think carefully about whether she's suitable [Music] her see that it seems i have no other choice [Music] many yearned to go to this island on the edge of the arctic circle with its magnificent and bizarre landscape [Music] it never gets dark in the summer the days neither begin or end they just merge into one another [Music] the elemental forces rage with a unique diversity on iceland mud springs and geysers are some of the natural wonders of the volcanic island all around the mouth lake there are traces of the constant volcanic activity on iceland such as the eruptive crater kuffe or the krafla volcanic area hoyker and sonja use the opportunity to take the children on an outing electricity is generated from renewable sources such as hydropower and geothermal springs there's so much geothermal heat that we can use for electricity the energy on the island is also friendly for the environment back to day-to-day life at cramer boyker marian spends every minute he can with his horse serpa he and serpa have to get used to each other first it won't be long till their first challenge a tournament if horse and rider perform well they have more chance of qualifying for the highlands tour for hoiker marian this horse ride is the highlight of the year his parents have already chosen the horses for it marian is being taught by his mother sonja an experienced horse connoisseur sonja is a typical icelandic horse woman german she has fulfilled her dream of endless freedom and a life in harmony with nature in the north children are just as much part of sonia's life as horses she studied geology in germany and already bred icelandic horses there she's been living on a remote farm for 14 years now and wouldn't want to change places with anyone say you have a major problem and don't know how to solve it soon you hear that well-known phrase everything will be all right and someone comes and helps and that's what i love most about iceland i miss that a lot in germany you can rely on family there but not on neighbors and friends like you can here [Music] hoiker is now droving the remaining horses through the nearby lagoon in hope icelandic horses are wonderful creatures the way they seem to float over the land gives you goosebumps that's what makes them so fascinating i don't give a [Music] icelandic horses are considered the liveliest horses with the best endurance in the whole of europe they are neither phased by fjords nor riding through rivers over glaciers bogs and scree slopes they have an international fan community more and more horse enthusiasts are traveling to the island to see the animals in their country of origin the riding season has begun at crimea too poland the horses are used to the bleak and constantly changing weather on iceland but for the tourists even the weather is a challenge are everybody ready yes sir offer a whole range of tours from short rides to several day excursions [Music] ah their big moment has come local tournaments like the one in the small town of blunders are regular events on iceland i'm a bit worried about whether i'll manage on super after all i've only written her five [Music] times all five gates are judged icelandic horses are the only horses with the famous tote gate in addition to the usual walk trot gallop and flying pace this natural four-beat gate is particularly comfortable for riders over longer journeys [Music] the few onlookers who have made their way here wait patiently for hours the icelanders conceal their passionate enthusiasm behind a mask of calm stoicism three hundred thousand people live on iceland along with about seventy thousand horses thus roughly one in four icelanders on average has a horse [Music] you did that well aren't you happy yes of course i'm relieved but maybe i should have been forwards more during the gallop oh well it was still good enough for the fifth place [Music] in the next few days the horses can recharge their batteries before the highland tour begins [Music] you can set off now but pay attention and don't drive away the horses okay we're off now [Music] great i'll send you the dog sunya droves the horses together for the tour of the highlands not just on horseback but by car too if she needs to be fast [Music] the children hope too in iceland children learn to ride before they can walk so they say [Music] older tights the farmers on the widely scattered stables have been chewing their horses themselves since ancient times indeed the occupation of ferrier still doesn't exist on iceland today the metal shoes are always cold shoes this became normal practice because there was no access to forages on route through iceland's lonely countryside the rubble and lava ground is so hard on the hooves that hoikur has to re-shoe the horses before and after every highland tour [Music] like every horse lover i am very proud of my children because they were interested in anything to do with horses from a very young age i can take them with me everywhere i go and they learn fast [Music] in his favorite place at the foot of fairy hill not far from the stables hoyker marian continues to practice with his horse his brothers and sisters are there too like all icelandic school children they have three months holiday and summer in the seemingly never-ending days the children are active almost round the clock hoyker marian can hardly wait for the highland tour i think supra is really great we have practiced a lot now i'm hoping that i'll get permission to take part in the big horse ride with her then the two of us could become good friends like every valley in iceland that's delia also has its legends elves trolls giants and the heroes of the sagas are ever present today i'm thinking about starting on this traditional route the advantage is that we are in a completely uninhabited area it has glaciers and a very pleasant view he wants to try out an old forgotten link to varstaluya so that he might offer it to riding guests in the future the route follows a lonely path through unspoiled natural surroundings from the eternal ice of the glaciers back to the coast [Music] the eight friends begin their expedition in the heart of the highlands between the glaciers languider two mighty ice-covered shield volcanoes the tour will take two to three days depending on the weather it's a difficult terrain to ride do you want to go first he just won't cross you try come on riding a horse he's used to sirpa has to get accustomed to the unknown territory and the herd first [Music] in the middle of nowhere the riders come across a fenced in area a place to rest and change over the horses there are several of these enclosures along the way they've been used by riders passing through for generations good horse so that we can exchange them now and again the journey would be far too arduous for one horse on its own we ought to get going shouldn't we let me go ahead a bit to look at the path let's go once upon a time this was the most important corridor between the north and the south of the island farmers drove their livestock along traders transported their goods and couriers delivered messages but since the expansion of the road network no one uses these old paths anymore they are in disrepair and rapidly [Music] disappearing [Music] you just have it's a good feeling when horse and rider form one entity has [Music] the second change of her place has been reached riders and horses are both exhausted the horses need a rest oh up to 80 centimeters deep you have to lift up your legs so that you and the horse don't get stuck be careful we have to make sure that nothing goes wrong to control [Music] it's a good feeling hard to describe it's fun to be on the road with my parents and friends riding is the best thing in the world for me not a hustler [Music] out of nowhere a bank of fog appears iceland is well known for its unpredictable weather yet everything that's not a snowstorm is considered harmless by the hardened icelanders [Music] um [Music] haiku stays calm even though he doesn't know where exactly they are at the moment it's getting harder and harder to see in the fog up here we're completely unprotected we need to try and find the right way if we go west it might work the group tries to work out roughly where they are with a map and compass they have to adapt their route to the wind speed and direction hoiker encourages the group to hang in there such low visibility it's essential that they all stay together and that none of the horses get lost even for adults this is a challenging tour for hoiker marian even more so although sirpa and him have been brave so far the boy feels a little uneasy his parents try to boost his spirits the fog is threatening to engulf the riders and their horses hoiker carries the entire responsibility on his shoulders it's already 8 30 and getting darker all the time if we don't get away from here soon we won't find the way back to the valley today we'll be doing well to make it back to the hut today [Music] it's almost midnight by the time they reach the shepherd's hut the tour's final destination they can spend the night there [Music] wouldn't be a true icelander if he didn't celebrate that befittingly [Music] [Applause] [Music] foreign [Music] is [Music] [Music] next day in the valley having survived their adventure hoiku and sonia now have to get back to work at the stables that includes horse trading the vet has come here is examining the seven-year-old gelding primus which will be sold in germany software oh sonja is going to reykjavik with him and the kids and from there he will be taken to his new owner in germany [Music] although they sell 50 horses a year on average saying goodbye to the animals is never easy [Music] almost half of iceland's population lives in the capital reykjavik the center of political economic and cultural life this is also where the export of icelandic horses is organized hi hi like most horses primus wears a microchip in his neck so that he can be clearly identified icelandic horses live to the age of 25 and over there are hardly any horse diseases on iceland thus the horses are not vaccinated not even he will be with his new owner in germany [Music] the children are also very fond of him because everyone can ride him right that's how we make our living so we have to let him go we'll see we have other horses after all [Music] here marianne will never see primus again a horse that leaves iceland may never return there has been a strict ban on the import of horses for hundreds of years this is how the breed has remained 100 pure to this day and why iceland has the monopoly on it autumn is coming in the grass is becoming sparse the days are getting shorter and the birds are migrating south time for hoiker to bring in the last of the hay [Music] divide up the work at the stables while she looks after the children and the horse breeding he looks after the holiday guests and is in charge of the writing tours but most of all he likes being a farmer he learned it on his grandparents farm from when he was a young boy he loves being his own man and spending as much time as possible outside in the open air learning from nature and even if it means he's living up to the cliche of a typical icelander he doesn't care that's because we've had to adapt ourselves to the sparse natural surroundings and grim weather since the very first settlers yes adaptability and flexibility are our strengths well sometimes punctuality suffers but i also think we're pretty brave it took a lot of courage in the year 870 as well on the vikings took possession of iceland little was known about the island at the time hermits had given it the name iceland because of its inhospitable surroundings the glacial rivers and stone deserts could only be crossed with horses back then too [Music] it's now time for the last big horse ride of the year droving down the horses from the high country hoyker marian has to stay at home this time he's still too young for this extremely strenuous task [Music] just like their forefathers before them the farmers of the valley gathered together to drove down the horses they will only succeed if they work together the animals are scattered far throughout the highlands it will be difficult to ride up there now but there's no way around it awesome we have to bring the horses home that's what it's all for yeah [Music] in september all over the island the horses and sheep are driven like this from the high pastures to their winter quarters this rhythm hasn't changed since viking times hoyker and his comrades grapple with a wild and archaic landscape apart from a few outlaws no one ever lived up here [Applause] [Music] once again the riders have to be able to rely completely on their horses but we have to at least give it a try with the horses if it gets worse we'll have to change our plan the group splits up but stays in contact with each other via radio each rider leads a substitute horse by hand as well the animals that were driven up here in the summer could be anywhere nowhere else in europe do horses have never-ending pastures like this [Music] they've been on the road for three hours now finally one of the men spots part of the herd at a riverbend so the main herd can't be far although they lived widely scattered over the highlands all summer long they now flock together happily the animals seem to sense that it's time to head back to the winter quarters but the main thing is that the drovers and animals get down the foals have survived their first summer in the wild well life in a large herd is partly what gives icelandic horses their balanced nature something greatly valued by their fans worldwide after nine hours they're back the horses go into a large pen from which the different owners sort out their animals it's an exciting moment for every horse owner because this is when we find out what has become of our animals during the summer it's just nice to see how the foals have [Music] developed even if it's hard work driving down the horses is a festive day for the icelanders at the collection point below the whole family pitches in and helps [Music] you and your mom you recognize them all you've really got a good eye for that the owners don't just tell which horses are theirs from the colors or brandings often they can tell just from their character i know them as foals i see them every day and for me it's like telling members of my family apart i do it the same way it's a bit more difficult with the dark horses the black horses then you have to look more closely but otherwise it's not a problem oh foreign droving the horses from the highlands also signifies the end of the summer in iceland the riding guests have departed all the horses are back in the valley and the family now has time for one another [Music] hello i'm sure we'll have good weather next time as well [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] you

Channel: Free Documentary - Nature

Views: 549,761

Keywords: Free Documentary, Documentaries, Full documentary, HD documentary, documentary - topic, documentary (tv genre), nature documentary, Free Documentary Nature, Animals, Animal Documentary, Iceland, Iceland Documentary, Iceland Horse, Icelandic Horse, Tölt, Horses, Horse Documentary, North Atlantic, Reykjavik, North Europe

Id: 2nJMWXyQpZc

Length: 52min 14sec (3134 seconds)

Published: Fri May 21 2021