Around the oval track Holland 2007 World Championships By Kimberly Hart
I started importing Icelandics to Sunland Ranch in California in the 90s. My partners in Iceland are Oli Einarsson, Friddora Fridriksdottir, and Magnus Olafsson. Over the years, they’ve visited our home, taught clinics and lessons, and ridden our trails. They know the terrain, the riders, and the quality of horse that is required. We attended our first Landsmot, the national show in Iceland, in 1998. I’ve never been so cold—and I grew up in Alaska! We sat on the frozen ground and watched the horses and riders. It was a great learning experience. I’d never seen Icelandics in these numbers before.

The following summer we traveled to Germany to attend our first World Championships.

Oli introduced us to many of his clients in Europe; one of them was Goeran Montan and his family. I invited Alexandra Montan to Sunland Ranch to teach lessons and train. I also arranged for her to see some of the U.S. by offering lessons in New York, Boston, Illinois, and Michigan. Our son Kris was still going to college in New York, and we asked him to show her around. Many of you know the rest of the story: Kristofer married Alexandra in Sweden in September 2005.

Right away, I knew we would be attending the 2007 World Championships. Alex would be riding for Sweden, as she is the current Swedish Champion in Tolt. We wanted to support her endeavors, and we then had the added incentive of seeing our first grandchild, Tristan.

So when USIHC Sports director Heidi Kline announced the plans for the WC Tryouts in the U.S. in 2006, I began planning to try out. This is after 42 years of riding, the last 11 riding and showing Icelandic horses for fun. I’ve ridden in many local competitions in California and in Scottsdale, Arizona, usually in Novice class, then occasionally in Open class. I’ve won very few blue ribbons. One on Haera fra Borgarholi in Four-Gait in Del Mar, and one on Mokkur fra Varmalaek. Both of these horses were imported for resale and sold quite quickly.

At the World Championships, each rider is presented alone before five judges in Tolt, Tolt 2, Four-Gait, or Five-Gait. Then the top 10 to 15 riders in each class move forward to the finals; the lower-scoring riders compete in the B Finals, with the winner moving into the A finals. I have seen the rider that won the B Finals go on to win the A finals. That is very exciting. There are also pace races and breeding shows running simultaneously.

I decided to try out on two horses, Miski for Four-Gait and Tolt, and Hogni for Five-Gait and Tolt—why not double my chances? I had met Magnus Lindquist, the World Champion Pace Racer, at Kris and Alex’s wedding, and he had expressed an interest in teaching in the States. So he came from Sweden for a month to teach lessons and to further my training. I usually ride four to five hours a day, but I ride for fun. We have trails that meander through fields and over streams and up and down hills. This training was work. We built a round pen. I rode circles and more circles and more circles, then I rode side pass around the outside of the round pen. In both directions.

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