Proud riders crossed the “finish line” in Ystad in southern Sweden on 16 August, completing a 55-day relay ride, covering every part of the country on Icelandic horses.
The relay ride began on Gotland, Sweden’s largest island, on 13 June. Then the “baton” (a mobile phone) was handed to the next group in Kiruna in the north. After a few intermittent rides around Sweden’s northernmost territories, the journey progressed more or less continuously from Sundsvall to Ystad.
Marie Svensson, president of the leisure riding committee of the Swedish Icelandic Horse Association (SIF) and member of the FEIF Leisure Riding committee, organised the ride along with 17 Icelandic horse clubs from different parts of the country. One of her personal highlights was meeting all the people she had communicated with for over a year.
With a total of 363 riders, seven riders covered each leg of the journey on average. Sometimes there were fewer riders and at other times many more, and on all rides the atmosphere was “fantastic”, as Marie describes it.
All photos: Sverigeritten 2020, Eva Larsson