Or: Special ideas for special times…The fact that the year 2020 is a special year, probably this does not need to be mentioned here anymore. At the beginning of March, a small virus (not only) turned the (Icelandic) horse world pretty much upside down and thwarted some cherished traditions, events and meetings.
Nevertheless: There is always a flip side of the coin and therefore some very great opportunities that would probably never have been created without Covid-19. One of them was created by the Austrian Icelandic Horse Association: The ÖIV Icelandic-Horse-Awards.The Icelandic-Horse-Awards are a virtual tribute to all achievements of members of the Icelandic Horse Association, which deserved special appreciation.
As it was impossible to hand over the awards at the moment, Michaela Bociurko, head of the leisure department of the ÖIV, came up with the idea to move the award ceremony to the “world wide web”. The idea became reality, thanks to Microsoft Teams and a professional realization, the Austrian association could hand over the trophies for achievements from breeding, education, youth and leisure riding at least virtually.
In addition to virtual welcome fanfares and thunderous applause, numerous interested spectators and those to be honored were online – and thus everyone was able to experience a piece of normality here, albeit in a slightly different way, and make the honors in a dignified setting. (The trophies and prizes will of course be sent to their new owners by mail, so that they can hold them in their hands “for real” as soon as possible)