As you know, May 1st is the international day of the Icelandic Horse. For this occasion, FEIF and Horses of Iceland have joined forces in order to reach a maximum of people and flood the internet with content of people doing all kinds of activities with Icelandic horses. Here are a few ideas of what can be organized (of course, this is a non exhaustive list and anything can be added to it.
- Open houses: encourage people to invite their friends, family, neighbors, work colleagues, village inhabitants, etc. to come visit their farm/stables and show them around.
- Invite people to come ride: encourage horse owners to allow children and adults to come and ride (whether they hold the reins themselves or not can be decided on the spot according to the type of horse and rider)
- Demonstrations: Prepare a small show showcasing the Icelandic horse’s gaits and versatility and invite the whole neighborhood/village to come and see.
- Invite people for a barbecue at the stables: Whether they ride or not, people are always happy to show up for a barbecue (or something of the kind). Invite them for a tour of the farm and/or stables at the same time.
- Invite friends and family to come over: People love to get close to horses and it’s not something they do everyday. Whether it’s to groom your horse(s) with you and help you muck the stable and then have a drink together or just come and pet a few horses. They’ll probably like to see your riding skills too.
And for those of you who cannot organize something in particular or invite others, you can OF COURSE still participate by simply posting what you will be doing with your horses on social media. Show us what your horse’s favorite activity is or what your favorite part of being a horseperson is: whether it’s feeding and listening to the sound of horses eating their hay, meditating by mucking out the stables, going for a bike ride with your horse, sitting in a field with horses or hardcore training for a competition (or even competing), everything is welcome. We want to show the world how multi-facetted being around Icelandic horses can be and how international our community is.
We’re counting on you to spread the word!
Photo: Claudia Thumm (photo competition 2023)