Leisure Riding

Photo: Kari Baklund

Leisure riders are, by far, the largest group of riders within the membership of our 23 FEIF member associations. Any rider on an Icelandic horse is an ambassador for the entire community.

Every country has its own rules and regulations related to the keeping and riding of horses, so the Leisure Department’s role in FEIF will be to focus on the individual relationship between rider and horse. The FEIF Leisure Department provides a platform for all national departments of the member associations, encouraging improved relationships between riders and horses through education, ambassadorship, rides and fun.

The Riding Horse Profile

In 2017, the FEIF Riding Horse Profile was launched. It is a tool to help riders find the best possible match when buying a new horse, and consists of two forms, which are completed by the buyer/rider in cooperation with professional trainers. You can choose between a  “Riders form” or a “Trainers form“.

The FEIF Riding Horse Profile represents a neutral description and assessment of the character and behavior of a horse as well as the needs of the buyer/rider.  The process recognizes each rider and horse are special with their own character and qualities.  A horse which may be a completely wrong choice for one rider may be the perfect match for another.

Photo: Kirsi Kulmala (Photo competition 2022)

FEIF Virtual Ride

Uniting people in their passion for the Icelandic Horse has become increasingly easier with social media. The annual Virtual Ride  is a great way to participate in some of the big international events, even if home is in a remote location, or if fellow Icelandic horse riders are far away.

 

FEIF Relay Ride

The idea for the Relay Ride was born at the beginning of the 80’s, when some of the riders rode on their Icelandic horses from the previous World Championship’s venue to the new one. In the baton that accompanies the riders, there is a message from the former to the next host of the World Championships.

Photo competition

The motto of the 2023 photo competition was different for each season – itstarted with  PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT”. The spring motto was then“RIDING IN HARMONY”,  followed by “HORSE FRIENDSHIPS”. The last motto for 2023 was “SPECIAL MOMENTS”.

Everyone was welcome to join! The winners were selected via FaceBook and were included in the limited-edition calender produced at the end of the year.

An international jury always selects the best 10 photos – a difficult job as there were so many great pictures – and then it was up to you to like the top three photos on FEIF Facebook, or the Facebook pages of the FEIF member associations Germany, Iceland, Canada or Hungary.
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Topic: Special Moments

News from the Leisure Riding department

Annual Leisure Riding Meeting 2024

Annual Leisure Riding Meeting 2024

The group of enthusiastic participants of the FEIF Leisure Riding meeting 2024 worked on outlining and refining the strategic direction of the initiatives for the coming year. The Leisure Riding department can now embark a journey with a renewed focus on key...

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Young Committee members 2024

Young Committee members 2024

Along with other candidates who were elected in the Delegates' Assembly 2024, three new young committee members will also start their 2-year position on FEIF committees: Jana Etzold (DE) will serve on the Leisure Riding committee, Marie Bruun Hansen (DK) on the Sport...

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The photo competition 2023

The photo competition 2023

The Photo Competition 2023 is now over and we have received a total of 315 beautiful and creative photos from you. Thank you to every one of you who sent in one or more photos. It has been really difficult for the jury members to decide which photos should be included...

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Virtual Ride

Ride with friends around the world from home to the next big competition

Get in touch

Leisure Riding activities and contacts in all FEIF member countries

Documents

Get the latest documents from the Leisure Riding department