When I rode with Stal Edda two years ago I had never ridden either Icelandic horses or the tolt before. From my first visit I especially remember the horses to be very, very short - much shorter than the ones I later met here, seemed like - and I was curious to see if they actually were. Everything seems bigger in the States, so why not their horses as well? But nope, it was just my first impression; my memory of my initial "you want me to get on that?" response!
It was nice visiting the stable again with some knowledge of the breed, to realize the way they are housed differently from mainstream barns (no stalls) and appreciate the perfect fit of the Icelandic breed on this rustic island. Vlieland is one of a row of small Islands at the northern end of the Netherlands with on the south side the Wadden Sea (with mudflats) and the north side the North Sea (with sand beaches). The Island is about 9,900 acres, half of which are beaches and sandbanks, with about 1,300 residents and over 130,000 visitors each season. Residents with a commercial need are allowed the use of a car and some of the tourist residences still use horse drawn wagons to haul luggage from and to the ferry. The island has about 3,000 hectares of dunes and 1,000 acres of forest and meadows (with only about 100 acres developed). The stable owns about 25 horses and in summer the ones chosen for rentals are housed in a (dune) sand drylot and work about four hours a day. But when the tourist season is over their vacation starts and they are released onto the property of the Forestry Commission where they are allowed to graze, unfenced, all winter long.
The founder of Stal Edda, Wim Gieles, was stationed on Vlieland thru the Air Force, fell in love with the place and did not want to leave. When in 1982 he opened Stal Edda it was love at first sight with the Icelandic breed and it's compatibility with the island and the stable has been Icelandic Horse exclusive ever since. As Wim is kept busy with other responsibilities (he's on City Council) he found assistance in the shape of Krista Nobel. Krista had just finished an HBO agricultural intership at an Icelancic barn in Groningen, and after a few years ended up taking over ownership of Stal Edda. She can't quite make ends meet from horse rental income alone - she works part time at Hotel Golfzang - and plans to expand the amount of seasonal trail rides and add Icelandic Horse and Tolt riding lessons. She also hopes to certify Stal Edda to be able to offer internships for Secondary Professional Education (MBO) agricultural and equine programs.
Which brings me back to my ride. I had scheduled a one hour trail ride (all that was available that day) and had six MBO students and their teacher as companions! Plus one quiet German, who had come to Vlieland especially for Stal Edda and went for a ride every day he was there. Which initially I thought as unusual - lucky him - but apparently he was not unique in that at all. People come from all over Europe - even all the way from North Sweden by plain, train and boat - for a week of Icelandic Horses at Stal Edda.
After all the kids, teacher, the German and I were paired up with a suitable horse we they were pulled from the dry lot to clean and tack up. The visitors helped every step of the way with expert tutelage and Icelandic Horse specific explanations from the couple of knowledgeable stable helpers. To encourage quality seasonal help the stable offers on island lodging.
It was pretty clear from the start the girls (students) knew their way around horses, but also that the teacher was a bit in high water. I was pretty sure I'd signed up for the advanced beach ride and remembered my ride a couple years back, with some trepidation, the beach canter (barely in control, full out gallop to me) - but we were both assured this was a standard ride, not too fast, with definitely no dangerous all out gallop on the beach (mmm... not to sure how I felt about that as I had hoped to feel my seat improved after riding Icelandics for two years). After all were mounted, with stirrups the right length and girths properly tightened, on we went. First single file thru the dunes and later in semi file over the beach. The scenery was gorgeous, the weather perfect - not too hot, not too cold - and the hard packed low tide beach proved perfect to practice our tolt. And then the spot to turn around came. Lots of ears perked up. Quite some feet began to move around. It was harder and harder to ride a tolt. And then the tour guide gave the signal: it's time to RUN! And run they did! Flat out gallop over the beach, one horse racing the other, churned up sand flying everywhere! My heart starts racing again just writing about it! Boy, was that fun - just what I was hoping for and more than I expected!
By the way, I never even saw a waiver...
by Susan Verberg
written for the St.Skutla Group Newsletter and NEIHC Newsletter.
Published in the December 2012 Issue 4 of the Icelandic Horse Quarterly - the official publication of the United States Icelandic Horse Congress and a member association of FEIF.
Stal Edda, Fortweg, Vlieland, the Netherlands
E17.50 for an hour to E155 for a ten hour subscription
www.staledda.nl (in Dutch, use google translate for English)
link to the complete picture album on Picasa
https://picasaweb.google.com/
I used two newspaper articles and vlieland-info.nl for background information.
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