The Tölt Tales
Welcome to The Tölt Tales podcast.
This podcast is dedicated to our best friends, the Icelandic horses. The show features interviews with breeders, trainers, riders, and enthusiasts who share their knowledge, experiences, and love for these remarkable horses.
Music by Cob
The Tölt Tales
Episode 23 - Ísólfur Líndal Þórisson
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
We got the lucky chance to talk to the new Coach of the National Team for #Icelandichorses, Ísólfur Líndal.
We chat about his tasks as team coach, head teacher for the second year students in Holar and his own breeding. We also dive into working with young horses and what is required to become a better rider.
Join us
Music by Cob.
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook, @the_toelt_tales.
Hello, everyone. Our new guest today is a teacher in Olar University, breeder of lechamotir horses, and recently appointed as the new national Icelandic team coach. Ísólfur Líndal is in the Tölt Tales podcast. Hello, Ísólfur, how are you?
Isolfur:Hi, I'm very good, thank you.
Lionel:Yes, thanks for taking the time to talk to us today. Usually, the way we start is we ask a very broad question, is that for the people who do not know you, you know, there is a couple of people who might not know you. What is Ísólfur doing in his life?
Isolfur:Yeah, well, I am a horse breeder, well, horse person, in general. That's my life, you know, being in horses, around horses, been that way since I remember. I'm born and raised on a farm, and quite a big horse farm. So it wasn't really any other way to go, really. I mean, they have had my mind and heart since I remember. So now, like today, I'm living in Skagafjörður. I am an instructor in Hólár University. I am the Icelandic national team trainer. We have a big training station. We have around 40 horses in training. And then my biggest achievement in life are, of course, my children and grandchildren. So I am also, you know, the horses and my family, you know, that's what my life is about, these two things, really.
Lionel:We saw one of your sons on TV, on Hight Fantasy TV on Thursday, right?
Isolfur:Yeah, Guðmar.
Lionel:Riding for Mestad Island. How was it?
Isolfur:It was amazing to see him. I was so proud. I was competing there 12 years ago, maybe, you know, three seasons. You know, that was amazing. Got some good results there, and that was amazing. I was super happy to see him ride on the track, and he has had that as his goal to compete in Mestad Island since he was a baby seeing his daddy there.
Lionel:All right.
Isolfur:Yeah, it was a big moment, and he did a decent show, you know. So, yeah, I was happy with it. He's turning 20 this year.
Lionel:He's 20 this year. It's like, it's compared to... I mean, he's competing against some of the best riders in Iceland, right? So it's not a small feat to be a part of that table of riders, I guess.
Isolfur:No, absolutely not. I mean, we have their best riders in the world competing, and this arena is a little bit strange from other arenas that they are competed in. I mean, it's narrow. I mean, it is long and narrow. It's only 18 and a half meter in width. Wow. So the corners and the short side are really short. So that gives an extra fetus in it. And then, of course, I mean, it is so... So the promotion of Maistral Dilt is very well done. I mean, there are four cameras on you all the time. Elfax TV doing an amazing job, Maistral Dilt doing an amazing job, you know. And this is very important just in general for the Icelandic course and Icelandic marketing, Icelandic courses and our amazing writers.
Lionel:Yeah, I mean, this is an international show by any means, right? Yeah. You see who's following it, we follow it every year. So it's a treat to see a so good writer in that sense. And having Íórisson, I guess, being part of it must feel amazing.
Isolfur:Yeah, it's amazing. It's amazing.
Lionel:You mentioned a bit, we talked a bit about your family, you mentioned your horse. Can you tell us a bit more about your breeding?
Isolfur:Well, my breeding is based on, well, we can say like three men, a lifetime of work, you know, my grandfather, Sigurður Líndal. Then my father was with him. Ísólfur Líndal Þórisson is his name. And then Magnusson in Leisikestaðir. I mean, yeah, my breeding is based on their work, you know, kind of taking the ball a little bit, you know, getting good horses for them to start up, and it's based around that. So the background of our breeding mares today are either from Leisikestaðir or from Laikemoet. And, yeah, actually, in Laikemoet now, which has been, you know, Laikemoet farm has been in the family since 1827, if I remember correctly. We are actually three people or like, yeah, it's my father is breeding there, my sisters and her husband Sonja and Fridrik, they are living in Laikemoet and running the farm. And then me and Gudmund and Speede, we have our breeding there as well. So there's like three families working, you know.
Lionel:And it's not the same name, right? Or is it not the same name? Yeah, all the same. Ah, wow, okay. Yeah. Okay, okay. That is cool.
Isolfur:And I'm getting that old, that I'm now showing horses in breeding shows, that I also showed the grandmothers, or even great grandmothers, in a breeding show when I was younger.
Lionel:How does it feel?
Isolfur:Actually, it feels amazing, because the more you know of the background, how the mother was, or preferably, if you know the mother and the father, it is much easier to train the offspring. You know where to go. And when you see a yellow flag, you might have come across it with a mother or grandmother or whatever, and had a little bump on the road. So you can avoid that bump, because you know it's coming, if you don't do this to prevent it. So that's kind of cool.
Lionel:This is indeed something that maybe people who listen to us don't know. It's like the work of breeding is knowing the horses and how you pair them, I guess, also.
Isolfur:Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. And as I say, if you know their background, you get, well, at least you have opinion in your mind. It's not always correct, but in most cases, it speeds it up. But obviously, if you get the horse that that you don't know anything about the background, you know, it's not a problem. But it's super fun to work with a youngster that you know so much about the family.
Lionel:And I guess it's funny in that sense that you start to feel like some traits of character are passing through the genes, through the breeding, et cetera.
Isolfur:Both the way they look, the temperament, the gait. And then obviously, when you start pairing individuals together, I mean, you are thinking about, okay, I mean, this offspring is out of this mare. They are a little bit straight in the body. So we have to get a horse that is soft in the middle. I would not pair together, we can say a straight body to a straight body. If you want a little bit of softness, and then you might have a horse that is a little bit too soft. You need a little more firmness in the middle, then you can pair those together. And yeah, so breathing is really where... I love breathing, I love to breed horses and work with the youngsters that we make.
Lionel:Do you have a goal? Like every year, or do you have a long-term goal regarding your breathing? Like you want your horse, you're part of the Camotille to be like this, or known for a good character, good gait, or obviously, I guess, but or color or whatever?
Isolfur:Definitely not color. I don't think about it at all. No. Even though I find black horses are the best on the show ground, but I don't mind the color. But in general, I just want them to be the best. One of the goals that I have as a breeder is to be the breeding farm of the year in Iceland. They have been nominated a few times, but never won it. I want to win it.
Lionel:How do you go about winning this? Is it like across multiple, like the offspring that have been, I guess, like the...
Isolfur:There is a really complicated system for it, but it is based on the breeding shows that year. Now we're in 2026. So it will be determined in how many horses make it to first prize, the average score, and how many. Then they have a system to even out numbers between years. I mean, like, let's say four-year-old mares, they get plus 0.20 in the overall score. So they are all measured, like the overall score, all measured the same. So that is how that is done. And then you have also the horses with offspring, you know, mares that get honor prize, or stallions that get first prize for offsprings, or honor prize for offsprings. They also give a point into this, and then it's all a big pile, and they, yeah, it's a complicated system. I'm not 100% into it, how it works, but roughly it works like this.
Lionel:Yes. I mean, and I guess as a breeder, your goal is bring as many first prize offsprings as possible and then you will be closer to the highest ranked farm, I guess.
Isolfur:You know, as young as they can be, with as high marks as they can be, you know, that's really the recipe for it. Then in this breeding department, I also have a dream of winning, also our stallion from us, from Lákemud, will win the Slickners in Lansmúd. Yes, that would be cool.
Lionel:I hope you manage to fulfill that dream.
Isolfur:Yeah, I hope so too.
Lionel:We talked a bit about when we started, we own a Léquiamauti horse, just wanted to restate a bit the fact that gates are amazing, but his brain, his character, is probably one of the nicest horse I ever came across.
Isolfur:A big part of that, that we still have in our part of Iceland is that our youngsters, one- and two-year-olds, we are still putting them into the highlands for two or three months in the summer, where there is absolutely nothing but wilderness, just horses, horses from other farms. I mean, they need to learn how to behave around other horses, how to be in a group. And they need to survive. I mean, occasionally, horses don't come back. It's not often, but still, occasionally, they disappear. And we can assume that they are dead then.
Lionel:They are dead, yeah.
Isolfur:So there is still a little bit of selection, nature selection going on there, but they have to think, how am I gonna pass this river? How am I gonna jump over this stream here? This swamp here? Am I gonna walk into it? Or is there another way? Or over these rocks? How can I go over this without breaking my leg? They have to think. They have to use their brain to think how to finish tasks. And so I think their mentality is getting a lot of motivation in this young age. And also physically, strengthening hooves, tendons, muscles. I mean, they are running for a lot over the summer and have these amazing grass fields up there. So they're getting both really good and strong grass. And also exercise. So there is a lot of muscles building up there. So it's super good. And it is very sad, the development. I think that the horses are more and more being raised in small herds, in fenced fields. And I think that is actually a lot of the difference. I feel there's a lot of difference between Icelandic horse born and raised in Iceland, or in the mainland, for example, because in many cases, most cases, they don't have this opportunity in Europe, since the land is really valuable and hard to get. I mean, it's not an option. So I get this feeling that there is a difference in that between horses born in Iceland or in the mainland.
Lionel:And you think that plays also in their temperament, their character in that sense?
Isolfur:Yeah, I mean, they have to have courage. They have to think to down below their feet, if they are raised on a rather flat surface with a fence guiding them on the outside, they don't need to think so much about where they're putting their legs down. So just that factor, I think, has a lot of effect on the way that they are thinking and evaluating circumstances.
Lionel:Right. Just for me to know, when you say herd, how many horses are you talking about?
Isolfur:Well, there are rather few. Now, I think there were 350 heads this summer. Oh, all right. But when I was young, we were having 1,000 horses there. Or like the farmers in the area of Lajkot, you know.
Lionel:But you all combine them, right? You all combine them.
Isolfur:Yes. So it was like 800 to 800 plus minus, you know. That was every year. I mean, that was something to see that.
Lionel:And you send them over the summer. That's what we see in September, when you get them, right? And you ride them home. This is also impressive. Yeah, I need to agree on, it sounds amazing for a horse to live like this and to grow like this. I can see one individual. He has the nicest mind we ever met, I think, in terms of just like, he's not scared either, you know? He doesn't spook easily. He's just like, well, that's just that, you know? There is a pheasant running. He's like, there's a pheasant. That's it.
Isolfur:Well, obviously, it's also, you know, it's individual, but however their temperament is, you know, from genetics, I mean, being raised in this environment at least gets them stronger for, you know, mentally and physically for the rest of their lives. I mean, it's not like just put them on the highland and they won't be afraid of anything for the rest of their lives. It doesn't work like that, but they at least are getting motivation and training in thinking.
Lionel:Yes, so you're doing breeding, we're going to go through all the career that you have, breeder is part of it. But in general, what is, how a week of Ísólfur looks like?
Isolfur:Oh, a week, well, I normally go two full days, teaching at Tölt University.
Lionel:Okay.
Isolfur:Then I am training horses here at Stadarhov, where we have our operation now. And basically then, I mean, there is some preparation and little work. It's not so much work now with the national team, just a few phone calls here and a little messenger, but that will be more in the summer and selecting the team for the Nordic Championships. So yeah, that's just basically it.
Lionel:Yeah, like teaching and almost teaching is like holidays then, no? You're not taking care of your horse then, when you're going to teach in Holland?
Isolfur:We have staff with us.
Lionel:Right, okay.
Isolfur:You know, trainers with us, you know, so they are getting trained and, you know, taking care of. I am more like the one that is, you know, a little bit coming and going.
Lionel:Yes.
Isolfur:Kullmar, my son, he is the main trainer, or like, you know, has supervision over everything in the stable.
Lionel:Yes.
Isolfur:And when our little one goes to kindergarten now next month, then my fiancee, Spearis, he will also start to come more into the training.
Lionel:All right. It's definitely family business.
Isolfur:Definitely. Definitely.
Lionel:Yeah. And your son, Kullmar, is the next in line, I guess, is going to... the plan is taking over.
Isolfur:Yeah. We have already started working on that. I mean, he is going to step more and more in, taking more and more of the heat, we can say.
Lionel:Yes.
Isolfur:And I'm going to be more and more, like next winter, I'm going to be more and more focused just on our youngsters training of them. Right. And he's going to go more and more into taking over the business part of it.
Lionel:For a breeder, maybe my next question is a bit weird, but when is the last time you bought a horse?
Isolfur:Oh, last week.
Lionel:Oh, okay. All right. Okay. Okay. Can you tell us why?
Isolfur:She is after our Sintri from Lake Muti. It's a main system that we have, and she came here for young horse training. She's only three, turning four in the spring. And we just like her. She looks amazing. She moves amazing. So, yeah, we just, you know, did a good deal on her with the owner. And, yeah, so we own her now. I see a lot of potential in her. You know, I'm not sure whether it's going to be a breeding mare or a competition mare or that we will sell her eventually. I mean, future will just have to tell. But she is promising. That is always the starting ground. You know, we have a good-looking and promising young horse.
Lionel:And you buy a horse every so often, or it was won in many years?
Isolfur:Yeah, we get ownership over horses regularly, either part ownership or full ownership, you know, make some deals.
Lionel:You teach her, if I'm not mistaken, you were studying in Olar, right? Can you tell us about what are you teaching in Olar?
Isolfur:Well, at the moment, I am the head teacher. Head teacher. I don't know what the right word for this, but let's say head teacher for the second year. There are students that are in the second year. We have a new system. There is one head teacher over the first year, one over the second year, and one over the third year. And then obviously Matti Monset is the head of everything. So I'm taking care of the second year. And there is young horse training. They do a lot of young horse training to just get untrained youngsters and get them rideable and stuff like that.
Lionel:What is the format? You end over youngsters and that's one of their projects to start them?
Isolfur:We just advertise. This is very popular actually here in Iceland to get horses into this program. We get usually horses that are going on the fourth winter. Next spring, going to be three year old, sometimes five year old. They should know how to lead and have this young horse introduction to humans. So they're not wild. Wild, yeah, okay. In the autumn, they need to train two of those. They get a lot of teaching. They don't, we can say like touch them without an instructor with them. In spring, they get one and then there is a lot of like, they are not getting as much teaching. So it's kind of testing them a little bit more.
Lionel:What do you mean it's popular?
Isolfur:It's a super good young horse training system that we are using. And it most of the time is a really nice outcome out of it.
Lionel:Okay.
Isolfur:And it is very cheap also.
Lionel:Yeah, I was about to say like, I guess there is a win there is that you they don't pay.
Isolfur:They just pay for upkeep of the youngster, not for the actual training.
Lionel:Yes, right. Oh, this is such a great system. So every year, you select horses and you send them to... Oh, wow. Okay.
Isolfur:So now, like on the second year, we are only having 13 students. So it was like 26 youngsters in the autumn. Okay. But I mean, there's a lot of a lot going on when we have, let's say, 23, 25 students. We are having, you know, almost 50 youngsters coming in at the same time. There's a lot of action going on then.
Lionel:Yes, a lot of action. The world action is loaded here. I feel like there's a lot of shit happening.
Isolfur:They try to prevent shit to hit the fan as much as we can. Obviously, we are having youngsters that have no no knowledge about horsemanship. You know, they only know how to be a horse. So, that's Ricky Potter's teaching. You know, maybe students that have never trained a young horse. That is always so much fun to see how they are reading the young horse, teaching them how to read the young horse and evaluate what's going on with the horse and stuff like that. It is very, very interesting.
Lionel:And you, your role as in charge of the second year is to make sure that the program around teaching young horse is the right one. You have other teachers that you work with, et cetera.
Isolfur:Yeah, yes. I have one other teacher with me in the young horse training. And yes, you know, stick to the program. And then obviously, I mean, we sometimes have horses that don't like fit exactly into the program. Then we just do a little, you know, go a little bit in a different way with those horses. Just like if you were having a training station, I mean, you get a bunch of youngsters for training and the the majority of them can just stick to this program and the speed of it. But some horses really need longer time, then they just get a longer time. And that's what we do also in Hålar.
Lionel:Yeah, at the end of the day, this is an animal. So obviously, if you do six weeks training and then the horse is not where you want to do, you maybe stretch it.
Isolfur:That's exactly it. And I mean, we need to tune in to the horses. Doesn't really matter on what states of training they are. We need to tune in to them. They, you know, do it in a speed that is healthy for them. The type of horses that are very slow, you know, not reactive a lot. They also need a totally different approach. They need a different type of stimulation.
Lionel:Yes, yes. You were in Olar, now you're teaching in Olar. What is... Do you see a difference? Do you see the evolution of Olar?
Isolfur:Absolutely. There is a lot of development going on. In skills, in writing, understanding the horse, we are getting better, but oh my God, do we have far to go still?
Lionel:I mean... Yes.
Isolfur:Yeah. There is so much that we don't know, that nobody knows. You know, science, that's another part of Olar University. We have a lot of scientists that are measuring and doing research about all sorts of stuff, and it is so interesting the things that they are thinking about. Can we measure this? And if it's possible to measure it, that could lead us as a breeder or a trainer into different directions.
Lionel:Yes.
Isolfur:There's a lot of interesting things that they have been and are working on.
Lionel:Let me ask you, it's very interesting what you're saying. I think it's very... I would like to ask you a question on that. Like the science, you know, like people, researchers looking at things, how can we improve, et cetera. It is something bringing new knowledge, et cetera. But Iceland, like you as Icelandic man, riding horses since many years, coming from a family of Iceland, you have also the heritage and the tradition, you know, like this is how we train horses, this is how we take... Like how do you marry, how do you marry those two? Like do you feel, do you feel you manage to have both of the... take both of the world or...
Isolfur:I believe so. Many of the things that have been checked, like numbers put together in the breeding show. And there, the science, for example, and all these valuations there, are supporting some kind of a belief that or a feeling that you have had, or my father had before, you know, I don't know why, but this works. If the, let's say the back line is like this, you have more risk of getting that type of behavior, of problems, you know, then science comes and says, yes, if you have this, this is, you know, then there is a weakness there, or if it is like this, you have the strength and excess. Yes. So I think science of experience and, you know, actual science, where things are measured, they most of the time are talking the same language.
Lionel:20 years ago, your father, your grandfather, where we know that when the horse is like this, we train it like this, and science is coming, it's like, well, absolutely, yes, it's, now they put more precise number maybe, but this is the same idea behind it.
Isolfur:I think in many cases, we are getting that experience. But also, I mean, in the last 30, 40 years, the development in training horses and the knowledge that we have about training horses has changed dramatically.
Lionel:Yes.
Isolfur:Dramatically.
Lionel:And the horses, it's a question that we ask most professional, like James or Nils Christian Larsen, etc. You know, if you look back at your horse that you had in Olar and the horse that you give today to, that you work, that your student work with, do you feel there is a gap also in terms of quality of horses or temperament of horses, or you feel it's pretty steady?
Isolfur:It's definitely development. The breeding has taken a big jump forward. Well, size, conformation, temperament, gates, everything. Everything. They are getting easier and easier to handle. They are getting easier, you know, getting into gates, getting into balance on the gates. They are getting better, younger. So, I think the biggest, one of the biggest challenges for trainers today is not to do too much.
Lionel:Right.
Isolfur:Because the horses are so open-minded, and they are so good balanced from nature. They have such a good temperament and gates from nature. If you're not careful, you can kind of, you know, finish them, we can say it like that. You know, they are so willing and so offering. If you take too much...
Lionel:You close them?
Isolfur:Yeah, you know, and then they start to get tired or sore or whatever somewhere.
Lionel:Yeah.
Isolfur:And that goes to their head, and then they don't want to work for you anymore.
Lionel:Oh, wow. Okay.
Isolfur:That's my take on that. I mean, you have to be careful not to do too much because, I mean, their bones haven't stopped growing. They're not fully matured physically in any way, really, when you start training them and writing them when they are, you know, in the year that they turn four and five and six, actually, they haven't fully matured. So you have to be careful that you don't overdo it, even though they are volunteering for it. You still have to give, you know, put in the time in, you know, do stuff from the ground, you know, do different training, training without a writer, for example, and just let them rest, you know, have rest days in the week. Don't train them five, six times a week. I mean, most horses that, you know, we have that are like three and four year olds, we don't ride them, you know, with a writer on board more than three times a week. That's the max.
Lionel:Okay. And the rest is either break, like pause, or they rest, or you work from the ground.
Isolfur:Work from the ground, you know, launching work, work from the ground, or a break, or take them out, just running freely with the group.
Lionel:Yes.
Isolfur:You know, so, so, so as I say, I mean, with a, with a writer on board, max three times a week.
Lionel:Yes. Okay. Okay.
Isolfur:I don't want to get them tired physically, because then, then, I mean, my take on young horse training is you are, or well, just trying a horse in general, is you are training a behavior. Right. If you get the mind, you get the body, you know, you can, you can teach a horse if you're just well enough on, on, on point with the reward, you can teach a horse anything. And of course, there is a limit on how much each horse can do. My belief is you have to think of everything that the horse does as is a behavior.
Lionel:Right.
Isolfur:Whether it is turning to the left, going untouched, stopping, going, you know, doesn't matter what it is. It's all a behavior. It starts in the brain. The brain needs to think about it, evaluate it and do something about it before. The body moves, so you're working with the brain. You get the body for free if you work with the brain. That's my take on that. So when they are this young, let's say it like this, I don't want them to be written into shape. Like, you need to do it in other ways. When you are riding a young horse and training a young horse, you are only thinking about the mind, selling them ideas, get an answer. That strengthens that behaviour. Then with time comes muscles, obviously. But get them in running shape. Like, have them running. Not with a rider. Have them running in some way without all this weight on their back.
Lionel:You are not trying to solve like it needs to be at the vertical. You are not thinking about that. You are thinking about what is happening in his brain type of. Yes. We usually say he needs to think forward. Is it something that you will agree with? Like, yes, he needs to think forward. Yes, he needs to think positively.
Isolfur:Absolutely. That's a behaviour. Thinking forward and being positive is a way of thinking. So, reward for that, and then the horse will try to do more for you. Override the horse and get it physically tired. They don't want to run faster or be quicker on the legs, because then they just get tired. They need to get something out of it mentally. So they want to do it. Why else would they do it?
Lionel:Yes. Yeah, it's a good question. And then after, I guess it's a matter of like, when they are five, when they are six, when they are seven, then you work with the shape, the top line, the frame a bit more, I guess.
Isolfur:Yeah, well, we work with the shape and frame and everything and gates and everything when they are, you know, the youngest ones, the four year olds.
Lionel:Yes.
Isolfur:I mean, they do, you know, walk, trot, canter pace and shape and everything. But obviously, the more they mature physically, the stronger they get. And there's a huge difference between four and a five year old and then five and a six year old, because of then the bones are finishing in growing, for example. So there's a lot of change happening in them. And, you know, they have stopped also just growing in height or length, you know.
Lionel:Yes.
Isolfur:All of that stuff is done. I mean, there's a lot of energy from the body of the horse going in to the horse just maturing, physically, you know. Yes. So, yes, obviously, it's going to increase just in, we can say, like rhythm with how the horse ages and matures. And obviously, also, a big part of this is that you are feeding the horse, you know, properly. I mean, they need their proteins, they need their minerals, and they need good, good hay. I mean, they have to have the vitamins and everything necessary to build up muscles.
Lionel:Do you teach that in Hålar? Is it?
Isolfur:We cover pretty much. I mean, we have doctors in how to feed the horse. We have doctors in anatomy. We have the very educated, highly professional teachers in Hålar, not only for the writing part, but also just everything around the horse.
Lionel:Do you have a system that you like to use?
Isolfur:Well, the general rule, we can say, if you can't do it from the ground, the horse can't do it when you're on their back. So, you know, take your time from the ground, get the understanding there, then you can expect it to happen when you go on board. I mean, let's say, if your horse is insecure or tense from the ground, it's very likely he will be that when you go on top of him, you know? So, for example, there, I mean, you need to do the ground work, get understanding there. And so you have also like some exit point when you go on top and there comes some tension, you can go into, well, let's just say, on a small circle or even a kiss your stirrup position, you know, to neutralize the circumstances, so it won't escalate into something dangerous either for you or for the rider or for the horse. And then you have to have, you know, taught the horse kiss your stirrups, for example, from the ground. I have a system, maybe too long of a discussion to do here, you know, but I have written a book about my system, so that is available somewhere. And then obviously we are working with, you know, that system and, you know, not just the system that is taught in Hålar. I mean, that is just what we are doing also at home. Otherwise, I mean, if we wouldn't believe in it, we couldn't teach it.
Lionel:It's a fair point. Just a small question, when you say working from the ground, this is lounging or this is more than just lounging?
Isolfur:I'm more thinking about what, you know, lounging is one thing. Working from the ground, in my mind, is like you have the reins, you know, up and, you know, having the horse walking around you, teaching them on the pit and teaching them to yield from pressure and et cetera. Yeah, that is working from ground.
Lionel:You mentioned you wrote a book. How was it? How was it to write a book? Why did you wrote a book?
Isolfur:Well, my general idea was, at that time, I was traveling a lot around the world teaching. So I was thinking it would be good for my students, you know, wherever in whatever country they were, to have sort of like a manual of how I want the aid to come there and do this and that. So originally it was just like a, I thought of it as like a cooking book. You want to teach the horse shoulder in, and then you just go, okay, page 36, and then you have the recipe for that. So that was my take on that. The other reason was, at that time, I was aiming for doing master test, FTA, you know, to be a training master. So I had to make some material for that.
Lionel:Okay, like a thesis or something like this.
Isolfur:Yeah, so that was the second reason. I was accepted for it, and I was aiming for it, but then the horse I was going for it got sick. So that didn't happen, but that is still on the agenda to do now. Like, yeah, I wrote the book 2016, so 10 years later, I haven't done it yet, but still, I'm on my way for it. But also, I have a homepage, isoonline.is, which has these videos, you know, 50 videos or so, training videos. So I also have that. I like to put stuff out.
Lionel:Is there a second book? Did you thought about a second book? Why not?
Isolfur:I've thought about it, definitely. But at the moment, I have even started only three times, I think. You know, there has been a lot going on in the personal life for the last five years. So it has definitely far down in the priority list.
Lionel:You have a toddler and, you know, like you're, it's good to get busy also on top of it, I guess.
Isolfur:You need to be busy so your mind stays focused.
Lionel:Yes. Yeah. I always say learning new things, get your brain activated. This is what gets you young. Nothing else. But you didn't say entirely no to a second book.
Isolfur:No, no, no. I have a file here in my computer, you know, with some ideas.
Lionel:You mentioned briefly that you were training in many countries. Are you still going out of Iceland?
Isolfur:No, no, I'm done with that. The airports and airplanes and train stations and hotel rooms, you know.
Lionel:It's a life on its own, right?
Isolfur:Yeah, it's a life on its own. And I think that is extremely boring and, you know, a little bit waste of time. And I don't like wasting time.
Lionel:But you're training in Iceland, for instance?
Isolfur:Yes, I'm teaching in Hålar.
Lionel:Yes, for sure.
Isolfur:So that is very, you know, pretty much satisfying my need of teaching. But I also have this clinic here for Kvamneri, it's called Red Merin. I'm teaching that also on weekends, so that is definitely enough of teaching for me.
Lionel:Okay, okay. You scratched the itch of teaching enough in that sense.
Isolfur:Yeah, and then, you know, then I have my writers, you know, preparing for competition, and now I'm looking into the writers, obviously, in the national team. So, so, you know, that type of stuff is, I find interesting, very interesting, you know, like more like this coaching type of thing, not going like directly into teaching, just come with some ideas, and then people just go and do their thing, and then we check on it again, and see if it has improved, and where to go next, you know, not like exactly teaching how to do a leg yield, you know, but your horse, maybe, yeah, it should be better in the leg yield here from your right leg, you know, and then I will see you in two weeks and see how it goes.
Lionel:Yeah, let's dive into that. So I think it was in last December that you will be in the head coach for Iceland. Is it? Is it? How is it a title? The coach for national team, the coach for the national team. What does it mean for you to be to become that?
Isolfur:It's it's it is it is a great honor for me to, you know, get this opportunity. Yeah, definitely. I have a lot of, I'm very enthusiastic about the national team. Yeah, just in general for the Icelandic course, you know, it's all, you know, connected together. And represent Iceland abroad. I mean, there is many, many things that it does for me. And also definitely a challenge. It's a new thing, you know, it's challenging, it's terrifying and in one way. So it's good. It's good to have a challenge.
Lionel:Yeah. Can you explain for, I mean, for me first of all, but maybe for the people who said like, what is your responsibility in that role?
Isolfur:Well, select the group like I have done. I select the group. And then when time comes, select the group out of that group that goes for Nordic and, you know, and also world championships.
Lionel:OK.
Isolfur:Like I have a feeling for where they are in the, you know, development of the horses, you know, go look at them at the competitions, you know, be in communications with the writers, you know, help them to, you know, get these last five to ten percent. Yes. And also like we have like this education or, you know, lecture evenings for them. You know, it's my job to come with, you know, find people, good people, to come and tell them their research and outcomes, you know, out of this and that. We have already had one of this there. We had two vats coming. One was talking about the mouth, you know, teeth and bit in the mouth, and what this and that can do to the rain contact, for example, and make sure they don't have broken tooths. You know, all that stuff. Oh, wow. And then the other doctor was talking about, you know, lengthening the muscles. You know, why do we need this long top line and underline and muscle connection to the bone structure and stuff like that? It is deep stuff, you know.
Lionel:Yes, I can see that.
Isolfur:And obviously it has to be that for this group of writers. I mean, these are highly professional writers that are, you know, on top of their game. I mean, maybe it's just for refreshing their minds. Maybe some stuff, you know, that I bring to them is new. So I find that very interesting.
Lionel:Is it for the senior team or it also touched the young?
Isolfur:I'm for the senior team.
Lionel:The senior team. Yeah.
Isolfur:And I mean, it helps also, you know, when you are training a horse. One of my purposes is fresh eyes. Yes. Maybe I can come with some pointers for them that is like, oh, I haven't thought about this angle before. And that might change a little bit for them. You know, they might benefit from it. That's my goal. That's my hope that I can bring something to the table for everyone and they benefit from it.
Lionel:Yeah.
Isolfur:But yes, I actually was on a clinic from a Norwegian woman that is specialized in training writers. It was amazing. It was in Håland for the students and for us instructors. I mean, we have gotten so far in writing and we've gotten so far in breeding and training horses. I actually think this is the next big step. Actually, there is a long time since I have been this impressed about something.
Lionel:Okay. All right. Okay. I'm looking forward to see the result, I guess.
Isolfur:My angle of these education days or lectures, one part of it is coming with some pointers, hopefully eye-openers from the horse, you know, how to work with the horse or take care of the horse. And then the other one is especially the mentality of the riders. Sport psychology, for example, different angles with that. I mean, how do I deal with stress, anxiety? How do I deal with when things don't go my way? How do I deal with when they go my way? You know, there is one thing to deal with when you feel like you have lost. That's one thing, but there is also how do you deal with when you win? You also have to think about that. You know, the mentality, you know, strengthening them. So when the time comes, they have some tools, you know, they feel the anxiety coming, you know, they are not insecure in some way, but they have some tools that some professional have provided to them. And I'm hoping to be the link there in between.
Lionel:Maybe before leaving you, one tiny question, maybe it's tiny, maybe it's not tiny, I don't know. Where do you think the Icelandic horse world is going in the coming years? You know, how it evolves? Where it maybe needs to evolve?
Isolfur:Well, like I mentioned a little bit before, I think the next big step that we that we are are starting is to be better in training writers.
Lionel:Right.
Isolfur:And be better writers. I think that is the next big step. And that is going to develop so much more the horses with us.
Lionel:Right.
Isolfur:You know, we even our top level writers, well, it doesn't matter on what level they are, but you know, since we have had the focus a lot on the top level writers here, they are crooked. And in many cases, the crookedness of the writer is creating some crookedness in the horse. I mean, one shoulder lower than the other.
Lionel:Oh, right. Okay. Yes. Yes.
Isolfur:You know, it doesn't have to be extreme, you know, untrained eye might not see it. But the horse feels it. The horse feels everything. Everything. I mean, we are sitting on the back. We are most of the time or almost all the time in contact through the seat. So if we are leaning one way, you know, it is affecting the balance and the balance point of the horse. And they have to adjust to it and go in some crookedness, physical crookedness, to, you know, so they won't fall or lose balance.
Lionel:To catch.
Isolfur:I mean, if you're riding, let's say, and you lean your head to the right, your head is going to the left. Okay, so let's say you are leaning to the right on top of a horse. The horse needs to balance it out with leaning some way. And then you go, ah, why is he always going through the left shoulder?
Lionel:True.
Isolfur:Because probably, probably, it's not sure, but probably because the rider is crooked. I think this is the next big steps, next big step in the development of training and riding the Icelandic horse, is this obviously, horses are also crooked by themselves, just out in the field. I'm not saying all of this is due to crookedness in the rider. But definitely, definitely, some of the things that we are dealing with in training and in competition is because we are, you know, the rider is crooked and creating unbalancedness in the horse.
Lionel:And that you feel like it's something that you, we need to do better almost, or we need to train better in that sense?
Isolfur:We need to do it better. We need to be better in that.
Lionel:Is it the type of thing that you're going to push towards, like in the coming years, maybe in Hålar or with the national team, for instance?
Isolfur:Definitely. Hålar University is already starting this journey with a very big focus on that. So I really say to writers that have been thinking about going to Hålar, now is the time to go, because we are adding this to the study in Hålar. So apply in the spring, definitely. I am planning on taking this to the national team. Right.
Lionel:Okay. Sounds like a good plan.
Isolfur:Yeah, I believe so.
Lionel:Well, thank you, Ísólfur. It's been a bit more than an hour that we are talking. I hope it doesn't feel too long.
Isolfur:Right. It's been fun. I usually don't have any issues with talking.
Lionel:No. Thank you, Ísólfur, for coming. And thank you, everyone, for listening. We will come back very fast with a new episode. In the meantime, do not hesitate to share this episode before leaving you. We would like to mention that you can follow us on Instagram and Facebook. Please visit Ísólfur's website. We're going to put the link. Go and apply in Olar as well. If you want to improve your work and know how to be a better writer. Thank you so much, Ísólfur, for talking to us.
Isolfur:Thank you.
Podcasts we love
Check out these other fine podcasts recommended by us, not an algorithm.
Nattfari Podcast
Johan Häggberg & Elsa Andersson
