The Tölt Tales

Episode 22 - Vibeke Thoresen

• The Tölt Tales • Season 3 • Episode 2

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In our latest episode we talk with Vibeke Thoresen, a Norwegian living in Iceland. Vibeke worked with trotting horses, studied in Holar and is teaching in Wyoming and Alaska. We talk about training systems, how assessing the horse before a lesson and without equipment can help the training, tölt from the ground and working at Hestaland.

Join us for this interesting chat!


Music by Cob.
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook, @the_toelt_tales.

Ariane:

Hello, everybody. Our new guest today is a Norwegian living in Iceland, a student at Håla University, and she's not only training in Iceland, but also in the US, Canada, and Alaska. Vibeke Thoresen is in The Tölt Tales podcast. Today, we have Vibeke Thoresen. We always give the guests an opportunity to present themselves. So Vibeke, can you just briefly say who you are? Most people know you probably, but just briefly say, who are you? And then we dive into some questions.

Vibeke:

Yeah, of course. Thank you for having me. It's very fun, it's my first podcast. My name is Vibeke, I'm Norwegian. It is now 10 years since I moved to Iceland. I'm 29 years old. It's five years since I graduated whole love as a writing instructor. I also started my master and I hope to continue that next autumn. I have left to write the master thesis, which is very exciting. I own some horses. I work for Gudmar at Hestaland. I'm also self-employed and teach both in Iceland and North America. And yeah, I think that's about it.

Ariane:

Okay. Yeah, and like I said, I think most people know you already, that listen to our podcast, because I start kind of from the back. People know you maybe also from the Horse Day app. You do some stuff and the Horse Day app, they also share your stories quite often of your training. And I think you are one of the most followed people on that app.

Vibeke:

I didn't know that, but I used Horse Day a lot since the beginning, and I'm really happy with that, that it's all in one place. It's super cool. Very fun people to work with too.

Ariane:

Okay, they are like a goal for us too, so maybe we catch them as well at one point.

Vibeke:

You totally should.

Ariane:

Because I think it's interesting to see different perspectives. And I follow you also on that app, so I think it's great to see for myself when I look on what I want to train and how I want to train with my horses to kind of get an idea how you do it as a professional, to just see, okay, she did it like this, she split the training up in those parts. So I think it's very inspirational.

Vibeke:

Yeah, thank you. I like to use it too. So every time I open up, I also like to see what other people are doing, my friends or the people I follow. It's super interesting to get a little peek into other people's training.

Ariane:

Exactly. Okay, then let's start. We have some questions that we ask every guest, and we can see where they fit best, but you mentioned that you own some horses. And I will start actually with those easy questions. How many horses do you own? Do you know this?

Vibeke:

Yeah, I should know at least. I do own... I got my first two foals this summer, so that's two. And I have my gelding creamer that I bought for a whole lot. Then I also have two mares. One of them is hopefully pregnant. She was scanned with twins. But there is a chance that one of them will be absorbed. So I hope she either gets one foal or non foal. And then I have Sjöðr, who is like one of my two hard horses. I don't own him, but I've had him now the last couple of years. So how many was that? Six?

Ariane:

Six, yeah.

Vibeke:

Maybe, yeah. But I also, yeah. I did also just buy another horse now this Christmas with my boyfriend. So seven. I forgot about her.

Ariane:

Okay. That would be my next question. When was the last time you bought a horse? So you bought another horse now with your boyfriend?

Vibeke:

Yeah, just now on the Christmas holiday.

Ariane:

Okay. Was it a gift for both of you?

Vibeke:

Almost. It was a very good opportunity for Gudmar.

Ariane:

Okay.

Vibeke:

One of his friends was selling this mare. She's four years old after a room from Kirkegulli. So he was, I think, the highest-judged four-year-old stallion in 2020. He's at the Sky Inn after a very nice mare. So she was at Estaland, and Gudmar asked me the day before. I was going on Christmas holiday. If I want to buy this horse, I was like, yeah, let's do it. And I tried her, my boyfriend tried her, and we bought her.

Ariane:

So it fits. You have a good feeling. Do you want to use her for breeding, or you want to use her as a riding horse?

Vibeke:

We're going to use her as a riding horse. So we haven't brought her home yet, even. But she should come now any day. And I will seem to continue to ride her and train her. And then my boyfriend will probably use her in some treks together with Hestaland. We will see where it goes after a few years.

Ariane:

This sounds really exciting.

Vibeke:

Yeah, it really is.

Ariane:

Do you live close to Hestaland, or how do you do this? Because you have your horses at home, right?

Vibeke:

Yeah, we do. In the summer time, we don't have a stable at home. But in the summer, we have the horses at home. But I live Icelandic distance close to Hestaland. But it is still like a 20-30 minute drive.

Ariane:

Yeah, but that's okay.

Vibeke:

It is totally okay. And I do have my own training horses at Lindtard Horse Breeding. That's also like 20 minutes away. So I have always one horse at Hestaland, and the rest of my training horses at Lindtard. Or at home in the summer time.

Ariane:

Yeah. Do you have like a possibility to ride if you don't have a stable, but do you have a track somewhere close by? At your place?

Vibeke:

Yeah, we do. Here at home, we can ride all over. It's trail riding though, but it's short to go. It's just 10 minutes to the Agriculture University of Iceland, where there is an over track, a breeding show track, riding all 20 minutes to Borgarnäs, where we also have it, and Hestaland and Lindtard. So we're not in lack of facilities.

Ariane:

In Borgarnäs, we went to the riding house, actually, there, when we were in Hestaland last year. And we ended up seeing some training there. And I think the end of a competition, we didn't really know. We just looked around. It was really fun. And the track looked awesome, even though it was March. So it was a bit cold still. So there was not so much outside, but inside.

Vibeke:

Yeah, the competition season is still inside in March. But yes, it's a good place to be if you're in Horses to be an investor in Icelandic and Borgermens.

Ariane:

Yeah, we were really surprised. Like it just there and like such a big facility. We don't have this. We don't have a track at home. So for us, it was like we just were amazed. Yeah, anyway. But you are Norwegian and you didn't start necessarily with Icelandic horses, right?

Vibeke:

No, I didn't. I only started riding Icelandic horses when I moved there.

Ariane:

Okay, because I read that you were like more into racing horses and show jumping.

Vibeke:

Yeah, that's correct.

Ariane:

How did that like? And you also said you moved to Iceland 10 years ago, roughly. So what happened in your life that you decided now it's Icelandic horses and Iceland?

Vibeke:

It was, I think, very spontaneous, I would say so. But it was maybe also a little bit in my subconscious mind. So to take it from the start, in my hometown where I grew up, we had the trotters, cold-boiled trotters. We used them for like salties and also their saddle, which was my favorite. That's where high school, I moved to Northern Norway to do like a horsey high school. And there I continued to work more with the trotters at a professional level, but also at a show-jumping staple with the tree riders who have been in the Olympics. So that's where I got my experience there. But I did an internship in high school where I visited Katrine Fudsta, who now has ride like a whiter. And she was the first one to tell me about cola. But then, I think, two years passes and I'm finishing high school. And I have always thought education is very important. And then I was like, well, what's that university in Iceland again? And I realized it's a university, like bachelor level, could become a riding a special. Like, yeah, that's a no-brainer. I'm moving to Iceland. So in, I don't know, maybe like six months before moving, I went to Iceland and visited Lundtav, where I still have my horses today. Ended up being there for a year to learn Icelandic and learn Icelandic courses, and started full-on a year later. Wow. So yeah, it was the education part that brought me to Iceland, that the Icelandic course made me stay.

Ariane:

But I think it's also extremely brave to, like as at such young age to say, okay, I go to another country, learn another language. Very impressive.

Vibeke:

Yeah, thank you. But my family is, my dad had worked almost my whole life abroad. And some of my family also live in the Netherlands, Germany, Canada. So I'm used to traveling, so it didn't feel like a big step.

Ariane:

Yeah. You're probably then also more open to explore other nationalities, other countries, other people. Yeah.

Vibeke:

And I really think that's super fun. I love that. That was also the reason why I moved away from high school. So I moved away from home when I was just 15 years old. Wow. Yeah. And then I was 19 when I moved to high school. 18 or 19.

Ariane:

Very impressive. But so coming from the big horses, do you feel like that is giving you a different perspective? Because we talked, for example, also with Gunmar about it, that he in Kentucky also experienced other horse breeds. And coming then from the Trotters, they are very special, even though they can be gated. But showjumpers obviously are normally not gated. So how do you experience this kind of the difference between the different kind of horse breeds and styles of handling horses? I wouldn't necessarily say riding because of the Salke as well, but handling horses and everything. How do you experience that? Does it help you?

Vibeke:

Yeah, I think so. I think a lot about this, actually. And we have to talk often about it. In one way, I think it's exactly the same. We all want healthy horses that can perform at whatever level for the longest time, to have fun with the horses, and then we have individual goals. But then it's also very different, where I was working professionally with horses in Norway. It was very, very professional. So for example, with the trotters, we have, what's it called, like a watch on your arm, that says the heart rate of the horse.

Ariane:

Yeah, like a pulse meter.

Vibeke:

Yeah, so in front of the Selkie, there was this little tablet showing that when you are driving at this speed, you are in that zone, and we had to drive like X kilometer in that zone. And it was kind of similar with the show jumping barn, where it was at a very high level. We also did the very specific training, so anyone who could ride could do the job as being like the homegirl, which I was, riding the horses that was in between seasons and in between shows. And there we would also do, for example, 20 minutes trot and asphalt, which is quite untraditional. But they did it to get that, like, just the, how do you say it, course of their legs to strength them, like, so they can tolerate the landing of those high jumps. We also did a lot of the canter intervals, also with the shoulders, sorry, with the trotters. And with the trotters, we also did a lot of galloping in deep sand, even though they only compete in trot. But then the difference when I came to Iceland, there are people who write so much on their feelings. They have it in their fingertips. And you just feel what feels right today. So there, I maybe noticed the biggest difference. But I do also think in Iceland that I am not very structured, well-researched writers and trainers. So I do see the similarities with that structure training, too.

Ariane:

That was actually when I, around 10 years ago, I went to Iceland the first and second time only, like in my life. And we had a guide for the tour and he always said, like, to write with soft eyes. And that was something that really, like, it resonated with me, but it was something that I didn't experience before, like that somebody had told me soft eyes, soft hands, and go more with the feeling, less kind of technical stuff. So that was really interesting. But the pulse stuff, that was something that we actually, so we have also two of our podcast guests from the first season, like really in the beginning, Sabina Svärt and Linda Andersson. Linda is a vet, and we did a training with them. We went to Jägersruhe here in Malmö on the track for the trotting horses, actually. But with our Icelandic horses, and we had a pulse meter on the Icelandic horses, and we did several rounds on this trotting track, and also then took blood samples to check kind of how the training affects the horses. That was extremely interesting. And we still have the pulse tracker. So I think it's a really interesting thing to see how the horse is kind of doing additionally to some horse day app or something where you see.

Vibeke:

Exactly. Yeah. Yeah, and I also find it super interesting. These days, or these days, it's been the last couple of years, I have been very lucky to be sponsored by Droghne, who is a Norwegian saddle company. But the owner or one of the owners, her name is Toni Lundnes. She's also a veterinarian, and they also have Icelandic horses and trotting horses. And they also, we've had a lot of good conversation about how to train trotters, how to train Icelandic horses, and combine the techniques and so on. It's super interesting.

Ariane:

Yeah. I think for Linda, because she works in the clinic, and they have also trotting horses, kind of connected to the owner of the clinic. So I think she has the different perspectives. So I think this is a really interesting thing when you kind of step outside of your of your bubble to take the good and interesting part and then apply it to the Icelandic horse world. Yeah, to see some different things.

Vibeke:

Yeah, exactly.

Ariane:

And you studied at Håla. So you did your bachelor there and you're doing a master now. You want to finish it. Do you want to continue? This is off topic, but do you want to continue? Is there a possibility to do like something like a PhD? Do you want to do something like this or you say, OK, master level is something and then I stop and?

Vibeke:

Yeah, I think for me, it's enough with a master. Because I do think, but I hear I might be wrong or just lack knowledge. But I do think if you're going to take it further, you need to research, for example, equinutrition or animal genetics. And that is two topics that is not my favorite. I'm more into force training, rider connection, than the normal hands on dealing with horses and people.

Ariane:

Yeah, because you have the background in equine science, and you do evidence-based practices. So you have a scientific insight.

Vibeke:

Yeah.

Ariane:

But you can then apply it also to training exercises.

Vibeke:

Yeah, exactly. And I find that super interesting. I still read a lot about, or from, what's it called again? Equitation Science International or so. They publish a lot about horse training. And I have to write our new books called something like Training of the Modern Horse. I can't really give you the link, so I'm not saying that.

Ariane:

Yeah, that would be great.

Vibeke:

But I really like those books. And it's that like, you really like practical training of the horse that is scientifically proven. And I find that super interesting.

Ariane:

How do you implement that then into your day to day life with the horses and also with your students?

Vibeke:

I think it is a lot about learning for myself how horses learn, and to teach people how horses learn. I think if you understand how the horse experienced the situation we put them in, whether that is just getting the horse from the field, like room and then picking up the feed, studying young horse or doing specific trussage exercise in a horse you know for years, you can get big improvements if you are maybe a little bit stuck or just haven't focused on a certain area. To take it from the horse perspective, how can this horse experience this to be easier? How can we do it on their terms so they understand the purpose and meaning of the exercise? So a lot of horse behavior, I think is the key to put into the keepsimple for the horse and for riders and trainers.

Ariane:

Do you also then, I know that when I was a child, people were always like, I went to holidays to a riding camp and then people started looking for me like, where is Ariane? They couldn't find me. And I was sitting for hours at a field, just watching horses and looking how they interact. This is also something for me, like, really interesting to just see how horses are without the human and then see how they are with the human.

Vibeke:

Exactly. I think that's a very good perspective to have. And I think the more we look at horses, just observe. And that can be in any situation. Look at a herd, sit and watch a competition without looking at the competition, if you know what I mean. Just observe what's going on. And I think also when you're learning about horse behavior, and now there's a lot of focus on conflict behavior, I think if we can recognize conflict behavior, if we can recognize the social behavior that the horse needs, or how they interact with other horses or the rider, we get so much information. And I think getting that information is what you can build on. And it's not like good and bad information. It's just information, just the horse is talking to you, and you can understand them.

Ariane:

Exactly. You anyway need to see what you do then with the information, but it's really important to just kind of take it in and then process it and apply it then later.

Vibeke:

Yeah.

Ariane:

You also do non-written groundwork, I think. Did I read something about it? And liberty work. So you also, and this comes back to like behavior of horses and then the relationship with a horse, but not just like, we always talk about people do training if they want to compete, but it's not necessarily about competing a horse. This is your end goal, right? It is about the relationship with the horse. How do you implement like different things into your interaction with the horses?

Vibeke:

Yeah, it's a good question. I'm not always completely sure about the answer. For example, now this was just two days ago, I have a royal newly gelding in training. So he is within a bit, he knows how to go forward, turn left and right and stuff. He offers a lot of tult, which is very nice. But now since he is gelded, I'm not riding him too much. But I still want to keep moving and keep going. He has gotten enough rest and enough movement. But so I've been doing a lot of tult in hand and tult in hand, I also do very much with my 19 year old stallion, Shuler, he's not mine, but I call him mine. Because I want to warm him up very well. And I have to be honest with myself that I'm not the best at warming up and up and walk. I wanted to keep him going. So we were doing Tölt in hand with the bridle on, even a lunchinger. Then I take off the lunchinger, do a little bit more. And then I end up taking the bridle off, which I'll always do when I'm done training and they can all go on with the riding arm. But then it was like, I wonder what happens if I try to do a Tölt in hand with a neck rope, or just put the reins around the neck. And I do that. And it was just as easy as it was with the bridle on. I could change the direction, move the shoulders, move the hindquarters, go in into tents. And then I took off the neck ring and did it again. And I think it's so short.

Ariane:

Without anything?

Vibeke:

Yeah, without anything. It is a small riding hall, though, so there's no much place to go. But you could walk away if you wanted to.

Ariane:

Yeah.

Vibeke:

And if we call that liberty or not, is there be a definition question? But I do think with that, that it's very fun to see that I'm as like a proof to myself, that I'm not keeping him to tempt with the reins. It's also my body language from the ground, from using my hand on his side, from the voice commands, and that I don't rely on only one type of equipment. This was maybe like a 12-minute session, all in all. But I do think, though, when you kind of put up these challenges to yourself, to do this with a bridle, without the bridle, the neck rope, it doesn't matter so much what the equipment is, but just trying it and again, see what information you get. And here I did get information that he knows how to do tentative hand and move the shoulders, since the reaction will die. So I think that was very fun. And I think that also builds quite a bit of a strong connection with the horse.

Ariane:

Yeah, I think so too.

Vibeke:

There's always a choice and things are always the same.

Ariane:

I feel, when I hear you talking about it, and sometimes I also ride just with the neck ring with Louis, my older horse, because I know that he sometimes struggles with the connection. And overall, I know he's, especially in a track, he's way happier when I remove everything from his face. He's not weird in the face. And the feeling that I have when I ride him in any gate without anything in the front, kind of, I would almost describe it as I open my heart in a way that shows him also, I trust him, and I feel like this makes our connection even more special.

Vibeke:

Yeah, I feel the same. I really do.

Ariane:

But this is amazing with a four-year-old, and it really shows you then the horse wants to interact with you, right?

Vibeke:

Exactly.

Ariane:

Like you say, he could go away, but if he's with you and mentally stays there, that's extremely impressive.

Vibeke:

Yeah, I think it's super fun. And I think that's also something that I have been reflecting on now when there's been so much talk about socializing to operate the last five years or so, is that I think at least how it is with my training, but I can also say for the places that I've worked, of course, where I work now, all the training could be feeling posted online, and I don't think anyone would have any big reaction to it. Of course, there's different opinions on how to do things. But I do think almost all of the training I've seen the last five years for also what we did at Hålad, it's very easy to defend why it's okay, because it is on the horses. Yeah, like it is a good horse welfare. We're not forcing the horse to do something they're not capable of, we're throwing them in the deep water and saying figure it out.

Ariane:

You do prioritize the horse's well-being and give them a positive experience. That is something that looking at your social media feed, but also your website, that really becomes clear that this is something that you try to work on.

Vibeke:

But if it's written on the website or not, I still think it's very important that all horse training improves the horse. And I don't only mean then like gateways or connection, like rain connection, for example, but that the horse gets healthier, stronger, more symmetric, improves like the life quality, gets better fur, gets better coat, gets better hooves, that everything improves within the horse, that they get a better social life. So I really do try to focus on that. Of course, also that they improve in the gates and can fit to whatever purpose they are going to have. Yeah. So I think it's important to prioritize the horses.

Ariane:

Yes, it's a sustainable horse if we use a word that is kind of like all over the place. We talked about traveling, and that you're used to traveling, your family traveled or moved abroad, and just recently you've been to Alaska for some time.

Vibeke:

Yeah, I spent a month in Alaska.

Ariane:

Yes. Actually, your postcard that you sent to us is on our fridge. Can we talk a bit about your time in Alaska, actually? Just overall, how did you end up in Alaska? Like, what is the connection there? Yeah, and just tell us everything.

Vibeke:

Yeah. Yeah, it's where to start. And I do have to say it's all thanks to Goodmar. I've gotten so many opportunities to work abroad or in North America from Goodmar, from these connections. But it started with that I was teaching in Wyoming, which will now probably be my fourth year. And then it expanded to Canada, where I probably spend now maybe three months in total training and teaching horses. And last year, I spent a month or a month and a half in BC and British Columbia and Canada. And together with Kayleigh Carvena, there was a breeding show there. I ended up showing quite a few horses, which was not planned, but a fun opportunity. And on literally my last day there, there was a woman who had come down to BC all the way from Alaska. And she was like, is there anyone here who would like to come to Alaska to give lessons? And I was like, yeah, I want to do that. So she was like, okay, cool, you can come. And come a year later. So this summer, I did spend a month in Alaska, almost a month in the Yukon and a month in BC again.

Ariane:

Wow.

Vibeke:

Yeah, it was a very fun travel. But in BC, I've been working for Arnold Faber, who has been there running a very big farm. Probably the biggest Icelandic course breeder in North America. And he is also kind of like a connection point, meeting point. So there I've gotten to know a lot of fun people. And I also have to mention Liana from Dalewood, Iceland next. She's in Ontario, so on the East Coast.

Ariane:

Yeah, I think they follow us on Instagram.

Vibeke:

Yeah, I'm sure they do.

Ariane:

Hey to you.

Vibeke:

So all of these people that I met in North America kind of led to this place, and they were recommending me to go to different people in Alaska. Also, Karen, who lives in Alaska, I had already met her at Hustleland the year before. So I got to see some familiar faces too. I also sold a stallion to Alaska, to Ellen Halvorsen. So then I also had one more connection there. So all of a sudden, I had three connections in Alaska, and got to teach. I drove. Alaska is a very big state, but there's not that much road system. But I drove literally almost everywhere I could, from all the way down south in the Homer, to all the way north of Fairbanks, where you can't really drive further. So you have to fly out of the group.

Ariane:

I think people that are interested in should look for... There's a show called The Yukon Vet, that is kind of displaying the life of a female veterinarian in Yukon. It's very interesting. So this is why I felt also, when you said that you go to the Yukon, I was like, wow, this is amazing.

Vibeke:

It really was. I had a fantastic time in the Yukon. There was mainly teaching three Icelandic courses, but also some big courses, which was very fun.

Ariane:

This is comes in handy that you already know big courses, and you know how to... Sometimes they are a bit different, but not so much, but it's probably handy that you're not afraid.

Vibeke:

No, I'm used to the size. Even though this was probably my biggest horses that I'm not so far. It was two young horses to be started off. And one of them was, I don't know, maybe about 170. But they had a three year old, or four year old. Three or four year old. There was already like 193 centimeters. Yeah. Oh my god.

Ariane:

It's like when you sit on that horse, then you like... You can touch the sky. Yeah. No, exactly. And you train the horses, you train the people, you also give clinics, right?

Vibeke:

Yeah.

Ariane:

How do you prepare your clinics, and what are you doing then for clinics?

Vibeke:

They are very, very much from place to place. So I would say like half of the time, we do like very well organized clinics, where we have a topic. For example, the Icelandic training scale, how to assess your own horse, how the asymmetry is. So we go over like how, kind of like a checklist, or a booklet, you can print it out. But we assess horses, look at them from the ground, how they feel while riding, how they stand, how the posture is. And also do that in the lessons. Also go slightly over the rider, even though I'm no rider biomechanics expert at all.

Ariane:

But you can still see things. Yeah, you have to also get an eye for it over time.

Vibeke:

I try to learn from my own paraparters, veterinarians, and physiotherapists. They have also loved to teach us. We have also had gated massage, competition, young horse focus. So kind of what people want. And sometimes we also do just private lessons that are quite long, maybe one hour, one and a half hours. Okay. So I'm up for anything. I can also, of course, come with ideas.

Ariane:

Anything people ask you to teach them? Do you feel there is a difference in how you approach things, for example, in Alaska compared to Iceland or also to other countries? Because you teach also in other countries, right? Do you teach in Wyoming? Do you feel like there are differences in how people approach you, approach the training, approach the horses?

Vibeke:

Like, yes and no. I think the Icelandic horse community or the interest of Icelandic horses is so niche. So I think we have a lot of similarities. I do maybe think the biggest difference is, unfortunately, like the environment.

Ariane:

Okay.

Vibeke:

So for example, the horses in Alaska, they have to get used to the smell of bears, moose, people shooting guns, gullets, hunting season.

Ariane:

Yeah. We live close to a shooting range, so our horses are used to that as well.

Vibeke:

Yeah. So that was maybe one of the things I noticed the most in Alaska. I did also go riding a lot, and also down in BC, in Canada. Well, also you go everywhere. It seems like there are a lot of bears and moose, and they have such a strong smell, so they have to get used to that. Also the insects and bugs. Unfortunately, the summer eczema is a bit of an issue. I have met a few horses. I don't know how they got it, but they have a bit of respiratory issues, so they need asthma treatment. So that's maybe something that I'm not used to from Iceland. But I do think the training interest, the training system, they're all very eager to hear. I call it the whole art system. How is that of young horses? And train them, follow Knappamärki. It's very systematic, well-organized, easy to follow. It makes sense. Icelandic, or the training permit from Håland. It's also like, if you follow that step-by-step, if you finish one step, I want to call it, you will be brought to the next one. So maybe within a session, you can go up from step one to five and then back down again. If you have an older horse, you can use the whole scale and go up and down within one lesson. Or you aim for it within like five years to get a horse with collected and extended gates. So I do think the training is very, or exactly the same as it is in Iceland. Just depends on the focus of the horse and rider.

Ariane:

It's really interesting because the teaching pyramid that you talked about now, we just recently, like two, three weeks ago, we got a PDF from Gudmar. Yeah, right. So that was really interesting also to see because I learned the German way when I grew up in Germany, and to see it side by side and see the similarities and then see differences and how it's explained. So I really like your approach to it as well.

Vibeke:

Yeah, I also find it super interesting. I might be wrong about this, and I don't know if that's German scale or another one, but I do know that sometimes people or people writing styles have different placement of straightness and suppleness.

Ariane:

Yes.

Vibeke:

Something like you first need to write something more straight, and then it becomes straight. And some say you need to write more straight, and then you can print them properly.

Ariane:

Yeah. Now I also don't remember, but in the PDF it said it's the German scale. So I remember that they were kind of switched around to the Icelandic Håla one.

Vibeke:

I think it makes sense to have the horse like bend the ball and supple first, and then it becomes straight.

Ariane:

Exactly. You teach not only in Iceland, you teach all around the world. Do you also teach online? Do you do something like this? Or do you just teach in person? And how does like a lesson with you look like when you first meet somebody?

Vibeke:

I am up for teaching online, but we haven't had the best success with this. I think we have been trying some people and similar things, but it's a little bit too hard to see like the details. So it's maybe fine if I already know the person and like know what's up and to like continue. So I do a little bit of that, but not a lot at all. I do like 95% teaching in person. And when I am teaching with people, I think a typical first lesson, or I should say most of my lessons are quite long. We put up usually one hour for each writer or if two people are together. And I think a good place to start is just to like, I join them, get the awards, they groom, settle off the awards, and I'm kind of observing them, not judging them.

Ariane:

Okay, already before they even get into writing?

Vibeke:

Yeah, if that's possible. It's not always in clinics when there's many people who are going to do like, or if we have eight or twelve lessons in a day, that's not possible, of course.

Ariane:

Yeah.

Vibeke:

Yeah. So it depends on the situation, but I really love to just come with them for a color day, but it's just an hour. See how they are, and also to have the rider or horse owner tell me everything they want to tell me. I think people very often have a lot in their heart. They're thinking out loud, and get to express what they're feeling, show it, I often try the horse, and the horse owner rides the horse again. That's a very typical first lesson.

Ariane:

Okay, so that you also get to feeling not just what the rider or the horse owner tells you, but also that you feel the horse yourself.

Vibeke:

Yeah, yeah. I like that actually more and more to also get to try the horse.

Ariane:

Okay.

Vibeke:

Yeah, sometimes it's like, oh yeah, I know what you mean. And sometimes it's like, oh, but I actually feel it's like this, or on the other side.

Ariane:

Yeah.

Vibeke:

Yeah. But I really do like to just have like very, like, just being like friends, like horsey friends, talk horses, talk about your horse and would just talk and ride through it for the first lesson. I really like that. And then I think it's very useful to continue with more like structure training. I would say most of my students, they almost always want to do like a asymmetry test of the horse or like assessment, I mean. So we often end up doing that, like in the second ride and then on third day, do like specific exercises to make the horse straight or even up.

Ariane:

Do you have a go-to exercise to kind of straighten the horse and to help the horse improve overall? Or you have, I mean, due to your education, you probably have like such a big toolbox. But do you have something that you really like to try with most of the horses and the students?

Vibeke:

Yeah, I think that's maybe more of like a system rather than exercise. Yeah, so I think that's also very much from Hola. We have this assessment paper of the horse. The one from Hola is like, you look at the coat, hooves, equipment, so it's there still when you mount. And then you also score the gates, length of stride, quality, speed range, etc. Like notes on horse and rider. So I do a monthly checklist of that. So maybe what I do, that is like go to maybe not exercise, I don't know what to call it. It's to just go over the horse, like asymmetry assessment. Which shoulder are they leaning more on? Which hind leg are they resting? So if they, for example, are very inactive with the right time, a shoulder in to the right would benefit, for example. So then a shoulder in to the right would maybe be an exercise we could do. I think it just, bringing it down into strength and weaknesses in the horse. See, I really like to just look at the horse without the equipment, and see if they are like bended to the left or to the right. See if the horse is back with my hands, if they are like maybe some muscle atrophy on either side. I also really like to, I'll make them, that is probably my go to exercise. I very often stand in front of the horse, and I flex their pole. So the pole is just the front part of their neck, not the whole neck, and I flex the pole to both sides, and you very often notice some stiffness, some horns are super supple, and then I also bend the neck to either side. Which is called flexing the throat in the next landing. But then I also like to walk back to the horse and really like grab the tail, and wiggle a little bit to see how the spine moves. And that's also something I do almost every time I meet someone new or long time since last time.

Ariane:

This is also really interesting because it again, is a bit different to like, you go into a riding house for example, and you just sit on and you go and just work on like the gate because you again, get a connection with the horse in a different way. I really like that.

Vibeke:

Yeah. And here, but now I start to, oh, now I'm like in my zone. So for example, if I meet a horse and rider, so meanwhile the horse is being grouped, then they may be like, grab the tail and check how soft the spine is. When they are about to get on, they may be checked with a bit, how they can flex the pole. For example, if the horse is very stiff in the pole to the right, it again makes sense to do a shoulder in to the right, because in a shoulder in, the pole also needs to be flexed. They also have an even bending in the body, but we also flex the pole. So that could maybe be then a reason why shoulder in to the right feels a little bit more resistant than shoulder in to the left, where they do flex the pole with stuff on them, but not to the right. So then maybe that's something to work with. And to access the pole, it can help to lift the inside hand, or even like twist and turn your wrist.

Ariane:

Yeah.

Vibeke:

Then you also get to lift, because then you lift the bit just into the corner of the mouth. So that's again, something like specific breed choice or individual breed choice. Yeah.

Ariane:

That's really interesting. It's like those tiny movements of your own body and your posture to just kind of see, test, and then kind of adjust accordingly.

Vibeke:

Yeah, exactly. Yeah.

Ariane:

What do you think about long reigning? Because you can see the horse from the ground, or is it more that you would want to walk next to a horse when you do some ground work?

Vibeke:

I would probably love long reigning. I don't have those types of reins in Iceland. I have like a lunching rope and a reins. But I really like to work the horse from the hand. And that started as a... That was my new resolution for 2025, to always do some work in hand before I ride. And I kept it pretty good, and I loved it more and more. So I do quite much, for example, test an hand, drop an hand. With my own calving, we even do like canter in hand. Which I think is super fun, and he's a five-getter. But I think it's very fun. You don't maybe see the horse so much when you are on like a normal reins. So I would, if I had those long reins, I should probably bring them all the way. I would probably do that a lot.

Ariane:

How often do you actually give training? Because you are quite busy, right? You train horses, you have your own horses. Okay, now I really, I have more questions and they were not really. So first of all, what are you doing with your foals? What is your plan with your foals?

Vibeke:

So I got a stallion foal and a mare foal. The stallion foal, he is just mine. And I have already decided I want to keep him a stallion. And I would love to go through the process of like a breeding show hours with him.

Ariane:

Nice.

Vibeke:

But to do it all myself, I have some experience training those horses. But I haven't shown almost any horses. I got to show though a few in Canada. But that was like quite spontaneous, so I didn't know them for more than a couple of weeks. So I would like to bring him to a breeding show. Actually, even if I know he's not going to get the first price, I still want to go through that system.

Ariane:

And I mean, you really have time to work and train for that?

Vibeke:

Yeah.

Ariane:

That's going to be exciting.

Vibeke:

Yeah, it is. And the mare, or the mom of the foal, she is owned by my father-in-law. And he also got this first price dahlia after that mare. He got like, I think, 844 total. A beautiful, forgettable dahlia. So I have high hopes for my boy, too. And then the other one that became a mare, the mom of the foal is owned by my boyfriend. And it's the last foal of that mare. So we said, if I get a mare, we will co-own her, and if it's a dahlia, he will be mine. And it's a mare, so I own her together with my boyfriend, Gudmundur. And I think we will just keep her as our riding horse. She is after his favorite mare, and after my favorite dahlia that I had at home last year.

Ariane:

Wow. So a dream horse.

Vibeke:

Totally.

Ariane:

And she's extremely cute as well.

Vibeke:

She is. She is like identical to Sjölder, his dahlia. So it's super fun.

Ariane:

And I mean, you can later see if you want to breed with her. If she has such a lineage, then you can still see what you do with her later on.

Vibeke:

Exactly. Yeah. So with her, we will just see what future she has, but she will be ours. And we will enjoy her.

Ariane:

How does a day in your life actually look like?

Vibeke:

So what usually my day looks like, or what I want it to look like, is I work at Hastaland, approximately half a day. So I usually come there at nine to twelve and do some work for Budmar, that can be teaching winter workshops, or doing the social media, or doing whatever we need to do for his online educational form, or platform for me. And I always have one horse at Hastaland, so I try to ride there also five days a week. Then I go to Lund, that way I have my training horses after lunch. And there I have from four to eight horses, not all in full training, usually like four in full training. So right now I have one sales horse, two of my own, and one training horse that's owned by a woman in Colorado.

Ariane:

Okay.

Vibeke:

Yeah. Oh, it's five, and that's four-year-old Gelding. So I have five horses that are in full training, but we are also going to bring our new horse, Brett, is her name. Brett, from Bixnerstaden. But she is just four, so she will be in very light training.

Ariane:

Yeah.

Vibeke:

Maybe maybe written like three times a week, maybe one day of something else or, or just even being a hand horse, getting in some kilometers. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So something like that. My boyfriend will also continue to ride now soon. I don't know when he's taking in the horses. Probably not later than February. But then I will help him start off the young horse. He will maybe then train my gelding as a favor in return. Yeah. And then I, and then the day is done and I go home. I'm very excited to go to work again. I feel super lucky working with Gudmar at Hesteland. Also getting, getting all of these opportunities to teach abroad. So I'm really loving my day to day life. But they are, so for example, this week already, I have only written three times this week. Because there are things coming up. So yesterday I was at the event in the Ikevik the whole day.

Ariane:

Okay.

Vibeke:

Yeah.

Ariane:

Yeah. There's always stuff coming up with horses that you need to attend to.

Vibeke:

Yeah. So, so it's very, yeah, almost no days the same.

Ariane:

And then competition season is coming up again?

Vibeke:

Yeah. So I'm super excited about that. I have at least two horses to compete on. My gelding that I always like to compete on for fun. He's just like, he makes me so happy when I'm done riding. I'm like smiling the rest of the day. And then I have shoulders that I still get to, like just get experience on and fight it. So, we're gonna try to do our best there. There is so many competitions here in the area. There's a winter league, open competitions, quite a bit of competition outside this season. I just joined the competition, an education committee in the writing club. So, there's lots of fun, some things happening.

Ariane:

You keep yourself busy.

Vibeke:

Yeah, so we can compete here every weekend if we want to, from February out June.

Ariane:

I'm sometimes so surprised, when I look on Hostay app to just see the schedule, I'm like, shit, you could just go wherever you want, and that's, it's really nice.

Vibeke:

Yeah, it really is.

Ariane:

Then of course, mostly is probably on the West Coast, I guess, somewhere and then down to Reykjavik.

Vibeke:

Yeah, absolutely.

Ariane:

Do you also actually take lessons?

Vibeke:

Yeah, I do.

Ariane:

I didn't ask you about it. Like, how do you, because you give training to people, but do you also continue to educate yourself, not just by reading and learning mind-wise, but also physically, do you have a certain trainer or trainers to train with?

Vibeke:

Very often, I try to write as many lessons as I can. Gudmar probably teaches me the most since I've been working there now. I think this is my 50th year at Testament. Okay. So, for example, now, in November, end of November, I brought a horse there to get quite a few lessons on. And now, the first week in Pepper, I'm going to a clinic with Olle Amblan, where I will bring some of my horses. So I'm very excited for that. That's just in three weeks or so now.

Ariane:

Have you trained for her before?

Vibeke:

Yeah, I do a couple of times.

Ariane:

So you know her already a bit? Yeah, I do.

Vibeke:

She's a fantastic writing teacher. Very different from what I'm usually used to. And I have to mention my favorite writing instructor. That's Torne Amstongkot Lilsson. He was teaching as a cola. Also, when I was in Alaska, I got a few different teammates. One from Alexandra Montagray. That was super fun. Yeah, she was super. She was amazing to write for. I would love for her to maybe give a clinic in Iceland, if she's still in the book. She was fantastic. No, but I tried to sign up for any writing lesson I can.

Ariane:

So you try to get your hands on.

Vibeke:

Yeah. We can all learn from everyone.

Ariane:

You never stop learning, that's for sure.

Vibeke:

Exactly.

Ariane:

So you had the experience to learn with Gudmar. Is it correct that I also read that you were also working or had some interactions with Mete and Gisli?

Vibeke:

Yes, I had been working there.

Ariane:

Okay, how was that? And when did you do that?

Vibeke:

That was when I was in the North. I spent the whole winter there for the first time, so probably about a year first in my work there. And then five years ago, before I started working for Gudmar, I also worked there. But I almost wish I could go back there. It's just so far away. They're all the way up in the North. I feel more like home here in the West. But I would work there. Like if I could leave my house or somewhere, I would work there again immediately. I learned so much from both of them. Just yeah, I worked there. It was so much fun.

Ariane:

But I thought it was so nice to talk to you. And I'd love to follow you on all the social media, to kind of follow you also on your travels when you went to Norway now last year, and these mountains and everything.

Vibeke:

It's beautiful. It never disappoints. Never get tired of it.

Ariane:

So we will actually come to Landsmot.

Vibeke:

Oh, amazing.

Ariane:

Hopefully, we run into each other.

Vibeke:

I think we will. I wasn't sure if I was going, but I can't miss it. I have too much of a promo. So I will see you at Landsmot.

Ariane:

Yes, that will be super great. And we anyway want to meet up with all the people that we now recorded with. So thank you, everyone, for listening. We will come back to you in around two weeks with a new episode in the meantime. Do not hesitate to share this episode with everyone. Like, comment, or reach out to us on Instagram and Facebook. You can also follow Vibeke on Instagram. She has a website as well, and we will put all the links, also the links that we discussed about, in the description of the episode. We are looking forward to bring you another interesting guest. And with that, I say thank you, Vibeke. Goodbye.

Vibeke:

Thank you so much.

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