The ACTIVE RIDER
Wrien by L.A. Sokolowski
latheequinista@gmail.com
Photos courtesy Deb Rusden
and Stacey Adams
Don’t let the name fool you. Iceland promises a warm welcome if you love a good
horseback riding adventure. Just ask Deborah Rusden of Palm City, Florida, who
calls her globe-tölting adventure in June to Reykjavik through Active Riding Trips
the “absolutely perfect trip for all riding abilities.”
Ten years ago,
Goes to
Iceland
the equestrian entrepreneur created The Original
NibbleNet® and it’s been a nice blend of
business and pleasure: As her slow feeder nets
gain worldwide interest, she stays interested in
the world from horseback.
Much like riding, the more she learns about
Iceland the more there is to know.
“There is so much to see and do. It really is like
no other place on earth.
“This was my second trip. My first was with a
friend. It wasn’t a riding trip but we did a halfday
ride on Icelandic horses. Now I love the
place, its people, horses, and food. The land
– its geysers, hot springs and rock formations
– is fascinating. It feels like you’re on another
planet.”
She has ridden with Stacey Adams and Active
Riding Trips since the two met at a trade show
in Texas six years ago. “She recommended
the most wonderful ride in Spain and I haven’t
been disappointed in her trips yet. I do one a
year.”
This six-day adventure began directly from the airport
in Keflavik. “We went to the Blue Lagoon to soak and
enjoy a highly-recommended in-water massage in
the therapeutic lagoon.” The Blue Lagoon is a geothermal
spa, located in a lava field near Grindavík on
the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwest Iceland, whose
volcanic landscape and geothermal seawater offer
an otherworldly experience while nourishing a traveler’s
mind, body and spirit.
“We spent two days in Reykjavik sightseeing, then
four, six-hour days on horseback,” she said, and all
that riding could build an appetite. “My favorite meal
here is always a cod, monk or wolf fish. I also love a
Gull or Einstok beer, but the other beers are good,
too.”
“We stayed in Hotel Eldhestar for the ride and went
back every night.” Hotel Eldhestar, in Suðurlandsvegur,
has been built in accordance with modern
ecological guidelines and is the first lodging in Iceland
to be awarded the Nordic Swan Ecolabel. It is
also dedicated to “our most useful servant for centuries,
the Icelandic horse,” and in addition to riding
tours, the hotel’s walls feature photos and texts
reminding guests how important the native ‘volcano
horses’ have been through the ages.
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