Menu
Sys Pilegaard is a successful rider in Icelandic horseback riding, which stands somewhat apart from the larger world of equestrian sports. They ride one breed of horse, with their own tournaments and disciplines. Icelandic horseback riding is a branch of equestrian sport that is particularly popular in Northern Europe, compared to the rest of the world. It is difficult to write about a rider of Icelandic horses without discussing how this horse differs from other horses and how this affects the sport.
Horses came to Iceland with the Vikings in the 9th and 10th centuries. Since then, no new horses have come to the island, which is why the Icelandic horse today stands as its own breed. The horse comes from various types of horses and ponies and has adapted to Icelandic nature for thousand years. In 982, a law was passed that prohibited the import of horses, and if a horse leaves Iceland today, it cannot come back. This is to protect the breed and its connection to the volcanic island. Although the Icelandic horse rarely grows larger than a pony, it can be ridden by adults of nearly all sizes, which is one of the reasons it is still classified as a horse.
Read also: The Icelandic horse: A versatile and friendly legend
In addition to its size, one of the most special things about Icelandic horses is their unique gaits. Like other horses, they can move in walk, trot, and gallop. In addition, they have two additional gaits that are an important part of their sport. The tölt is somewhat similar to both walk and trot, but while the horse always has two or three legs on the ground when walking, it always has one or two legs on the ground when tölt. In addition, the rider is kept stablea during tölt unlike the slightly bumpy experience that can be obtained when trotting. The tölt is a gait that all Icelandic horses can learn to ride and is a product of the mountainy Icelandic nature.
Pace, also called flying pace, is a gait that is also characteristic of the Icelandic horse but not all Icelandic horses master. Pace is a gait that is seen in nature in various animals, including bears and camels, but must be taught to a horse, for it to be able to ride it. Since not all Icelandic horses can pace, competitions are divided into 4- and 5-gait disciplines.
It is based on these unique gaits that the major sports competitions with Icelandic horses take place. Competitions are held in 4-gait (walk, trot, gallop, and tölt), 5-gait (walk, trot, gallop, tölt, and pace), and different types of tölt.
Sys Pilegaard's interest in horses and particularly Icelandic horses was there from birth. She grew up on a farm on the island of Fyn with the small riding animals, and even as a young child, she went on riding trips with her family. She participated in her first riding competition at the age of 6, and since then, she was set on a career in riding. As a teenager, she became part of the Danish national team, and after finishing high school in 2012, she took a big step towards her dream career: working at the Icelandic stud farm Hrafsnholt in Germany. Here she trained and rode several talented horses, but it was Muni von Hrafsnholt that became the horse that took Pilegaard to the next level in her career.
Read also: Tölt: How to Train the Comfortable Gait
In 2012, back in Denmark, Pilegaard's own company, Stald Sepi, was up and running. Here she took over Muni among others, but with the intention of selling him on. Fate would have it, however, that the pair found success together instead. National success in both Denmark and Germany led up to the big breakthrough at the Nordic Championships in the Norwegian town of Biri. Here, to her own surprise, she won gold in the 5-gait alongside Muni, partly because it was Muni's first major championship.
Pilegaard and Muni still ride together today, and they participated together in the World Toelt in Odense, where they rode 5-gait together for the first time in over five years. Unfortunately, Muni has been plagued by injuries in recent years, but in his absence, Abel from Tyrevoldsdal has achieved many of Pilegaard's recent major successes. Abel has become Nordic champion and double Danish champion in T1, one of two tölt disciplines, alongside Pilegaard for the past two years.
In addition to the sport, Sys Pilegaard still runs Stald Sepi, together with the Icelandic rider Sigurður Óli Kristinsson. The stable is located in the same place as Pilegaard: the family farm on Fyn where the adventure began. Whether it will be with Muni, Abel, or other horses, there are undoubtedly more memorable successes in store for Pilegaard in the future.
