Chapter 6 - A fairy tale Horse ride in the Snow-capped Northern Lapland

We woke up drowned in the despair of not being able to see the Northern Lights the day before. Though it was 8 in the morning, even a ray of the sun hadn’t peeked out. After a soothing bath in warm water, we set out for the next set of adventures. Our veranda and the car were loaded with heaps of snow. We turned on the ignition key and waited for the car’s warm-up. It was -19 degrees Celsius. It was relatively less cold today.

Now, we are heading off straight for a horseback safari. Horseback safaris are not so uncommon. However, this one is indeed a special one. The horses are not ordinary horses. They are special breeds found only in tundra regions with long glazing manes on head and tails. They are more strong, big in size and prettier than the ordinary ones and are called Icelandic Horses (named so because of their origin from Iceland). We reached Lapland Saga where the Horse Farm is located by 9 AM. It is about 30 km North to Levi. When we reached, the entire place, even the JCBs used to remove snow, were covered in snow. A total whitish touch. Since we had already booked the ride, our Guide Sophie and her 8 years old daughter were ready to welcome us. Sophie is also the trainer of all these horses. We were given a special suit, socks and shoes for the ride. because of its damn cold outside with a squall wind. After that, we were taken to each horse for a general study. Every horse has its own name. I was allotted a brownie named Jomi. Maybe he didn’t like me much; he moved away when I went to touch him! Sophie helped all of us to ascend the horsebacks. It wasn’t that difficult as the horses stood in perfect attention when we climbed. Thus, we began our ride in a line. Sophie leading all of us in the front, his daughter behind, and then, all of us –one by one. Initially, we rode in a wide road. However, I couldn’t comprehend whether it was a real road or some other pathway due to thick covering snow.

Within 5 minutes, we reached a place dense with trees and equally dense with snow. The snow from the tree branches was falling over us as we moved amidst them. It was such a beauty and so much fun!! But, my horse didn’t like it much as all that fell on me, I put on him. He made some growling noise and I stopped doing that.

Thus, we rode and reached a completely frozen river. The scenery was absolutely beautiful. I really felt like living a fairy tale. Afar, we saw many on snowmobiles. After around 2 hours in the forest, we returned. On the returnjourney, we expressed our desire to speed up our horses. The horses will not abide by the commands we give. They will follow the same speed and route as that of Sophie’s. He said, “Okay, hold steadfast and get ready!” and made some noise “Hoy Hey” and Sophie’s horse began to pick up speed.

As it ran, all the horses ran after it. However, Sajith Bhai’s horse which was right in front of me, was too reluctant to run. Though he made similar noises as Sophie made, it was to no avail. But, my Jomi was cleverer. He overtook Sajith Bhai’s and ran forward. That was actually when I felt some motion. Phew! That experience was just incredible.

Please do watch the Video of this Amazing horse ride from my Youtube page. https://youtu.be/4-YxDYf8F2Y

When we reached back, our car was again covered in a thick blanket of snow. Before the light dimmed, we had other plans to complete. So, we changed and came out swiftly. Our next destination was Husky Park. Here are the heroes of ice – Husky Dogs, pulling us over the snow. I will be back in the next Chapter with new news of the same. Catch you later!!