It’s hard to believe that I’ve been either on or around a horse nearly every day since 1985. Growing up in Iceland, I would rush home from school just to ride. By the age of 14, I was already training horses for clients out of my parents’ small backyard barn. Two years later, at just 16, I traveled abroad to teach my first international riding clinic in the U.K. By the time I turned 20, I was managing a thriving training business with around 30 horses.
Driven to increase my knowledge of horses, I attended Holar University, a leading equine university. There, I studied riding and riding instruction in depth, graduating with honors, the highest riding score, and the highest level below a Master Trainer.
Guðmar þór pétursson
A Life Dedicated to Icelandic Horses
Competition was also an important part of my youth. I began competing at just 6 years old and went on to earn 31 Icelandic Championship titles as well as a Scandinavian title among many other achievements. In 1997, my family and I began exporting horses to the U.S. and showcasing the Icelandic horse at equine events. While the breed was already widely recognized across Europe, it was only just beginning to gain popularity in North America.
In 2006, I received a U.S. green card for “Exceptional Ability” in business and moved to Kentucky, where I started a business centered on training, teaching, and selling horses. What began as a small operation soon grew into a career built around teaching, and I started traveling extensively to share my knowledge through clinics. At first I mostly taught Icelandic horse riders, but soon I became very curious about other breeds, gaited breeds in particular. I decided to welcome any gaited breed to my clinics and realized very quickly that a horse is a horse and gait is a gait.
Although my roots are with the Icelandic horse, I became increasingly curious about other breeds, especially gaited ones. Opening my clinics to all gaited horses, I soon discovered a truth that has guided my teaching ever since: a horse is a horse, and gait is gait. Regardless of the breed, every rider shares the same goals. We would like a horse that is smooth, responsive, enjoyable to ride, and respectful.
Where Passion Meets Practice
In 2013, I returned to Iceland to fulfill my dream of running a horse farm in the countryside. That dream became Hestaland, where I continue to train, compete at the highest level, and welcome riders from all over the world to experience the unique spirit of the Icelandic horse.
Hestaland is very much a family-run farm, where we combine our love for horses with a commitment to sharing knowledge and creating a welcoming environment for everyone who visits. I travel internationally to teach clinics, and I also connect with riders through my Patreon community, offering exclusive videos for dedicated horse enthusiast.
