Valkyrie Icelandic

Valkyrie Icelandic Laura 'Lala' Benson´s full service business for the love of the Icelandic Horse. Promotion, Education, Sales, Lessons, Clinics, Buying Trips, music and more

Promotion, Education, Sales, Lessons, Clinics, Buying Trips and more.

Congratulations to my fellow team mates and friends who have qualified for the World Championships in Switzerland! I’m c...
06/29/2025

Congratulations to my fellow team mates and friends who have qualified for the World Championships in Switzerland! I’m cheering you all on!! 🎉

So excited for this collaborative clinic with Alfadans Equestrian Arts 🎠
06/09/2025

So excited for this collaborative clinic with Alfadans Equestrian Arts 🎠

Only one spot left for the upcoming collaboration clinic between Alfadans Equestrian Arts and Valkyrie Icelandic Equestrian Arts' Laura "Lala" Benson scheduled for June 21-22 in Newberg, OR!

In this clinic you will have the benefit of learning from not only one, but two FEIF Level 3 Holar graduates as we explore the discipline and philosophy behind Gæðingalist: the Icelandic Horse discipline that combines the structure and systematic training of dressage with the artistry and poetry of freestyle performance.

In this clinic we will use both theory and ridden lessons to explore diverse concepts such as training fundamentals, healthy balance and posture and the use of artistic expression to enhance your training sessions and create beautiful freestyles that show off your skills and connection with your horse.

Registration link is here: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=16394034&appointmentType=78846441

There is only one more available spot! Snag it before it is gone!

06/01/2025

What “Dressage” Is To The Icelandic Horse

By Carrie Brandt & Laura Benson

In some circles, the term dressage has acquired some negative associations based on certain styles of competitive riding. However, historically dressage has been simply a systematic way of training horses. Dressage is meant to be gymnastics that help soften, stretch, and strengthen horses as athletes. Dressage is a tool that creates a language between the horse and rider, allowing harmony between the aids.

To us, dressage is not a discipline. It is training for a balanced horse. Dressage helps the horse become more mentally and physically balanced from the moment they are started under saddle to the end of their career, whether that’s trail riding or competition.

We often hear from owners what they want from their horses. We would like to challenge you to think about what you want for your horse.

We want our horse to be healthy and move in a way that will preserve the longevity of their ridden career as an athlete. We want a horse that understands us so we can communicate in lightness. We want a horse that is happy and flowing in movement. In short, what we want for our horse is quality of movement.

So how do we achieve these goals? In other words, how do we improve the quality of movement?

Our methodology is based on three pillars:

Speed Control

Basically, speed control is the ability to choose your speed. In the United States, most riders associate good speed control with brakes: the ability to slow down and stop whenever you wish. In contrast, the culture in Iceland places more emphasis on a horse’s level of willingness when moving forward. The ability to ride at high speed whenever you wish is a quality that is valued in Iceland. Whether due to the wide-open roads and lack of traffic or free health insurance, this difference in attitude is one of the first things that Carrie and Lala encountered training in Iceland.

Directional Control

Can you ride your horse in any direction you choose? Directional control is probably the most important step in building calm, energetic focus. Having a plan and riding with intention is key. We often just mount our horse and go, wandering aimlessly and then getting upset when our horses aren’t focused. Creating focal points through patterns and figures is one of the best ways to start riding with purpose.
Dressage Exercises

Dressage exercises are the third piece of our training methodology for improving your horse’s quality of movement. When applied properly in the moment, these exercises are like a carefully designed tool that can subtly or dramatically change your horse’s movement.

All of these training concepts—speed control, directional control, and dressage exercises—will come together to improve your horse’s quality of movement.

To learn more, visit https://www.resonantriding.com

These are facts we have seen are necessary, time and again, when importing horses ! Icelandics are incredibly good natur...
05/04/2025

These are facts we have seen are necessary, time and again, when importing horses ! Icelandics are incredibly good natured horses and it’s so important to not take advantage of their willingness. We need to take the proper steps to ensure they have an easy transition.

So You Want To Import An Icelandic Horse?

🐴🇮🇸✈️🇺🇸

Terral and I have helped with the acclimation of new imports for many years, and that experience has definitely educated our approach. First and foremost, each horse evolves through the transition differently, so being sensitive to their individual needs is most important. It goes without saying that there is no one right way to go about the process.

We try our best to have empathy for the fact that their entire world has changed. Imagine everything from the views, to the smells, to the tastes, in your life changed in the space of 24 hours. Then, add people that might communicate with you in totally new and strange ways and it’s no surprise this process might really put your horse’s mental fortitude to the test. That said, these are 10 specific points we have come to believe are particularly pertinent during your new import’s transition to life in America.

1. Decompression and settling in. Many international competitors have found that jet lag usually hits most horses around the 2 week mark. We like to give our horses about a month of settling in time with time off and light training intensity only.

2. Immunization considerations. Iceland is disease free for all practical purposes. Horses arriving are ideally kept in quarantine until they have received their vaccinations for all primary horse-to-horse infectious diseases. We recommend tracking the horses’ temperature post vaccination and monitor for any vaccine reactions.

3. Adjustment to American care customs. In Iceland, many horses are turned out in big groups and herded in & out of the stable. Here in the states, most horses are led between their different living areas as opposed to chased. Some horses may need to adjust to these new types of routines.

4. Being fly sprayed and hosed down after rides may be entirely new experiences. Treat the new imports as if they are young horses experiencing these things for the first time. Introduce these care practices in a way that sets the horse up for long term confidence.

5. Keep in mind the change in riding spaces. Iceland has incredible riding trails with plenty of room to really allow the horses to move forward freely. Here in the states we often lack the space, footing, and level ground to really ride faster for long distances. Adjusting to slower rides with more turns, changes in terrain, and obstacles such as traffic, is definitely a transition. Trailering offsite to trail rides may similarly be a totally new experience.

6. Trees can be scary. We have found that wooded areas can be particularly stressful for some horses as they adjust to our trails. There are not many forested arenas in Iceland, so riding under a tree canopy can be an entirely new experience and tree branches scrapping against a rider’s helmet can be a particularly scary sound for some horses.

7. Hand walking might not be a helpful way to introduce your horse to the trails. I don’t know a single Icelandic trainer that takes their horses on leisurely strolls around the Icelandic countryside on foot. They ride, pony, and drive the horses in herds. Your Icelandics horse may learn to enjoy going on hikes with you but keep in mind that they also might find it strange and disconcerting. Sometimes, it’s better to keep the training techniques consistent when introducing horses to a new environment.

8. Summer eczema considerations. Bug allergies, reactions, and general itchiness can be a huge problem for Icelandics adjusting to life in a different climate. It is best to attempt to never let this inflammatory reaction get out of control. The bugs out during dawn and dusk are often the primary triggers for summer excema. We recommend keeping your new import in a stall overnight and turning them out during the day to avoid this particularly buggy time frame. Summer eczema blankets and fly spray can also be very helpful.

9. Training regression. Through the years, we have found that, often, horses experience a return to behaviors or habits they may have not exhibited at all in recent training sessions before export. Selecting horses that have had a relatively smooth training process and fundamentally good character goes along way to towards preventing this from being an issue. That said, small quirks or original training issues will often come to the surface upon restarting the horse after export. We have found it really helps to have a close relationship with the horse’s trainers in Iceland, so they can help both predict potential points of regression and offer training strategies that they know have resolved those issues in the past.

10. Due to the terrain, the vast majority of horses in Iceland are kept shod on factory stamped iron shoes. Riding your new import barefoot or in alternative shoes could make them feel very unbalanced. They are used to being able to step confidently on hard surfaces and are often shod in ways that balance their gait distribution for proper beat and balance. Ask the horse’s trainer in Iceland how the horse was shod there (ex: 8mm all around or potentially 10mm fronts and 8mm hinds). Even if the horse seems comfortable barefoot or transitions to barefoot/alternative shoeing, it can be better to help them find their balance first with what they were trained in previously.

(Photographed- our most recent group of imports who arrived in March!)

Saturday 🌅
04/20/2025

Saturday 🌅

Learning with our National Team trainer, Olil Amble is always a privilege. Not only do we get education in our lessons b...
04/02/2025

Learning with our National Team trainer, Olil Amble is always a privilege. Not only do we get education in our lessons but we learn so much from our fellow team mates. 🍀🌟🐴

Kentucky will always be the foundation of where our Icelandic Horse journey began. That’s why having the ability to supp...
03/27/2025

Kentucky will always be the foundation of where our Icelandic Horse journey began. That’s why having the ability to supply all of my horses with tried and true, top quality products, developed over 6 generations from Kentucky makes my heart happy.
It is such an honour to be a part of the family 🌱 Whether it be for my lesson horses, client horses, youngsters or competition and breeding stallions, the staff at Hallway always have a product to suit our needs and boy does it show in our horses appearance, overall health and performance.
Thank you, Hallway, for creating the best quality feed out there and for always having our horses best interest in mind!

Happy Lunar New Year! 🧨✨🐍🧧🐍✨🧨 Last year we tamed dragons, this year we charm snakes! Looking forward to riding with you ...
01/30/2025

Happy Lunar New Year! 🧨✨🐍🧧🐍✨🧨 Last year we tamed dragons, this year we charm snakes! Looking forward to riding with you all in 2025. 📸 of me and the greatest woman on the planet, Trudy Midas, owner of our favourite hair care for Team Valkyrie. ❤️

01/21/2025
01/08/2025

Our next team member feature is Carrie Hill. Carrie first rode with the Knights of Iceland as a teenager and these performances have been special to her ever since. She oversees the organization and bookings of the Knights of Iceland shows as well as coordinating the practices. Carrie owns and operates in Kentucky - alongside her partner Terral. At Taktur, Carrie’s passion is training and education through workshops and clinics. She loves exploring new training philosophies and integrating them with Icelandic traditions. In the past several years she has focused on exploring liberty and bridleless riding and that has become a big part of her training philosophy. Carrie loves collaborating with other trainers especially the fellow Knights of Iceland rider Lala on their initiative. When not training horses Carrie enjoys spending time with her son Erik, our viking in training. ⚔️

Knights of Iceland is a collaboration of working, professional Icelandic trainers and instructors that have designed, ch...
01/07/2025

Knights of Iceland is a collaboration of working, professional Icelandic trainers and instructors that have designed, choreographed and presented theatrical shows since its origination with the Gudmar Petursson family in 1996. The sole purpose is to promote the Icelandic Horse and its rich heritage and culture, which is intertwined in Norse Mythology and Icelandic folklore. We do this through performances, demonstrations, lectures and appearances at large expos, gatherings and events. It is truly a labour of love and requires all of us to take unpaid time away from our busy schedules of daily training, teaching and managing our separate equestrian entities. So why do we do this? This week, our co-owners of Knights of Iceland, Lala Boosh of Valkyrie Icelandic and Carrie Lyons Brandt of Taktur Icelandic Horses, LLC will share with you exactly why these events are so important to devote their time to.

First up we have Lala of Valkyrie Icelandic. She is the Knights of Iceland Team Leader. Here is what she has to say about why The Knights of Iceland is so important to her;

“I saw the first version of Knights of Iceland in 1997 at Equitana USA in 1997. As a young girl I was absolutely mesmerised and little did I know this performance would change the course of my life forever. After the performance I went straight to Gudmar Peturssons family, begged them to let me try an Icelandic Horse and from that moment on, I became an Icelander. I helped Gudmar and his family start their business and run their farm in La Grange, Kentucky in 1999 and ended up moving to Iceland in 2000 and becoming the first American to attend and graduate from Hólar Agricultural University as an Icelandic trainer and riding instructor. I moved back to The USA in 2004 and started my own business, Valkyrie Icelandic in Nothern California where I built a thriving Icelandic community until 2022 when I moved to Duvall, Washington in the Pacific Northwest, where I reside now.

“These shows are so very important to me because I believe it’s a different way of connecting with and inspiring people. If I can influence one person in the audience and maybe plant that magic seed to learn about Icelandic culture, Norse Mythology and the Icelandic Horse, I know I have done my job. Seeing kids eyes light up when we meet them after our performances always makes me tear up because I see myself in them, all those years ago. It’s that honest, childlike wonder and curiosity that I think humanity really needs more of these days as well as connection and feeling you found something you really want to be a part of. It’s strange and wonderful magic! Of course, my other favourite aspect of these performances is gathering together with my colleagues from around the USA and Iceland. We get to spend an intense week together, practicing and preparing but also in that time, we discuss training ideas, help each other out in the stables and with each others horses and just get a heavy infusion of community, inspiration and collaboration when we all come together. It’s definitely my most favourite facet of my business and I wish we had the financial means to do it more often. “

Address

13514 Carnation Duvall Road Ne
Duvall, WA

Opening Hours

Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm

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Our Story

Laura "Lala" Benson has been riding since she can remember. At the age of 13 she saw the Knights of Iceland show for the first time and was instantly hooked, leading her to become a professional rider and trainer of Icelandic horses, devoting her life to the training, education and promotion of the Icelandic horse in North America. She’s the first American to graduate from Hólar University in Iceland, the oldest and most prestigious college for Icelandic horsemen, taught only in Icelandic. Lala graduated with the high point ‘Ástund Reiðmennska’ award for best horsemanship and is one of only a few C-level FT (International Icelandic Horse Trainers Association) certified Icelandic Trainers in the United States.

‍Lala also studies Portuguese classical dressage with renowned Portuguese trainer, Carlos Carneiro and loves to work with and learn from the Lusitano horses. In 2005 she independently founded the Valkyrie Icelandic training program and riding school in the Northern California Bay Area which started one of the first large youth programs in North America.

In 2017 Lala developed the Gæðinga Dressage training method with partner, Carrie Lyons Brandt which combines the art of classical dressage, jazz theory and Icelandic horsemanship.

Lala is still based in the San Francisco Bay Area, but travels around the US and Iceland teaching clinics and is a partner and performer in The Knights of Iceland Show team.