Ponies and riders fall through ice during racing in Reykjavík
Nearly 20 ponies and riders fell through the ice while racing on a pond in Iceland.
They fell through the frozen Reykjavík Pond during the Championship League in Horse Sports’ tölt show on Tuesday, 3 February.
The Icelandic pony is unique in having a fifth gait, described as a running walk, which they call tölt.
All ponies and riders were rescued but the animals had to be warmed with heat lamps as there was a high chance of hypothermia.
A local equestrian journalist, Fjölnir Thorgeirsson, was reported to be the hero of the hour, jumping into the water and helping to haul the horses out of the ice.
Tölt horse shows on ice are regularly held in Iceland in winter.
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A self-confessed newshound, farmer’s daughter and journalist of many years' experience, Charlotte worked on regional papers before joining H&H in 2007. A regular rider, she visited Ireland in 2010 to investigate the fate of Irish horses through the recession, to much acclaim, and reported from the FEI General Assembly in Rio de Janeiro in 2011. She left Horse & Hound in March 2013.