Laura 'Lala' Benson´s full service business for the love of the Icelandic Horse. Promotion, Education, Sales, Lessons, Clinics, Buying Trips, music and more
(4)
Promotion, Education, Sales, Lessons, Clinics, Buying Trips and more.
11/02/2024
We did it! Another one for the books, Y’all!
All we can say is… WOW! 2024 Fall Gamankeppni showed out with over 40 horse & rider combinations 🤩 for many in our community, this weekend set personal records.
For many - this weekend was their first time competing!
For some - this weekend was a return to the track after some time off.
For all - this weekend was unforgettable,
filled with new & familiar faces,
and of course,
incredible horses. 🐴
THANK YOU to everyone who volunteered their time, energy and resources to make this event happen. The generosity and camaraderie of this community is truly special. Cheers to many more Gamankeppnis! 🍻
11/01/2024
✨🖤✨
Congratulations to Dynjandi frá Dalvík and his owners Will and Ásta Covert on the awarding of the first ever Diamond level Lifetime Achievement Medals in Four Gait and Tolt (T1). Dynjandi and his rider Ásta represented the United States beautifully in both national and international level competition, including but certainly not limited to, earning a silver medal in Four Gait Combination and a bronze in Tolt T1 at the 2009 World Championships and topping the World Ranking list in 2012 in T1.
In order to earn a Diamond level USIHC Lifetime Achievement Award, a rider or horse must have earned a score above 7.5 in a particular discipline at least 6 times. Dynjandi went far beyond this in his career, earning scores of up to 9.0 in T1.
A big congratulations to Dynjandi, Ásta and Will on this spectacular achievement.
All week long, sign up for private pre-show lessons at the track or in the Taktur arena. Our goal is to support you through the entire process of competing. Whether you are a seasoned competitive rider or a newbie, we are here to help! Visit this page to contact the trainer you you’d like to work with: https://taktur.horse/fall-ranked-show
🐴🍻 7 DAYS TIL GAMANKEPPNI! 🍻🐴
10/13/2024
These two 🧡🏵️💛 Rósa & Liv in their lesson this weekend.
10/11/2024
After a very enlightening week of training with Team trainer, Olil Amble, we decided we needed to change up our goals for the show so that they aligned more with what we were building on during our lessons.
Since we were working on connection in walk and tölt, we decided that loose-rein tölt would be the best option to put to use what we had trained during the week and save Five-Gait for the upcoming Kentucky show.
Even though we didn’t get to practice the loose-rein test ahead of the competition, we got to put our new skills to task in the moment and explore them on the oval track. It was so much fun and Lykill really astonished me with his response and results.
I’m looking forward to cultivating this feeling more with him. Thank you to Carrie and Terral of Taktur Icelandic Horses as always, for helping me on my journey with my dragon. 🐉🧡
📸 :
10/09/2024
10/09/2024
We will see you there!
10/07/2024
We had such an incredible week of learning and competing with our national team. 🇺🇸 More photos and stories to come. Thank you, Lykill, for being my partner 🌟🐲🌟 📸:
10/07/2024
When your sister and your bestie have the best pace horses in all the land 🤩🚀
10/07/2024
Head Valkyrie, Lala explaining some of the special parts of training Icelandic horses.
09/27/2024
Who’s ready for the Week in Paradise at ? 🤩 Lala will be offering lessons and coaching throughout the week whether it’s for showing or just basic riding and horsemanship. if you are interested, contact us: [email protected] . We cannot wait to see you all there! 🌞🌾🐴🏆🎉 P.S. Don’t forget to sign up for Team Fourgait!! photo by:
09/24/2024
Harmony Icelandics , it’s almost time! 🤠
A Week in Icelandic Paradise is fast approaching! Sep. 30-Oct. 6, 2024
There is one space left in the clinic with, world champion, Olil Amble! What a great opportunity right in the heart of central Iowa.
Clinic registration here 👉 https://www.harmonyicelandics.com/riding-clinic-with-olil-amble
We are looking for one more Scribe for the show! If you're looking to learn more about showing Icelandics, Scribing is one of the best ways to learn what judges are looking for when showing. Contact Virginia if interested.
The best there is! For horses AND their humans! 🤩✨🐴 we are so lucky to be sponsored by Trudy and her incredible EspanaSilk Grooming Products .
sends a Big Heartfelt Thank You to the amazing, inspirational, beautiful, professional for her much appreciated AND greatly valued support, endorsements, testimonials AND these gorgeous pics!
EspanaSilk takes great pride in being a choice premium quality line of Grooming Product used for 's fabulous photo shoots capturing her pretty 2 & 4 legged models along with showcasing our products with elegance, brilliance, magnificence AND a commitment to excellence in all she does from picture to picture with photo perfection!
To learn more about the phenomenal Alyssa Smolen Photography, follow her traveling show schedule AND sign up for a funfilled, exciting, photo shoot for you, your family & your animals we invite you to visit her Facebook Fan Page, Instagram and www.alyssasmolen.com , Thank You!
To find your favorite EspanaSilk Product wants and needs please go to www.espanaproducts.com , Thank You!
09/10/2024
We can’t wait to be at Harmony Icelandics teaching, learning and riding with friends!
A Week in Icelandic Paradise is just around the corner! Monday, September 30th marks the start of the show with an amazing opportunity for lessons with FEIF trainers such as Olil Amble, Guðmundur Skúlason, Ásta Covert, Carrie Lyons Brandt, Terral Hill, Laura Benson, and Heidi Bensong!
We have over horses from all over the nation and we hope to see you too! You don't have to be in the show ring to enjoy!
Fall show season is here! We’re looking forward to being on the oval track with friends and family and cultivating our US National Team. Next stop: for our Olil Amble clinic and 3 day world ranking show Sept. 30-Oct. 6 🍂✨🍁✨🍂
Photo by:
09/06/2024
This is what Stjarni and Lísa think of the current temperature. 😛
09/04/2024
Sigð from Valkyrie Icelandic M: Solsticía from Valkyrie Icelandic F: Geysir frá Kvistum ✨♠️✨
Sigð (Circé as we call her) turned 3 this summer. We are looking forward to starting her next year.
11/10/2023
Lisa & Lísa during a crisp morning fitness training session photographed by
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Valkyrie Icelandic posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Contact The Business
Send a message to Valkyrie Icelandic:
Videos
Happy 2024 everyone! We’ve been quiet on here through the winter as we’ve been working hard to settle into our new digs with the horses and slowly get the year of the ground. I am very excited to announce I will be starting the PNW Valkyrie Collective at the end of this month. This has been a goal of mine for quite some time now and I can’t wait to bring it to life. This will be a group who will have regular meetups, events and clinics to encourage community, education and inspiration not only in the Icelandic horse world but the whole horse community. I will be bringing in different trainers, artists, students etc to discuss topics and learn from all avenues of life. Our first meetup will be with my students and friends I have acquired in the first two years of being here in the PNW and discuss with them what they might envision for the future of this collective and how we can best get it up and running. If you are interested, please email me: [email protected] for more info. Looking forward to a fun year of riding, learning and growing with you all. Happy Year of the Wood Dragon! ✨🐉 #valkyrieicelandic #pnwvalkyrie #horsesoficeland #gingerarmy #goriding #collaborate #thecreativeprocess #resonantriding #usihcpround #teamespañasilk
Skuggalísa is so polite and patient, she even shares her grain with Spring the cat on a chilly day 😸🫶🏼🐴 these animals are so incredible. #skuggalísafráhárlaugsstöðum2 #2lísas #goriding #springading #catsofinstagram #horsesoficeland #valkyrieicelandic #friends #barnlife #sharingiscaring
Geysir can make the strangest sounds 😂 another reason why we call him Hippo 🦛 Sound up! 📢 #goodmorning #dayoff #geysirfrákvistum #horsesoficeland #usihcproud #gingerarmy #hairyhippo #valkyrieicelandic #sleepyboy #teamespañasilk #beautyrest
SPECIAL DELIVERY! Our LM custom boots arrived just in time!!!! ✨💎✨Cathy told Lala if she made it into the world championships with Geysir she would get her a pair and here we are now! Thank you so very much Cathy, we are in love! 🤩 Thank you so very much to Ari at @lmcustomboots for spending hours on the phone with Lala customizing and measuring and getting these beauties expedited in time to head to the Netherlands to compete for Team USA at the World Championships! Excellent customer service and care has gone into every detail of this process. Can’t wait to break these babies in 🌟
Lala arrived in Kentucky and now the final days of training until we depart for Oirschot begin! Geysir is clearly living his best life at Taktur 🍀 #geysirfrákvistum #happyhippo #dirtyhorse #horsesoficeland #stallion #gingerarmy #usihcproud #goriding #wc2023nl #teamespañasilk #valkyrieicelandic
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.
Valkyrie Icelandic is a full service business for the love of the Icelandic Horse, offering Promotion, Education, Sales, Clinics, Buying Trips and more.
