A Great Match!

I am the very happy new owner of a wonderful gelding from Harmony Icelandics. I did my homework before visiting the farm: Virginia Lauridsen is one of the country’s few trainers with FEIF certification, is an accomplished dressage instructor, and has a reputation for absolute integrity throughout the industry.

After a seven-month search, I fell in love with my new horse almost immediately. She trained him and the three days I spent working with her before taking him home were invaluable. I know she would not have sold me this horse had she not believed we were a great match!

If you are looking for your Icelandic, I highly recommend you call her whether you are a longtime rider or new to the sport.

Susan Mathieson Mayer

About Olil Amble

Olil Amble was born in Oslo, Norway and has been active with horses since her early childhood. At the age of 17, she was offered a temporary job in Iceland for one year and has stayed in Iceland ever since to purse her passion in life, working with horses. In the early years, Olil worked at many different farms learning as much as possible about the care and training of horses. In 1986 she moved to the west of Iceland and started her life as a independent and professional trainer, and that is where she got the mares that are the foundation of her breeding line. Stangarholt, in the west was her first breeding name, then Selfoss and for the last 16 years since 2006 her breeding name has been Syðri -Gegnishólar. Her breeding goal has always been to breed multi-talented horses with a great mind and exceptional gaits, she appreciates the diversity that is in the Icelandic breed, 5 and 4 gaiters, tölters and pace horses. Ketilsstaðir/Syðri- Gegnishólar has won the titles Breeder of the year and Competition horse breeder of the year in Iceland multiple times and is the current owner of both titles for 2022.

Olil started her sport rider career back in Norway and has since then a many times Icelandic Champion, Nordic Champion and a World Champion.

Olil was the Chairman of the Gæðinga judges group for 4 years in the 90’s and spent many years educating judges and introducing gæðingakeppni to riders on the continent. She also served as a judge for many years at some of the largest competitions such as the Hæringe Open in Sweden, pace championships in various locations, Landsmót, Fjórðungsmóts, and many other competitions, most often as a head judge.

Olil is a highly educated trainer and riding instructor and holds a degree from Félag Tamningamanna , she has over 30 years of experience teaching internationally and has been a trainer on many national teams in Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Germany. To teach has played a big role in her life as well as being taught and she got to know her current teacher/master Julio Borba at the World Championship in Sweden 2005, via a presentation that they were both taking part in. Julio has been coming to Iceland to teach and train ever since, around 7-8 times a years, teaching the Gangmyllan team as well as many of the most successful riders in Iceland.

Today Olil resides at Syðri-Gegnishólar in the south of Iceland where together with her husband Bergur Jónsson and her family they breed and train horses from their collaborative breeding under the names Ketilsstaðir/Syðri-Gegnishólar and run their company Gangmyllan.