Horse&based*recrea,on*and*
entrepreneurship*as*a*driver*of*rural*
development*in*North*West*Iceland*
Ingibjörg*Sigurðardó@r*
Holar*University*College*
Runólfur*Smári*Steinþórsson*
University*of*Iceland*
2014*Interna,onal*Adventure*conference,*Sogndal,*Norway*November*24&26***
The$presenta+on$
• The$research$
– Purpose$and$aims$
– Research$methods$
• The$study$area$–$North$West$of$Iceland$
– The$geographical$area$
– The$image$<$horses$and$equestrianism$
– The$horse$in$rural$development$
• Cluster$development$
– Development$of$equestrianism$
– The$horse$industry$in$NW$Iceland$–$cluster$mapping$
• Conclusion$$
– Business$clusters$and$rural$development$
Ingibjörg Sigurðardóttir & Runólfur Smári Steinþórsson
• The*purpose*
The$study$
– To$analyze$regional$cluster$development$in$rela+on$to$
horse$based$businesses$in$North$West$of$Iceland$
• An$emphasis$on$equestrian$tourism$$
• Research*ques,on**
– Is$there$a$cluster$in$equestrianism$emerging$in$North$
West$of$Iceland?$
– If$so,$how$is$it$affec+ng$rural$development$in$the$
area?$$
Ingibjörg Sigurðardóttir & Runólfur Smári Steinþórsson
Methods$
• Analysis$of$secondary$data$on:$
• The$development$of$equestrianism$in$the$NW$area$
• The$distribu+on$of$horse$based$businesses$and$support$
system;$in$terms$of$co<loca+on,$development$of$rela+ons$
etc.$$$
• The$characteris+c$of$the$horse$industry$in$the$area$and$it‘s$
compe++ve$environment;$number$and$profile$of$
businesses,$size,$growth,$exports,$rivalry,$coopera+on$etc.$
• Open$ended$interviews$$
– With$operators$which$par+cipated$in$an$aQempt$to$
develop$a$‘horse$based$business$cluster$ini+a+ve’$in$the$
NW$area$
– With$horse$based$business$operators,$in$terms$of$
cluster$development$in$general$
Ingibjörg Sigurðardóttir & Runólfur Smári Steinþórsson
Equestrianism,$business$clusters$and$
rural$development$
• Variable$defina+ons$of$rural$
development$exist...$$
• Rural$development$refers$to$the$process$
of$improving$quality$of$life$and$economic$
well<being$of$people$in$rela+vely$isolated$
and$sparsely$populated$areas$(Moseley,$
2003)$
Ingibjörg Sigurðardóttir & Runólfur Smári Steinþórsson
North$West$of$Iceland$<$the$research$area$
hQp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nor%C3%B0urland_vestra_in_Iceland.svg$
Ingibjörg Sigurðardóttir & Runólfur Smári Steinþórsson
The*three*
regions:*
! West<
Húnavatnssýsl
a$
! East<
Húnavatnssýsl
a$
! Skagakörður$
hQp://polychromepictures.de/sample<page/$
hQp://www.horse.is/index.php?pid=265$
Ingibjörg$Sigurðardódr$&$Runólfur$Smári$Steinþórsson$
hQp://www.huni.is/index.php?pid=75&imgid=701$
The$image$(findings$from$a$pilot$study)$
• Long$history$of$breeding$
and$horsemanship$
• A$huge$number$of$horses$
• Common$par+cipa+on$in$
horsemanship$
• Various$horse$related$
ac+vi+es$
• “The$Mecca$of$the$
Icelandic$horsemanship”$
• Easy$access$to$horse$
related$educa+on$
• Beau+ful$nature$
• Good$riding$trails$
• Relaxed$atmophere$
• Operators$liQle$emphasis$
on$profit$
• Horse$round$ups$
(Sigurðardódr,$2011a;$Sigurðardódr,$2011b)$
Ingibjörg Sigurðardóttir & Runólfur Smári Steinþórsson
Horses*and*inhabitants*in*the*North*West*
• A$common$par+cipa+on$in$equestrian$$
associa+ons$
– About$15%$of$residents$are$members$of$the$six$
equestrian$associa+ons$opera+ng$in$the$area$
– 3,25%$of$Icelanders$are$members$of$similar$
equestrian$associa+ons$$
• 18.497$horses$$
– About$24%$of$the$Icelandic$horse$stock$
– 2,3%$of$the$human$popula+on$in$Iceland$
Ingibjörg Sigurðardóttir & Runólfur Smári Steinþórsson
Number of horses per 1000 persons
Westfjords
147 horses per
1000 persons
West
634 horses per
1000 persons
North West
2600 horses
per 1000
persons
1000 persons
242 horses per 1000 persons
in Iceland
**Iceland** 242*
(Sigurðardódr,$2011)$$
East
265 horses per
1000 persons
***Sweden***
***Belgium**
***Denmark**
***Ireland*
***Great*Britain*
(Liljenstolpe,$2009)$
South West
39 horses per
North East
253 horses per
South
1000 persons
1165 horses per
1000 persons
Ingibjörg Sigurðardóttir
31$
29$
28$
19$
17$
The*horse*in*labour*and*transport*
Ingibjörg Sigurðardóttir & Runólfur Smári Steinþórsson
Development of equestrianism 1870-2014
$
1949 The Icelandic Equestrian
Association (LH)
1920 The first breeding
consultant hired
1922 The first
equestrian association
1891 The first horse
breeding law
1870
1880
1890
1900
1882 Holar
Agricultural
College
The first fences for
horse breeding
(Skagafjörður region)
1879 A committee on
horse breeding in every
parish in Skagafjörður
region
1910
1969 Laxnes horserental the first one in Iceland
1920
1930
1940
1933 The first
equestrian association
in the north w est
1943 A state breeding
farm in Holar,
Skagafjörður
1950 The first
Icelandic national
horse show
1950
1960
1970
1969 Skagafjörður horse
breeders association
1969 Vindheimamelar,
Icelandic national horse
show arena
Ingibjörg Sigurðardóttir & Runólfur Smári Steinþórsson
1970 The Icelandic Horse
Trainer 's Association (FT)
1975 The Horse Breeders Association
of Iceland (FHB)
1980
1990
2000
2010
2020
1999 Hestamiðstöð
Íslands [The Icelandic
horse centre] (Skag)
2007 University Equine
science department, Holar
1974 The first long riding
tour planned for tourists
(Skag)
2001 The Icelandic horse
history centre (Skag)
The*distribu,on*of*
horse*based*businesses*
in*SkagaVordur*region*
(a#dra&)#
hQp://frontpage.simnet.is/sandraograggi/saldahastar_2005.htm$
hQp://www.lythorse.com/$
Ingibjörg Sigurðardóttir &
Runólfur Smári Steinþórsson
The$North$West$<$Compe++veness$
• A$leading$actor$in$breeding$the$Icelandic$horse$$
– Two$out$of$three$main$tribes$of$horses$orginate$in$the$NW$
– A$strong$horse$related$image$and$long$history$of$equestrianism$
• Educa+on$in$equine$science$up$to$university$level$
• An$increasing$compe++on$within$the$horse$industry$
• Price$horses$in$1990,$from$the$NW$area:$
– 38%$of$first$price$stallions$(all$from$Skag.)$
– 23%$of$price$mares$(all$Skag.)$
• Price$horses$in$2013,$from$the$NW$area$
– 13,7%$of$first$price$stallions$(10%$from$Skag,$3,7%$from$Hún)$
– 18,5%$of$first$price$mares$$(10,4%$from$Skag,$8,1%$from$Hún)$
• Is#the#compe11ve#advantages#of#the#NW,#in#horse#breeding#
and#selling#declinding?##
Ingibjörg Sigurðardóttir & Runólfur Smári Steinþórsson
The$horse$industry$in$$NW$Iceland$$
Number*of*businesses*
Associa,ons*
• Breeding$–$212$
• Associa+ons$within$LH$–$6$
• Horse$breeders$associa+ons$–$3$
Educa,on*
• Holar$University$College$
• FNV$–$Secondary$school$$
• Indipendent$riding$instructors$
Other*
• The$horse$history$center$
• Events;$$Landsmót,$$breeding$
shows,$KS$Meistaradeild,$
„Hrossablót“...$
• Ac+vi+es$for$kids$$
– In$the$last$6$years$–$at$least$one$
horse$from$the$farm$has$reached$
7,5$in$average$as$a$breeding$horse$
• Training$–$60$
– At$least$one$man<year$
• Horse$tourism$–$16$
• Farriers$–$4$
• Veterinarians$–$3$
Other*business*opera,on*
• Meet$and$blood$produc+on,$tack$
repairing,$riding$instruc+on,$
goods$for$horses$and$riders,$
pasture$and$hay,$transport...$$
*
The*cluster*of*equestrianism*in*the*
NW*(a*draZ)$
Fences$
Saddlery$
Tending$
Computer$
service$
Photos$and$
news$
Pastures$
Horse$shoe$
making$
Shoeing$
Evalua+on$
Tackle$shops$
Breeding$–$
riding/sport$
horses$
Taming$and$
training$
Shows$and$
courses$
Breeding$
for$meet$
produc+on$
Blood$,$
horse$hair,$
handcra{$
Leisure$
riding$$
Hours$
building$
Butchery$
Veterinarian$
Guides$
Round<ups$
Electricity$
Meet$
processing$
Transport$
Insurance$
The$horse$
history$centre$$
Agricultural$
cluster$
Educa+on$
and$
research$
Public$$
services$
Social$
ac+vity$
Tourism$
cluster$
Feed$
Bedding$
Soil$
prepara+on$
Metal$$
construc+on$
Ingibjörg Sigurðardóttir & Runólfur Smári Steinþórsson
Landsmót$
KS$master$
class$
Compe++ons$
Youth$work$
Conclusions$
• A$horse$based$business$cluster$exists$in$North$
West$Iceland$$
– A$long$standing$development$of$equestrianism$in$the$
area$
– A$variable$ac+vity$
– Increasing$compe++on$
– A$favourable$environment$for$equestrian$cluster$
development $$
– Horse$based$ac+vity$exists$in$all$levels$of$the$value$
chain$
• Equestrianism$is$a$driver$of$rural$development$in$
NW$of$Iceland$
Conclusions$
• Equestrianism$seem$to$improve$quality$of$life$of$many$
people$in$NW$
– Operators$of$horse$tourism$businesses$emphasis$the$privilege$of$
mee+ng$new$people$from$all$over$the$world$
– The$horse$tourism$has$enabled$operators$to:$
• $prac+ce$their$lifestyle$
• $choose$their$place$of$residence$
• $create$a$living$for$their$family$(Helgadódr$&$Sigurðardódr,$2008;$
Sigurðardódr,$in$press).$$
• Cluster$mapping$and$analyzes$show$considerable$
economic$affects$of$the$horse$industry$
• BUT$–$Is$there$a$possible$economic$burden$of$
keeping$up$to$3,5$horses$per$person$in$an$area?$$
Ingibjörg Sigurðardóttir & Runólfur Smári Steinþórsson
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$
Thank*you…*
Further$informa+on:$
[email protected]$
[email protected]$$
Ingibjörg$Sigurðardódr$&$Runólfur$Smári$Steinþórsson$
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