Kraftur-The Last Ride (Árni Gunnarsson, Denni Karlsson, Iceland, 2009; 45 min.) Due to Icelandic veterinary health regulations aimed at protecting the Icelandic horse stock which has been isolated on the island since the settlement in the 9th century AD, horses that leave Iceland will never set hoof on their home soil again. This is the topic of the 2009 documentary Kraftur – The Last Ride, directed by Árni Gunnarsson, Steingrímur Karlsson and Thorvardur Björgúlfsson. The crew follows the rider Thórarinn Eymundsson and his fiery red, smooth and energetic stallion Kraftur frá Bringu from training sessions and riding trips at their home in Skagafjördur, north Iceland, to the 2007 World Championship for the Icelandic Horse in the Netherlands. There is a very special bond between man, horse and nature. It is as if rider and horse merge into one and nature is perceived in a new and amazing way. It is as if “the ground sings” as one of the interviewees in the film aptly describes it, adding “anyone who doesn’t notice it must be dead.”
 

Watch the trailer here.