IS2017258160 - Klukka frá Þúfum

Klukka the ultimate Þúfur-horse

Just by looking at her pedigree you see that she has all the ingrediencies: Lygna, Trymbill and Hróður!

Klukka was an embryo transfer that we did when List, her mother, was still in training. We wanted to get to know List better to see if she was really as good as we thought. And she was.

Klukka was a perfect foal. Black with beautiful decoration on her head and feet. Our friend Eysteinn pointed out that the big star looked like a bell, so the name was obvious: Klukka.
It was not only the color of course, she was beautiful, so uphill and well raised neck with a stunning head crowned by perfect ear position.

Starting her under saddle was easy. She had a mild and patient temperament and just the right amount of sensitivity. I rode her in the riding arena the whole first winter in my never-ending search for different and better ways to train horses. I kept the training sessions short and easy for her. But tried to do everything with good quality. Mostly we did work on straight lines, some on big circles, and short easy sideways two to three strides, but strides of quality. That winter she developed a very nice working trot and did good and balanced canter transitions.  Along with that she did some longing and work by hand over cavaletties and she of course learned to go as a hand-horse.

Like her mother and father, she was very light. Light on her feet and light in the rein. Everything you do with a rein or line is light, she would always avoid putting pressure on a rein. The neck is light and perhaps lacks muscles, but the high carried, flexible back and withers, and flexible hindquarters add up for it. I believe that if you can manage not to pull on the head or restrains the natural movement of the neck, so the balance comes first in the body, you don´t need as much support from the neck.

We did not start tölt training until her 5^th winter, and she just got ready in time for the spring FIZO judgement, as a four gaiter. She got a good score and a ticket to Landsmót. The judges appreciated her uphill conformation and way of going with several 9´s and a 9,5 for head.

The incredible thing about her gaits I would say is the very easy speed she has in all gaits combined with the lightness and springiness of the movement. She will just fly forward in the gait you ride without trying to break out of it or hang on the rein. It Probably has a lot to do with her high back and withers that makes it easy for her to stay in an uphill balance.

As a six-year-old she was not shown but went with us on a horse trip over Icelands highlands, where we ride with a herd of loose horses. Perfect temperament for that, and she would often walk up to you when the horses had a break. Willing, but never stressed, and so light! It became more and more obvious that the trot was out of this world when we watched her move free in the herd. We had gone around with an idea to cover her but decided not to. She had not shown yet what she was made of.

Her 7th winter she did quite a lot of work outside to get her stronger so she could do all the things that was so obvious she had in her. In the spring she became better and better, and we decided to show her again and head for B-flokk. At the same time, we had decided to cover her with Þráinn frá Flagbjarnarholti as we also had tried once with her mother List. And this time we were lucky, and she was pregnant straight away.  The breeding show went great, and she now got several 9,5s and ended up with a 8.44.

Klukka got a ticket to Landsmót in B-flokkur, and that was probably the fourth time she ever entered an oval track. At landsmót I had not so high expectations; after watching all the mature and strong stallions eating the track I almost felt a bit silly entering with my fine and still a bit unbalanced young mare. But we had a blast! She was, as always, very light and ready to go at any given moment as well as slowing and relaxing whenever. The lightness, patience, and eagerness really came into play.
We ended up in 5^th position with a score of 8.86. And it was just so much fun. She was happy and eager and listening well the whole time, not afraid of anything as usual. People have repeatedly come up to us and said she was their favorite horse at Landsmót 2024.