First Ever Australian Team Competing at the World Championships

This summer marks a historic moment for the global Icelandic horse community: for the first time ever,

Australia

will be represented by its own national team at the

World Championships for Icelandic Horses

, held in Switzerland.

Though the Icelandic horse community in Australia is still small, a passionate few are working hard for it to grow steadily, making this milestone all the more meaningful, both for the riders and for the breed.

Horses of Iceland reached out to the team to learn more about their journey, their preparation, and what this moment means to them. The team consists of three riders, Laura Hall, Eira Backan and Birgit Kossman, supported by team leader Susanna Wand, who helped gather their responses for this piece.

“Being part of the first Australian team means the absolute world to me,” says Laura Hall. “I’m incredibly honoured and humbled to have this once in a lifetime opportunity to represent my country, [...] and I’m excited to show the world that true blue Aussies are genuinely and passionately interested in Icelandic horses.”

For Eira, the journey began in Sweden, where she grew up riding the breed. “I actually moved to Australia to work with Icelandic horses,” she says. “The breed has always been a big part of my life and I wanted to stay connected even in a new part of the world.”

Birgit, a German national who also grew up with Icelandic horses and has now lived in Australia for over a decade, echoes the sentiment. “It’s still quite surreal that it’s actually happening,” she says. “It has been such a long process to get here. I feel absolutely honoured.”

Laura Hall, Eira Backan and Birgit Kossman pose with some of their Icelandic horses in Australia. Photos: Nina Balgheim

All three riders will be competing on borrowed horses, horses they’ve never ridden before and have only seen in videos and photos. It’s a challenge they’re tackling head-on, with preparation that includes daily riding, cross-training, remote coaching, and mental strategy.

“I haven’t met my competition horse yet,” Eira explains, “so I’m focusing on staying flexible, both mentally and physically.”

“I ride and run most days, and I have an 18-month-old son, so I keep very fit chasing him around!” Laura Hall shares. “Mentally, I make sure I am setting realistic expectations and am hyper aware of the short period of time I will be training on my borrowed horse.”

For Birgit, a trial run before a competition in Germany last year helped prepare her: “I had the opportunity to train for 2.5 weeks at Gestüt Lindenhof and we basically mimicked the situation coming up. Getting to know a horse in a short period of time, intense training as preparation and then the competition at the end.”

Each rider found their prospective horses through personal contacts or their coach, Anna Eschner, and will travel to Europe in June or early July to begin in-person training. “I’ll be flying to Munich the first week of July,” Laura shares. “Training starts at Oedhof on the 7th.”

While the competition is a dream come true, the team sees the bigger picture. They hope this moment will spark a stronger future for the Icelandic horse in Australia, from education and infrastructure to new riders and broader recognition.

“I hope this sparks the future of competition in Australia (we don’t have any as of yet),” says Laura, “and I hope it motivates a new generation of talented riders.”

Eira adds, “I hope it shows others that this is possible, even from a small country with a young community. If this inspires more people to ride, to train, or just to learn more about the breed, that would be a great outcome.”

As the team prepares to fly out, they’re backed by a small but passionate network of supporters – friends, family, coaches, and grooms. Their journey has been largely self-funded, and they’ve launched a

fundraising campaign

to help cover the steep costs of travel, training and competition.

Horses of Iceland is glad to see the Icelandic horse community in Australia growing through the motivation and effort of riders like Laura, Eira and Birgit. Their dedication and enthusiasm are an inspiration, and we wish the team all the luck in the world on this exciting journey!