Alfadans Equestrian Arts

06/15/2026

Trainer Caeli Cavanagh’s superstar mare Dimma has earned her Silver Lifetime Achievement awards in Four Gait and Tolt! Good girl Dimma!

We would like to congratulate Dimma frá Feti and her owner Caeli Cavanagh for Dimma achieving Silver medal Lifetime Achievement Awards 🏆 in both Four Gait and Tolt classes. Dimma and Caeli started working together in Iceland two years ago, debuting their partnership on the international stage in the most recent World Championships in Switzerland. Now together in Oregon, Dimma and Caeli have achieved impressive results with scores up to 7.17 in Four Gait and 7.57 in tolt, and earning scores up to 8.0 in both slow and fast tolt.

Dimma is well on her way to Gold and Platinum honors in both categories, and we look forward to seeing what this pair continues to achieve together.

Silver medals are sponsored by Taktur Icelandic Horses. 🥈

04/28/2026

2 spots open in our Riding the Gaits clinic May 16-17!

Secure your spot here: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=16394034&appointmentType=89282941

We recently had two spots open up in our popular Riding the Gaits clinic, a two day educational experience with lectures, demonstrations, group lessons and private lessons focused on improving our understanding, riding and quality of the gaits of our Icelandic Horses.

This clinic is perfect for people who want to deepen their understanding of the gaits of the Icelandic Horse, and how to improve their horse's gaits systematically, with tips for the present and an eye for the future!

Clinic spots are $450 per person. Horse rental and stalls are available!

Feel free to PM us for more information!

02/25/2026

Hello everyone!
At Alfadans Equestrian Arts have rearranged our lesson program in order to take some students off of our waiting list! This means that we can take two new beginner kids in our program with an open slot Monday nights from 5-6pm.

Who we are: Alfadans Equestrian Arts is a full service Icelandic Horse center with training, education and horsemanship at the core. We take students from the ground up, helping them to discover the joy of horsemanship from a variety of different angles. Our instructors are internationally certified, and have received both national and international recognition. Our youth program has been successful, using systematic education to help our students dream big. Last year we sent five of our youth riders to the North American Youth Cup and have national and international connections for internships for those young riders who really catch the bug!

Website: www.alfadans.com
Contact: Send an email to [email protected]

We work hard to find the perfect horse for every rider, and every horse their dream home. We have a variety of horses for sale ranging from competition horses for more advanced riders to wonderful trail and pleasure horses. If your perfect match is not at our farm our wide range of contacts througho...

02/17/2026

Happy Year of the Fire Horse 🔥
Throwback video of Sokkadis and trainer Alex dancing around the fire with no saddle or bridle!
Sokkadis is now looking for a new dance partner. Please pm us for more information about this great horse!

02/13/2026

EDIT: THIS CLINIC IS FULL!
If you are interested in attending please still let us know! You can join the waitlist, audit, just do the competition or maybe even convince us to have two more clinic days if there are enough people 😁

We are looking forward to our Icelandic Versatility Clinic in June. It was so popular we opened it up to 16 people, and now there are only two spots left. One has your name on it! Icelandic Versatility seeks to explore and test the full breadth of what we love about our horses: agility, softness, bravery and cooperation. We do this with three rounds of sport: a dressage round, an obstacle course focusing on finesse then an obstacle course focused on agility and speed.

The clinic will be June 24-25, mid-week, followed by a one day break and then a competition June 27 and 28, judged by Travey Erway and International Icelandic Judge Thorgeir Gudlaugsson! This is the perfect set up for people coming from further away as well as those closer to us who want a concentrated learning experience.

If you want to join you can register at this link: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=16394034&appointmentType=54412195

Video of Icelandic Versatility below.

01/05/2026

EDIT: This clinic is now full!

Only one spot left!! Come discover the joy of Drill Team at Alfadans! We will be doing a weekend long drill team clinic March 7 and 8. Drill team is a fun group activity that encourages speed and direction control as well as precision. We will have three groups: a slow group working on precision in the maneuvers and confidence, a medium speed group working on beginning maneuvers at speed and a fast group looking for that group adrenaline kick!

Spots are going fast, with currently only one of our original twelve spots available.

Non-refundable deposit of $100 with sign up. Full cost is $450 plus $30/night to board or $40/day to borrow a horse.

Click here to register: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=16394034&appointmentType=56495022e

12/24/2025

The Pacific Northwest herself has decided to give us a Christmas gift of a 55 mph windstorm! (Thanks I hate it)

It is projected to arrive here at 10 am and stick around until 1 pm. We do not recommend trying to drive here or back during that time frame due to the amount of trees over the roads around the farm.

We will keep everyone updated on any power outages and we do have ways to bring all the horses inside if need be.

Stay safe! And Merry Christmas?

12/23/2025

Established in 2023, the USIHC Lifetime Achievement Medals honor riders and horses for their long-term dedication, steady progress, and partnership throughout their competitive journey on the Sport Track. These awards celebrate commitment, growth, and the unique bond between Icelandic horses and their riders.

Until now, riders who believed they—or their horses—had qualified for a Lifetime Achievement Medal were required to apply and pay a registration fee. Beginning in January 2026, our goal is to remove that barrier and automatically send medals to every eligible recipient at no cost. To make this possible, we need your support.

We are seeking sponsors at $150 per medal level, which will cover the cost of producing new medals and shipping them directly to medal earners. In recognition of your support, your personal, farm, or business name will be listed alongside the sponsored medal level on the USIHC website. Additionally, your name and logo will be featured on a congratulatory letter sent to all recipients of that medal level.

If you would like to help us recognize and celebrate achievement within our community, purchase a sponsorship at this link: https://usihc.wildapricot.org/lifetime-achievement-awards-sponsorships

07/23/2025

Missed the Teach-a-thon? Good news! We recorded the whole thing! Help support Dimma and my trip to Switzerland with a donation and get some amazing educational resources!
Sign up for recordings here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdUiUZnSnEdNBityFRrink91d2WgQzUwqFP7Kp823dvrcA02w/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=112202002229353013817

Suggested donation 40/lecture or 200/all lectures

Find your favorite here!

The Human Psychology Presentations:

- Visual Perception and Horse Judging (with Dr Patrick Cavanagh)
- Building Rider Confidence
- Adapting Riding Instruction to Students with ADHD, PTSD, Anxiety and Autism (with Dr. Allegra Condiotte)

The Horse Training Presentations:
- Trick Training
- Liberty Training
- The Icelandic Training Pyramid (with Carrie Brandt)
- The Secret of Suppleness
- Introduction to Biomechanics and Physiology
- Introduction to Video Gait Analysis

The Equine Psychology Presentations
- Music and Horses (with Lala Benson)
- Equine Vision
- Equine Learning

The Equine Business Presentations
- Protecting You and Your Horse (Legally Speaking) - with Jeff Rose
- Choosing, Marketing and Training Horses for Sale to the United States

Miscellaneous Presentations
- Icelandic Working Equitation
- Reading and Understanding Science Articles about Horses

Sign up here for Teach-a-thon recordings! Donation link: https://gofund.me/78b99ea5 Suggested Donation: $40/lecture or $200/all day

06/09/2025

Only one spot left for the upcoming collaboration clinic between Alfadans Equestrian Arts and Valkyrie Icelandic Equestrian Arts' Laura "Lala" Benson scheduled for June 21-22 in Newberg, OR!

In this clinic you will have the benefit of learning from not only one, but two FEIF Level 3 Holar graduates as we explore the discipline and philosophy behind Gæðingalist: the Icelandic Horse discipline that combines the structure and systematic training of dressage with the artistry and poetry of freestyle performance.

In this clinic we will use both theory and ridden lessons to explore diverse concepts such as training fundamentals, healthy balance and posture and the use of artistic expression to enhance your training sessions and create beautiful freestyles that show off your skills and connection with your horse.

Registration link is here: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=16394034&appointmentType=78846441

There is only one more available spot! Snag it before it is gone!