Hekluhestar

This series documents Hekluhestar, a remote, horse farm near Iceland’s Mount Hekla, overlooking 100km of their land. Life is shaped by instinct, weather, and a deep, almost ancestral bond between humans, animals, and the land.

At the heart of the story is Anita, a woman of quiet strength and unwavering devotion to her family, her animals, and the land that sustains them. The 100+ horses here are raised from birth and loved for life. “They’re like family,” Anita told me. The care they receive is intuitive, constant, and rooted in deep respect.

That connection isn’t just emotional, it’s woven into the family’s history. Decades ago, during a trek near Mount Hekla, the horses sensed something in the earth and refused to go on. Anita’s parents turned back. The next day, the volcano erupted. The horses had saved their lives. From that moment grew a legacy of trust in the natural world, and her parents started one of the first horse trekking tours in Iceland, nearly 50 years ago.

Today, Anita, her husband Stefnir, and their children Dagur and Bjartey carry that legacy forward. They live in rhythm with their animals and the seasons, working the land with care and commitment. Their life is raw, beautiful, and free. The children learn not only from books, but from their surroundings, with a grounded respect for nature that’s increasingly rare, and deeply moving.

For many years my work has been driven by a fascination with remote, sustainable ways of living and the strength, stillness, and connection that often come with them. At Hekluhestar, I found a way of life where work is love, animals are kin and nature is trusted like blood. It’s more than a farm. It’s a living, breathing ecosystem of care, shaped by generations.