{"id":76043,"date":"2025-10-01T16:34:15","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T16:34:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ishestar.is\/?p=76043"},"modified":"2025-10-01T16:34:15","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T16:34:15","slug":"my-heart-horse-the-love-story-between-diana-and-lina","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ishestar2.webdev.is\/en\/my-heart-horse-the-love-story-between-diana-and-lina\/","title":{"rendered":"My Heart Horse: The Love Story Between Diana and L\u00edna"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A Canadian rider finds her soulmate in an Icelandic horse<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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Some love stories are written not between people, but between a rider and a horse. Diana, a devoted horse lover and psychotherapist from Canada, has been passionate about horses for as long as she can remember. On her travels to Iceland, she discovered not only breathtaking landscapes and unique riding traditions, but also the horse who would become her soulmate:\u00a0L\u00edna.<\/p>\n

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We asked Diana a few questions to find out more about this extraordinary bond\u2014and how one horse can change a life.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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How did you first meet L\u00edna?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was my second trip to Iceland for 4 days as a stopover returning home from Norway with my then boyfriend. I sought out \u00cdshestar because I had been there previously on a stopover in Reykjavik on a Transatlantic cruise in 2017. I remembered the safety\/introduction video and the narrator saying \u201cIt may take some time to get to know your horse, but sometimes it\u2019s \u201clove at first sight\u2019.\u201d I remember thinking, \u201cWouldn\u2019t that be AWESOME to experience?\u201d<\/p>\n

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What was your first impression of her?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I thought she was the most beautiful horse I had ever seen, and I felt that \u201cLove at first sight.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Can you describe the moment you realized you had a special connection with her?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was an instant connection! It was almost as if we both said, \u201cOh, hello again. I wondered when we would meet again.\u201d<\/p>\n

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What makes L\u00edna different from other horses you\u2019ve met?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have never felt this instant connection with any other horse before and I have been around horses most of my life, and I don\u2019t even remember my first ride on a horse because I must have been very young. My mother loved horses too. I’ve always gone out of my way to ride or just be around horses because I feel a spiritual connection with them, but nothing close to what I feel with L\u00edna. It feels as if all my fears, stress, worries, negative emotions just melt away. While grooming her or taking her for walks alone, I have had tears flow when I was telling her about a situation in my life that I didn\u2019t know how to handle. She stood there patiently and listened. I had a sense of her saying. \u201cBe patient, stay with it. Everything will be ok.\u201d Turns out\u2026 she was right!<\/p>\n

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In what ways do you think she recognizes you or responds differently to you than to others?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know what she is like with other people, but I do know\/feel that we are spiritually connected even when I live in Canada I feel her presence, her calmness and comfort if I am upset. Speaking biologically, and reading books about horses\u2026 When I see her after a prolonged period of time, I think she recognizes me and remembers me because horses have a keen sense of smell and smell evokes the strongest memories. But it\u2019s much deeper than that. I know I am very kind to her and animals (and people) and as a psychotherapist, I know, animals and people remember how you make them feel.<\/p>\n

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I have consulted with an animal communicator (Lauren) long before meeting L\u00edna, and things she had told me about my pets were things she could not have known, so I trust her for many reasons when she tells me about the animals in my life. Lauren is still surprised at how deep the connection is between L\u00edna and I, and that it possibly goes back to each of our other lifetimes together through connection with the Vikings.<\/p>\n

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After saying goodbye, I feel heart broken, as if I’m leaving a part of my heart and soul behind that is only between L\u00edna and I. As you witnessed in Aug 2025, I could not hold back my tears. It was especially hard because I turned 69 years old shortly after I got back to Canada, and I know that getting health insurance after 70 years old will be harder and more expensive. But, most of all, I think about \u201cWhen will I return to see her?\u201d<\/p>\n

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If L\u00edna could speak, what do you think she would say about your bond?<\/strong><\/p>\n

From the first time L\u00edna and I met, in May 2017, I felt we were linked together in a special bond which I carried in my heart, and I believed I felt that she experienced something similar. I told her that I promised to come back but I didn\u2019t know when. Lauren, the animal communicator I consult with, has told me many times that L\u00edna deeply values this connection because she feels special the way I talk to her, bring her gifts, treats, and \u201ctalk\/communicate\u201d with her when we\u2019re together and when I\u2019m home in Canada. After the ride, I think it was Margr\u00e9t who said, \u201cI think you make a very good team.\u201d<\/p>\n

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How would you explain this kind of connection to someone who has never felt it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We have an expression in Canada about animals who are \u201cour heart dog\u201d, or \u201cheart cat\u201d etc. So, I say, \u201cL\u00edna is my Heart Horse,\u201d and for people who know, they know what I mean. \u00a0Otherwise I say, \u201cL\u00edna is like having a sole mate or best friend, but we communicate differently.\u201d If they don\u2019t understand that, then I feel compassion towards them that they haven\u2019t been blessed with this kind of closeness with any animal or human.<\/p>\n

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What role do horses \u2014 and L\u00edna especially \u2014 play in your heart and in your life story?<\/strong><\/p>\n

As far back as I can remember, I have always loved horses\u2014sketching them, reading stories about them, riding whenever I could. When my youngest daughter was 8 years old, we started her with English riding lessons, and my love of horses grew alongside hers.<\/p>\n

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Later in life, I faced serious health challenges: open-heart surgeries, sciatica, arthritis, even a broken arm from a fall. At times, I feared I might never ride again. But the thought of riding L\u00edna kept me motivated to recover. With physiotherapy, special equipment, and determination, I returned to the saddle.<\/p>\n

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Horses have always been, and will always continue to be, a part of my life in any way I am able. But L\u00edna is more than a horse to me\u2014she is my heart horse, my healer, my joy, and my inspiration to keep going.<\/p>\n

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Closing Thought<\/strong><\/p>\n

For many, horseback riding in Iceland is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. But for Diana, meeting L\u00edna has been a soul-level bond that continues to shape her life and her story\u2014proof that sometimes, it truly is\u00a0love at first sight.<\/p>\n

At \u00cdshestar, we are so grateful to have met Diana and to witness the beautiful connection she shares with L\u00edna. Her visits over the years have brought joy not only to her beloved horse but also to all of us here. We are always delighted to welcome her back, and we look forward to many more rides together in the future.<\/p>\n

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\"Kirkjufell\"<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Join our journey and stay connected with us! Follow us for updates, inspiring stories, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of our adventures.<\/em><\/p>\n

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A Canadian rider finds her soulmate in an Icelandic horse Some love stories are written not between people, but between a rider and a horse. Diana, a devoted horse lover and psychotherapist from Canada, has been passionate about horses for as long as she can remember. On her travels to Iceland, she discovered not only breathtaking landscapes and unique riding …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":76440,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-76043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-horse-riding-tours"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ishestar2.webdev.is\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76043","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ishestar2.webdev.is\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ishestar2.webdev.is\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ishestar2.webdev.is\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ishestar2.webdev.is\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76043"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ishestar2.webdev.is\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76043\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ishestar2.webdev.is\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76440"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ishestar2.webdev.is\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76043"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ishestar2.webdev.is\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76043"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ishestar2.webdev.is\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76043"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}