The Sideways Shuffle

I have been around people who took off running with a cup of beer in their hand, but on a horse? No. Because I have never been to Iceland.

In Iceland (remember, it's green, and Greenland is ice) they have horse shows where the riders are carrying mugs filled with Kaldi, Úlfrún, Einstök, Einstök Pale Ale, Bríó, or Garún (the most popular suds up there).

They call it a beer tölt  - no horsing around. Contestants saddle up old Icy and hold their brew in one hand, with the reins in the other. Then they put their trusty steeds through the rigors of a course without spilling their Úlfrún all over the place.

At the end of the course, the winner is the person with the most beer left in their mug, and he or she gets their reward: guzzling what's left.

Kids play along too, with root beer as the prize. 

The Icelandic horse is called the tölt, and the contest involves maneuvering around obstacles while the hoss struts around in an unusual (for us) sideways four-beat shuffle. 

Done right, the horse does all the stepping and the rider is treated to a very smooth ride. Even when the horse is at a "flying pace," it's traveling at 30 miles per hour.

I've just got to get out of this house more, but the pandemic is back.