About Us
Driven by a shared passion for the Icelandic horse, our team brings together experts from different fields to make this groundbreaking project possible.
HELLO
Hi, I’m Guðmundur Jón Viðarsson – but most people just call me Mummi. Horses have always been a big part of my life. In my twenties, I bought the farm Skálakot from my grandfather. Since then, I’ve worked hard to build up both a successful riding business and a strong breeding program. Today, Skálakot is home to around 140 horses. We have a wide variety from calm, relaxed riding horses to top-level Icelandic sport horses. I’m proud of the herd we’ve built over the years.
One horse I’m especially proud of, and who actually inspired the idea behind the Stallion Station is Skýr frá Skálakoti, a high-class stallion with amazing qualities. Skýr is now part of my newest project – the Stallion Station of Iceland – and he’ll be one of the first stallions we’ll export sperm from to Europe.
This station has been a dream of mine for a long time. I’ve always wanted to make it possible for breeders around the world to use Icelandic stallions without the horses having to leave Iceland. Now, that dream is finally becoming reality.
I know not everyone agrees with this step, and I respect that. But I believe it’s a great thing to give breeders the chance to use some of Iceland’s best stallions while the horses get to stay in their natural environment, here at home. I truly believe this will open new and exciting opportunities for the Icelandic horse world.
Tullis and his team visited us here at Skálakot where they ran a special workshop for my veterinarians. It was a great learning experience. We had five stallions to practice with and the goal was to test the freezing process from start to finish – collecting, freezing, storing, and checking the semen quality after thawing.
The whole program went really well. We learned a lot about the lab work, the equipment, and how to handle everything safely and carefully. The team from Stallion AI was professional and helpful, and it was a pleasure working with them on this project here in Iceland.
EFRI-HOLT
located in the south of Iceland
The farm Efri-Holt is the home of the Stallion Station. It spreads over 15 hectares wich are divided in several fields, paddocks and the stable with space for five stallions and the veterinarian facilities.
THE VETERINARIAN FACILITIES
Our laboratory is specially equipped for the safe handling, processing, and storage of equine semen, ensuring the highest standards of quality and biosecurity.
TEAM
HOW IT STARTED
In 2023, I partnered up with the veterinarians Katrin and Helga Björt to come closer to realizing my dream. This cooperation led in 2024 to a test run supported by the team of Stallion AI Services in the UK, to improve the frozen semen process for Icelandic horses. Stallion AI Services is led by Tullis Matson who is well known in the equine world and has been working with stallions and reproduction technology for many years. His team is one of the best in Europe when it comes to collecting, freezing, and storing semen, as well as training others in this process.
Tullis and his team visited us here at Skálakot, where they ran a special workshop for my veterinarians. It was a great learning experience. We had five stallions to practice with and the goal was to test the freezing process from start to finish – collecting, freezing, storing, and checking the semen quality after thawing.
The whole program went really well. We learned a lot about the lab work, the equipment, and how to handle everything safely and carefully. The team from Stallion AI was professional and helpful, and it was a pleasure working with them on this project here in Iceland.
The best part of it all: one healthy foal has recently been born from the frozen semen collected during this program, the first one in 20 years.
We are proud of this first success and very thankful for the partnership with Stallion AI Services. There is still more to learn, but this was a great start — and we are excited for what the future holds!
THE VET-TEAM
We are Katrin Wagner and Helga Björt Bjarnadóttir, dedicated veterinarians and the owners of Dýralæknar Katrin og Helga ehf. After years of working in mixed practice, we established our own veterinary service in 2022, driven by a passion for providing high-quality, personalized care to animals and their owners.
As veterinarians, we are always eager to expand our knowledge and skills. We therefore attended an advanced course in horse insemination held in the UK by Stallion AI Services. Today we lead an insemination center in the South of Iceland for the third consecutive year, serving mares across the country at Dýralæknar Katrín og Helga ehf., we have achieved excellent results in both semen collection and artificial insemination, offering services with fresh and chilled semen. We also coordinate the shipment of chilled semen to other insemination centers throughout Iceland.
OUR GOAL AND VISION FOR THE FUTURE
The Stallion Station is dedicated to preserving the genetic legacy of exceptional Icelandic stallions. Our goal is to protect and preserve the valuable bloodlines of top Icelandic stallions and with our services we give breeders in Iceland and abroad the chance to use high-quality stallions without the horses needing to travel. This also allows breeders and stallion owners in Iceland to store semen from stallions that are aging, have passed, or have been sold abroad – ensuring continued access to their bloodlines. We are committed to supporting breeders in maintaining and improving the Icelandic horse breed, making top-quality genetics accessible for generations to come.