Matt Harnacke & Jesse Drent visit Lapland and our stable 2025!
When your inspiration walks into your yard – Matt Harnacke Jesse Drent Lapland in our place When Jesse Drent first appeared on my screen years ago, I didn’t think I would ever write something like this. I actually started riding because of his videos. So you can probably imagine what it felt like when both…
When your inspiration walks into your yard – Matt Harnacke Jesse Drent Lapland in our place
When Jesse Drent first appeared on my screen years ago, I didn’t think I would ever write something like this.
I actually started riding because of his videos.
So you can probably imagine what it felt like when both Jesse and Matt Harnacke arrived to our place together with HorseWorldTV team in January 2025, because it wasn’t just “a collaboration” or “a visit”, but one of those full-circle moments where you suddenly realize how far you’ve come without even noticing it.
And the craziest part?
Our ranch was still completely unfinished at that point.
No polished structures, no ready-made experience center, just us, the horses, the land, and everything still very much in progress.
Day 1 – showing what everyday life actually looks like in Arctic conditions
On the first day, when Matt Harnacke Jesse Drent Lapland visit, instead of doing anything flashy, we focused on something that is so normal to us that we sometimes forget how unique it actually is, which is how we keep and live with horses in the harsh winter conditions of Lapland.
We spent the day walking through our setup, explaining how the horses live outside in herds even in deep winter, how shelter, movement, and feeding are arranged, and why this lifestyle supports their wellbeing in a way that aligns with their natural behavior, even when the temperatures drop far below what most people are used to .
We talked about:
- how horses adapt to cold
- why movement is more important than stabling
- how routines stay calm even in extreme weather
And instead of turning it into a “lesson”, it became more like a shared exchange of ideas, where different approaches to horsemanship met in a very grounded and respectful way.
Day 2 – stepping into tradition through movement
On the second day, we moved into something that is a really important part of what we want to keep alive here: traditional skills connected to horses.
We introduced them to horseback archery, which combines focus, balance, and timing in a way that forces you to be fully present, because you can’t control everything at once – you have to trust the horse and your own body.
After that, we did something that always feels a bit surreal even to me:
skijoring behind a horse.
Moving through snow while being pulled by a horse creates this very unique feeling where speed, silence, and connection blend together, and even though it looks fun from the outside, it also requires a lot of trust between the horse and the human.
Day 3 – riding in -28 degrees in the fells
The third day is probably the one I will remember the longest.
We went riding into the fells. And it was -28°C.
There is something very different about riding in that kind of cold, because everything slows down naturally, from the horses’ breathing to the way you move your own body, and even the soundscape changes as the snow absorbs almost all noise.
We followed our usual routes into the vaaras, the same landscapes where we take our guests, because those places represent exactly what we want people to experience here: space, silence, and a connection to nature that you can’t really explain unless you feel it yourself .
And in that cold, you don’t talk much. You just ride.
Day 4 – working horses the traditional way
On the fourth day, we shifted the focus from riding to working with horses in a more traditional sense.
We started with a horse sleigh ride, moving through the winter landscape in a slower, heavier rhythm that feels very different from riding, and then we went deeper into traditional knowledge by teaching how to harness horses using traditional Finnish methods.
After that, we took it one step further and went into the forest to do logging with horses, which meant pulling logs out of the forest in a way that has been done for generations before machines replaced it.
This part felt especially important to me, because it connects everything we do to a much longer timeline, where horses were not just companions or sport animals, but essential partners in everyday life, and that is something we really want to preserve and share through everything we are building .
What those four days really meant
If I try to put it simply, those four days were not about showing something perfect, but about sharing something real while it is still in the middle of becoming.
We didn’t wait until everything was finished.
We didn’t try to hide the unfinished parts.
We just invited them into our world as it is.
And for me personally, there was something very powerful in standing there, in the middle of an unfinished ranch in Lapland, realizing that the same person who once inspired me to start riding was now here, experiencing what we have built.
Not finished.
But already enough.
And if you’re building something yourself
Maybe you’re in that same phase right now, where things are still messy, unfinished, and not quite “ready”.
This is your reminder that you don’t have to wait.
You can already start living it, sharing it, and letting people be part of it.
Because sometimes the most meaningful moments happen exactly there –
in the middle of the process, not at the end.