OREGON, USA — Caeli Cavanagh and her horse Þeyr are about to go on the trip of a lifetime, all the way to the Netherlands to compete for Team USA at the World Championships for Icelandic horses.
"It's a really big deal, not something I was really anticipating," Cavanagh said.
Þeyr is an Icelandic horse, the original horse of the Vikings.
"The Icelandic horse is often called the most useful servant," Cavanagh said.
They're unique in that they can perform five gaits, everything from a walk to what's called the flying pace. Cavanagh and Þeyr will compete in all five gaits at the World Championships.
The next step is getting to the Netherlands. Þeyr will be on a special flight.
Cavanagh has set up a GoFundMe to help with the cost of the flight. So far, the crowdfunding campaign has raised nearly $27,000 of Cavanagh's $30,000 goal.
Þeyr has flown before when he came to the United States with Cavanagh. The two have been together for nine years. Cavanagh trained him as part of the curriculum in Iceland.
The World Championships are set for Aug. 8-13.
Cavanagh and Þeyr will arrive in the Netherlands several weeks before the competition so they can get used to the venue there.
Download the KGW News app: Download for iPhone here | Download for Android here
Stream newscasts for free on KGW+ on Roku and Amazon Fire: How to add app to your device here
See a typo in this article? Email web@kgw.com for corrections