Being a horse lover, for me, the Icelandic horse has always had this mysterious feel to it. I have my own horses and have been riding them from a young age, as well as working with them for numerous years. Various breeds. Young and old. Small and large. Riding schools, show jumping, dressage, the list goes on. But in all of those years, I had never come across an Icelandic horse.
In love
The horse was introduced to Iceland in the 9th-10th century by the Norse settlers. Stopping by in places like the UK and Ireland, it is possible that numerous breeds could have ended up there. By as early as the end of the 10th century it was decided that the import of horses would be banned. Even to this day, Icelandic law prevents horses from being imported into the country. Icelandic horses that are exported are not allowed to return. In Iceland, the horse is not inoculated in any way so this helps prevent disease spread.
Hard hats on and ready to meet our horses
The above, as well as selective breeding from the mix of the horse breeds in Iceland at that time, as well as natural selection (with only the stronger ones surviving harsh winters etc) would form the Icelandic horse today as we know it. Standing between 13-14 hands (132-142 cm) high, most others this size would be considered pony size, but they always refer to Icelandics as horses and is thought of as an insult to call it a pony. One reason they are referred to as horses can be because of the breed's spirited temperament and large personality. Another reason could be due to the breed's weight, bone structure and weight-carrying abilities meaning it can be classified as a horse.
'Him indoors' on board - he was still smiling at the end thankfully!
There are well over 100 colours and patterns for the Icelandic horse. They also have 2 extra gaits to the standard 4 (walk, trot, canter, gallop) which are the tolt and the flying pace. The tolt can be placed in between the trot and canter and the flying pace somewhere near canter/ gallop. While the tolt is used quite a bit as it is comfortable and covers a lot of ground, the flying pace is generally only used in showing as due to the position of the legs in this gait, it is quite unbalanced and can only be done on an even surface.
Heading out from the yard
Our visit this time to Iceland would see us travel just 20 minutes outside of Reykjavik to the Íshestar stables for their 'Lava Tour'. After getting our hard hats and watching the safety video we were taken outside to meet our noble steeds (you can also hire wellies and a rain coat) NOTE: If you have any clothing that has been in contact with horses outside of Iceland, you will not be able to use these due to preventative disease control.
Riding through the lava field
Beginners were given their horses first, then intermediates, then advanced. As a beginner, him indoors was given his horse first and was helped to get on, stirrups correct length etc. I was left until near the end. The rides were then split into the same groups - beginners, intermediate and advanced. All would go different routes at various speeds. I would have loved to have gone on the advanced ride however, I stayed in the beginner group so we could be together.
Happy hackers
We headed out in glorious weather ambling along in a walk and were surrounded by the lava field instantly. The trail was good and the horses knew what they were doing so took a moment to take in the beautiful scenery. I kept checking on him indoors to see if he was ok - he wasn't doing too bad for a first timer!
Beautiful scenery
A little way along the track we were informed that the beginners would be separated into 'walk group' and 'occasionally a little bit faster' group. Him indoors decided that a little faster would be ok so opted for that one. Having a few trotting sections here and there was nice and it gave me chance to see what the Icelandic trot was like. We stopped for a brief break before heading off again. The time seemed to speed away and we were back at the stables before we knew it. Back in the yard, we unsaddled the horses - but of course not before giving my horse a massive cuddle and kiss.
Keeping an eye on 'him indoors'
Even though my encounter with the Icelandic breed was brief with not much variation I could tell these amazing horses have something special about them. Not quite sure what it is - so maybe I'll just need to go back and spend longer with them to get another insight to this beautiful horse.
Wish I could have taken him home