THE HORSES OF ICELAND

The Icelandic horse is a very unique breed descending from the Norse horses. It has unique features such as being fluffy, sturdy and short. Icelandic horses are rarely more than 1.5 metres tall. However, you should not compare them to ponies in front of an Icelander!

The Icelandic horses are strong, intelligent and powerful, successful in endurance racing but also a good fit for therapeutic riding. They are popular for dressage and equestrian sports. They have five gaits while most other breeds have only three or four.

An interesting fact is that in order to keep the Icelandic horse breed pure and keep diseases out of the country, it is illegal to import horses to Iceland and if a horse leaves the country, he cannot return.

There are plenty of horseback riding tours to choose from, including ones with 1 hour horseback riding in the Icelandic meadows with mountain view.