ICELANDIC HORSES

These horses are known for their pleasant character and lively temperament. The Icelandic is a “five-gaited” breed (walk, trot, and canter/gallop, tölt and flying pace). They are long-lived and hardy. They have thick coat that protects them from the cold and enables them to spend the winter outdoors.

Icelandic foals often grow up at seven years and live quite long (35 to 40 years). We can ride them up to their 30 years of age. Icelandic horses belong to the pony-sized horses. Despite their smallness, they are quite hardy, since they can carry a grown-up man or one third of their weight (Icelandic horses weigh between 300 and 400 kilograms and stand an average of 130 and 145 cm high). Old Icelandic Vikings who bred this breed, were quite ruthless men. Today, these horses are used for various purposes, although they are mostly used for sports and recreation or travelling.

Icelandic horses love winter – they get thick and multi-layered coat that surely protects them from the worst cold. Their coat and tail are incredibly full and thick. Sturdy hoofs are protected with long winter coat that covers the fetlock (horse ankle) and hoof almost to the ground.

Icelandic horses live outdoors (there is no bad weather for them) and in herds. Since they mostly live outdoors, movement in nature is quite self-evident and they are only rarely distracted by noise, images and smells outdoors; this is quite an important feature of a horse that is used for long rides in the wild, where we need persistent, self-confident and reliable horses with impeccable orientation.