Icelandic horses are a unique and beautiful horse breed native to Iceland, the land of ice and fire. A source of national pride for Icelanders, these four-legged creatures are known for their slight build, resilience to the extreme Icelandic weather, and friendly nature. The horses hold a special place in Icelandic and Norse culture.
What Is an Icelandic Horse?
According to records, Icelandic horses have been purebred since the 10th century and are known for being athletic, sturdy, lively, and adaptable. These traits make Icelandic horses a very popular choice among many horse breeders.
Viking settlers from the British Isles and Norway brought the first Icelandic horses to the country, where they remained and prospered in human settlements. Icelandic horses were the primary mode of terrestrial transport for centuries until the introduction of the first roads in the 1870s.
What are Icelandic horses used for?
Icelandic horses are still a traditional part of many families who use them mostly for riding. Horse owners also use Icelandic horses to take part in formal horse competitions, cross-country rides, and sports such as dressage and jumping.
Icelandic Horse Characteristics
Icelandic horses are comparatively smaller in size than other breeds. They typically grow between 49 inches (125 centimeters) and 57 inches (145 centimeters) tall, when measured from the ground to the tallest point on their withers (the ridge between the animal’s shoulder blades).
The Icelandic horse is one of the most colorful of all horse breeds. They can have more than 100 variations of 40 colors, with the most common colors being red, chestnut, black, and brown. All Icelandic horses have a base color of either black, red/chestnut or reddish brown. The base color depends on genetics and is inherited from both parents.
Icelandic horses have extremely long and thick fur to help them survive in Iceland’s cold climate. In summer, they shed the long coat for a short and flat coating of fine hair. However, their manes and tails remain thick and long throughout the year.
Icelandic horses are excellent domestic animals due to their gentle and trusting nature. They mingle easily with their owners and seldom bite or trample if they’ve been raised properly. Icelandic horses are also great as show horses or trail horses and can be trained to adjust to these tasks.
An Icelandic horse reaches full growth around the age of 6 or 7. These horses have a high fertility rate and can reproduce into their late 20s. They mature later than other horses, and training typically begins around the age of 5. The average lifespan of an Icelandic horse is about 25-30 years.
Icelandic horse vs. normal horse
The biggest difference between Icelandic horses and other horses lies in their gaits. Most horses have only three or four gaits, but the Icelandic horse has five natural gaits.
Icelandic Horse Gaits
One of the renowned aspects of Icelandic horses is that they have five natural gaits, which is the way they move. Most horses have just three or four natural gates. In addition to regular gaits such as the walk, trot, and gallop (canter), Icelandic horses can also do the tölt and pace.
The tölt
It is a lateral four-beat gait where the horse lifts the front and rear legs on the same side above the ground, with one leg on the ground at all times. The horse carries itself effortlessly, allowing the rider to stay on the horse for long distances without tiring. It’s similar to the running walk or rack of a Tennessee Walking Horse. Icelandic horses learn to tölt naturally, and it’s common to see foals tölt in the open without being trained.
The pace
It’s a symmetrical two-beat gait where the horse’s hooves on the same side touch the ground together with the legs on the same side moving nearly at the same speed. When the horse is at full gallop, it’s called the flying pace — which Icelanders consider the peak of horsemanship.
Icelandic Horse Care
Icelandic horses are usually kept in large herds and have adapted to the Icelandic weather. The traditional way of caring for these horses has helped them retain their natural herd instincts and handling by humans. These horses are easy to feed, but you should take necessary precautions to keep their weight in check, especially during spring and summer, when they tend to overeat.
You can do this by tracking your horses’ grazing time. If you feed them good quality grass or haylage (dry cut grass) throughout the year, you won’t need to feed them anything more, unless they’re breeding horses or if you’re making them work extra hard.
Avoid giving them silage (fermented grass) and protein-rich food, as it may be too heavy for most horses. Keep a salt and mineral block near their station and give them fresh water throughout the day.
You should deworm Icelandic horses regularly and vaccinate them for summer eczema, tetanus, rabies, Eastern and Western encephalitis, and West Nile virus. You may also want to consider several other vaccines, including for equine herpes, botulism, equine influenza, and strangles. Talk to your veterinarian about which vaccines your horse needs.
Interesting Icelandic Horse Facts
- Icelandic horses can live for a long time. One Icelandic horse in Germany lived up to the age of 47.
- Horse riding is one of the fastest-growing businesses in Iceland, attracting thousands of tourists from around the world.
- In a country of roughly 300,000 people, there are 80,000 Icelandic horses.
- There are roughly 100,000 Icelandic horses outside Iceland. Germany alone is home to more than 50,000 horses, with Canada and the U.S. being other countries where they’re bred extensively.
- To maintain the purity of the breed, an Icelandic horse can’t return once it’s left Icelandic shores.
