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Hestasport - Iceland on horseback 2010

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Hestasport - Activity Tours Vegamót 560 Varmahlíð ICELAND Phone (+354) 453 8383 Fax (+354) 453 8384 E-mail: info@riding.is Website: www.riding.is

The Icelandic Horse

On this page we want to introduce the Icelandic Horse. You may wonder why we call it the Icelandic horse an not the Icelandic pony. The simple reason for this is that there is only one type of horse in Iceland.

It has been his way for more than 1.000 years, because soon after the first settlers arrived, the import of other horses was forbidden so as to keep infectious deseases out of the country. For this reason the Icelandic Horse has not been cross-bred with other varieties. There are only few other examples in the world of such pure breed, e.g. the Arabic Horse. The Icelandic Horse is considered to be a direct descendent of the Germanic Horse of the Middle Ages.

The Icelandic Horse is undemanding, hardy, strong and willing. This horse made it possible for people to travel across the difficult country, to carry goods from the farm to the trading posts and back, and to ride to the Althing each year, even from the most remote parts. Without this horse it would have been almost impossible to found the democratic nation of free farmers in early Iceland. It was a vital riding and transport animal from the 9th century to the 20th. Now it is a companion in sport and recreation. For us and for its fans overseas it is the oe and only horse.

The Icelandic Horse is smaller than most of the continental breeds, but even the most demanding rider soon forgets this on the back of a well bred steed, which carries him through the Icelandic countryside at a smooth tölt.
The Icelandic Horse is a so-called gaited horse and differs from those breeds used for dressage, jumping, rodeo riding or racing. It controls in addition to the three usual gaits of the walk, trot and gallop the tölt and is then called a four-gaiter. Many Icelandic Horses control even a fifth gait, the pace, and are then called five-gaiters.

The special gaits, the tölt and the pace, are not produced by training. They are the natural inborn characteristics of this breed, which have been preserved and improved by sysematic breeding.

The tölt

The tölt is a comfortable smooth and attractive gait. The sequence of hooves is the same as for the walk: left hind - left fore - right hind - right fore. In the walk, either two or three hooves touch the ground at the same time. In the tölt either two or only one. Since each hoof is in a different stage of the cycle, a smooth four-beat motion is produced.
The tölt is not only comfortable for the rier, but is also spectacular to watch. A good tölt-horse lifts its legs high with generous and supple movements, with its head raised proudly, and maintains a regular rhythm at any speed.

The pace

In pace the horse can reach a high speed up to 45 km/h. The hooves on the same side touch the ground together. Riding a horse at a flying pace is considered the pinnacle of horsemanship with the Icelandic Horse. The pace is only used for short distances and is always the most exciting event at competitions.

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