| Icelandic Horse |
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| Breed Description |
| Height 12.3-13.2hh. |
| Coulour Any. |
| Conformation Fairly heavy head; short, well-carried neck; compact body with short back and deep girth; sloping, wedge-shaped, very strong, muscular hindquarters; strong limbs with short cannons and strong hocks; strong, well-shaped feet. |
| "The only national horse breed of Iceland, the Icelandic horse, though small in stature, is considered by Icelanders to be a horse and not a pony. Icelandics are bred for adult riders and are indeed a lot of horse to be sitting upon. These sturdy little horses are one of the oldest breeds of horses in the world. Icelandic horses have remained isolated from the rest of the world's horse breeds for 1000 years, and as a result they are exceedingly pure of blood, although, owing to isolation, they have lost much of their natural defenses against diseases. As a result, Iceland has very strict regulations regarding the export and import of horses and horse gear. Because or their isolation, Icelandic horses have retained the five gaits for which they are famous. The gait they are so well known for is called the 'tolt', which is a fast ambling gaint that is very comfortable and covers a great amount of ground. It is possible to find Icelandic horses in many countries throughout the world." |
| Extract from book Field Guide to Horses by Kindrie Grove 150 Breeds and Types! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Description and interesting fact from Horse Breeds or the World by Judith Draper The complete reference to horse and pony breeds |
| Intresting facts In days gone by horse fights were a popular form of entertainement in Iceland. Playing on the natural instinct of stallions to fight each other for possession of a mare, Icelanders would set two specially trained stallions against one another, using goads to urge them on. This pastime was so dangerous that is was a common occurence for handlers to be injured or even killed. |
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