Sunday, October 12, 2025

The original Viking horse

September 2025 -- Two animals are part of Iceland's national identify:  sheep and horses. Like Icelandic sheep, the Icelandic horse is the only breed in Iceland and one of the purest breeds in the world. They are the original Viking horse, descending from the horses brought to the island by Viking settlers in the 9th century. 


Viking horse

Pretty paint

Lara making a friend

Back to back
Say cheese!

Compared to US horses, Icelandic horses are smaller, only 13 to 14 hands high and 730 to 840 pounds. Many would consider them a pony. But they are considered a horse and they are strongly built. It goes without saying that the Icelandic horse is hardy and rugged. While the sheep spend the winters inside being fed, the horses stay outside all year-long. They have a double-coat for insulation in the winter.


In front of a waterfall

Along the Ring Road

I like horses, too.

During our trip around the ring road, Lara and I stopped many times to view horses and take pictures of them. They were a constant site. We observed them in larger groups than the sheep, which were generally scattered unless they had already been rounded up, in which case they were grazing the bottomlands, mostly hayfields. 

Rounding up the sheep (Rettir)

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