The horse with the thousand-year history. With their purity guarded by Icelandic law since 900 A.D., there are 3,100 registered Icelandic Horses in the United States today. Versatile family mounts, they’re treasured for their stamina, smarts, and spirit.
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The Icelandic Horse is one of the oldest and purest of equine breeds.
Descendants of horses originally brought to Iceland by the Vikings, the breed
has remained pure since the 10th century, when a law passed stating that no new
livestock could be imported into the island nation. Today, that ancient law
still preserves the purity of the Icelandic Horse, treasured in its homeland
and, increasingly, around the world.
"Riding Icelandic Horses in Iceland was a horse lover’s dream," says Andrea
Barber of Mendon, New York. "Next to every main road is a road for horses to
travel. If you need a spare horseshoe — you can buy them at any gas station!
Everybody rides in Iceland; it’s a horse culture. And all Icelandic Horses are
trail horses — you won’t find any kept just for show."
Barber is the current president of the United States Icelandic Horse
Congress. She and her husband, Steve, own Sand Meadow Farm, home to a dozen
Icelandic Horses.
The couple’s love affair with the breed began 10 years ago when they went
trekking on Icelandic Horses in Vermont. Halfway through one day’s ride, Steve
took Andrea aside to say that he didn’t intend to leave without his horse.
"It took nearly nine months, but he finally persuaded the owner to part with
[the horse]," she says with a smile. "One of our favorite places to ride is
South Haven Park on southeastern Long Island, New York. I’ll never forget one
early autumn evening, riding on winding trails through pine forest when we rode
right into the middle of a herd of deer. Without a pause, my Icelandic continued
to run with them for quite a distance. It was awesome!"
Increasing numbers of trail riders are drawn to the Icelandic’s naturally
smooth gaits, intelligence, and hardy constitution. Read on to learn more about
the Icelandic Horse — a big heart wrapped in a small, very handsome package.
Trail Rewards
Amy Goddard of Patterson, New York, owns two Icelandics and oversees the
USIHC Pleasure Riding Program. "All USIHC members can enroll in the program; a
high percentage participates. The horses must be registered Icelandics, but
riders don’t need to own the horse that they ride. We have three regions —
Western, Central/Mountain, and Eastern — and year-end prizes are awarded to
first, second, and third place riders in each one."
There are two ways to log points in the program: the Freedom Ride Time Log
and the Special Events Log. In the former, one records hours spent riding,
driving, ground driving, or ground training the horse. As hours accumulate,
riders earn patches and vests.
Enrollees in the Special Events Log earn points by participating in,
auditing, or planning clinics, horse evaluations, or other special events
(excluding shows). Those with the highest combined point totals in both the
Freedom Ride and Special Events Logs earn annual awards, including Mountain
Horse riding jackets and decorative medals.
Avid trail riders also network through the programs. Goddard met Lisa Leeper
of New Mexico through the program. When the New York resident took a vacation,
Leeper invited her to join a party of 18 trail riders — all onboard Icelandics —
to explore high desert country in the Cibola National Forest near Gallup, New
Mexico.
"We rode past terracotta rock formations and Anasazi ruins, and tˆlted along
1870s logging roads," she says. "We climbed to 7,800-feet on McKenzie Ridge, and
serpentined down the other side. It was a trail rider’s dream."
| Don’t Call Them ‘Ponies’! |
Although the Icelandic Horse’s size, between 12.2 and 14.2 hands high, would
technically qualify them for the "pony" category, Icelandics are
definitely
"horses" notes Karen Winhold, owner of Vermont Icelandic
Horse Farm, which
offers daily trail rides and riding holidays aboard
the breed.
And never, ever go to Iceland and call their proud equines "ponies." Winhold
tells us that the word "pony" is used in conjunction with the small
breeds that
evolved in the United Kingdom, such as the Welsh, Shetland,
Connemara, Dartmoor,
and Exmoor. The word is probably derived from the
French word poulenet, the
diminutive form of poulain, for colt.
However, in Iceland, which developed its distinct written and spoken language
while Europe still used Latin, the natives’ beloved equines were
described by
one word, "hest," for horse: the Icelandic Horse.
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Four-Wheel Drive
"These horses are like having a four-wheel-drive sports car," says Canadian
Phil Pretty. For 30 years, he and his wife, Robyn Hood, have owned and
bred
Icelandic Horses on their farm, The Icelandic Horse Farm, in
Vernon, British
Columbia. Hood is the sister of internationally
acclaimed clinician Linda
Tellington-Jones. (See "Spirited Away,"
Trailblazers, March/April ’05.)
"In the early 1970s, Linda convinced some European owners to send 15
Icelandic Horses to the States to compete in an endurance event called
the Great
American Horse Race," Pretty explains. "Robyn and I signed on
to condition these
horses in the mountains near Yosemite National Park,
and crew for them during
the ride.
"The first day, we rode 10 miles. Afterwards, we felt like collapsing, and
the Icelandics went into the pasture and started to play. We
immediately
wondered who would benefit most from the conditioning!"
Pretty and Hood were so impressed, they purchased five of the horses;
Tellington-Jones bought two. "They were wonderful on the trail, very
calm, and
conscious of the job at hand," Pretty says. "And when they
went into a rest
stop, they rested. Some horses don’t, and their
pulse-and-respiration recovery
time is much longer.
"It was very early in my riding career, and the Icelandics were great for a
relative beginner. When they go into their gait, the tˆlt, they go fast
and
smooth — no bounce at all. During the tˆlt, the horse has one foot
on the ground
at all times, so instead of an impact, there’s a gentle
transfer of weight."
The tolt is the Icelandic’s natural four-beat lateral gait, which it has in
addition to the walk, trot, and canter. Some Icelandics also have a
fifth gait,
called the skeith. It’s a very fast, lateral gait, in which
there’s a brief
moment when all four feet are off the ground. Also
called the flying pace, this
gait is smooth, and unique to Icelandics.
To anyone who might wonder if the Icelandic’s small size — about 13 to 14
hands high — would discourage adults from riding them, Pretty says,
"They have
great substance, huge shoulders, a long stride, and big
personalities. They’re
bred to carry adults over rugged terrain in
Iceland. When you’re riding, they
feel so much bigger than they
look."
There are usually about 140 Icelandics at The Icelandic Horse Farm, including
90 of Pretty and Hood’s own. The couple, who helped found the Canadian
Icelandic
Horse Federation, often sell their homebred youngsters. Robyn
conducts
educational clinics and workshops, and they offer a complete
line of Icelandic
tack. The welcome mat, Pretty says, is always out for
those who want to learn
more about the breed.
‘All Around Perfect’
Mercy Phillips of Nashville, Indiana, who has four Icelandic Horses in her
barn, says, "They’re like potato chips — you can’t have just one!" She,
like
Barber, went to ride in Iceland. "[It was] the trip of a lifetime:
riding
through emerald green, moss-covered lava fields," she says.
Phillips was introduced to Icelandics at a horse expo nine years ago, and
liked their size and smooth gaits. Now, she’s in love with the way they
take to
the trail.
"They’re always ready to go and see what’s over the next hill," she says.
"They’re nimble, surefooted, and have a huge flat walk. There’s never a
problem
of keeping up with other horses, because they have a lot of
reach. They’re also
extremely hardy, with hooves like steel. I’ve never
had any soundness
problems."
And then there’s the cuteness factor. With their big eyes peeking out from
under luxurious, tousled forelocks, "They’re impossible to resist!"
Phillips
exclaims.
Raven Flores of Roberts, Wisconsin, grew up with Quarter Horses, then owned a
beloved Tennessee Walking Horse. When her Walking Horse lost his
vision, she
went shopping for a gelding — preferably black.
"When I walked into one sale barn, the first horse I saw was a red-and-white
pinto Icelandic," she says. "He had the most beautiful head I’d ever
seen. I
tried out several horses before I tried him. I’d never even
considered a horse
that was mostly white."
At first, the Icelandic’s strong personality intimidated Flores, but she gave
it time. "I spent every weekend for the next two months with him: trail
riding,
grooming, just hanging out," she says. "We bonded. I’d decided
to buy him when
his owner told me the story of his name: Huginn."
In Icelandic mythology, Odin, the god of all planets, had two ravens that sat
on his shoulders. Every morning, Odin sent the ravens out to see the
world, and
at night, they returned to tell him what they’d seen. The
Raven of
Thoughtfulness was named Huginn.
So, the woman named Raven brought home the Icelandic named for a raven.
Flores and her colorful Icelandic go trail riding nearly every weekend from
March to November. They participate in the USIHC Pleasure Riding
Program; twice,
Flores has been honored as the high-point trail rider.
"My favorite ride was in the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois,"
she says. "I went there with a group of girlfriends; we call ourselves
‘The
Saddlebags.’ There were challenging climbs with drop-offs,
phenomenal views, and
creek crossings. You need a great partnership
with your horse for trails like
those, and my good-minded,
smooth-moving Huginn never let me down. I’ll have him
forever; he’s
just all-around perfect."
With hardy ancestors that thrived in the harsh Icelandic environment, these shaggy geldings wear thick winter coats that will shed out to reveal their sleek summer attire. They retain their luxurious manes and tails year round.
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The 10,000-Mile Icelandic
In 1994, when John and Marilyn Parke bought a 6-year-old
Icelandic
gelding as a Christmas present for their children, they never imagined
what
might happen over the next dozen years.
In
October 2006, the
Parkes’ now
18-year-old gelding, Remington,
became the 14th horse in
American Endurance Ride
Conference
history to complete 10,000
competition miles — an amazing
accomplishment.
Remington joins just two other active competitors with 10,000 miles — both
Arabian-bred horses, a breed renowned for its stamina. But an endurance
Icelandic?
"Sometimes, it does bring to mind the fable about the tortoise and the hare,"
John says with a chuckle. "The Arabians can cover ground, but
this
great little
horse always finishes. He’s refined for an
Icelandic —
almost dainty looking —
and he used to surprise
people when he tore
down a trail like a bat out
of hell!
| High Standards |
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The Icelandic is the only breed with just one breed standard, one set of
registry rules, and one set of competition rules — in every country
where the
breed resides. A horse exported from Iceland will never be
allowed to return:
The ancient law from 900 A.D. that forbids livestock
to be imported into Iceland
also protects the purity of one of the
oldest of equine breeds.
The International Federation of Icelandic Horse Associations (known as FEIF,
from the German) preserves and promotes the breed. It regulates the
breeding and
registration
of Icelandics worldwide, and governs
competition. Its members
are Iceland, 18 European countries, Canada,
and the United States.
Because only one official organization is allowed per country, the United
States Icelandic Horse Congress was formed in 1987, a result of the
merger of
two former groups. There are more than 3,100 Icelandic Horses
registered in the
United States; some were imported, some are born and
bred here. |
"Once, we came across a bear — and he charged it! Remington is absolutely
fearless, and that makes him great on the trail. If you could measure
it, he’d
have an IQ of 300. He’s a smart prankster, always fooling with
people."
On the brink of the 10,000-mile mark, John headed for the Grand Canyon XP
Ride. Here’s his account of that ride into history, in his own words:
"With only 55 miles to go for Remington to reach 10,000 lifetime miles
completed in endurance competition, we head off for a multiday ride at
the North
Rim of the Grand Canyon. My son Willie comes, and it’s great
to have his company
and help. We arrive at the ride camp a little past
noon on Friday.
"My friend, Laura Hayes, from New York, walks up to ask if I would like to
ride with her to mark 11 miles of trail for the upcoming rides. I want
to take
Remington for a warm-up ride, so we take off on a single-track
trail. The
scenery is very wintry. Usually, the leaves on the aspens
are turning gold at
this time of the year on the Kaibab Plateau, but
they have already dropped this
year, so everything is bare except the
pines.
"Rem is feeling really zippy and the mare is nervous, so we take the lead. We
cover the trail in about 1_ hours, but slow down at the end, because
the mare is
getting tired keeping up with Remington’s pace. This is
fine, because, as the
trail breaks out of the trees, we are right at
the edge looking at the Grand
Canyon’s East Rim. Very few people ever
see it. The Grand Canyon is not as deep
here as it is a little to the
west, but it is still gorgeous with a unique view
of the desert on the
opposite side dropping off the edge.
"We go to bed early, but I wake during the night. It is raining cats and
dogs. Even though I clipped him last weekend, Remington is okay,
because he’s
wearing a waterproof blanket over a warm pile blanket.
When I saddle up, it is
still raining hard. We head off in the rain at
7:30 a.m.
I’m wearing waterproof clothing, but unfortunately my rain pants have an
elastic cuff right above my boot top. The water drains off my coat onto
my pant
legs and then right into my boots.
"We get to the vet check in under three hours, because the rain and mud don’t
slow the surefooted, old pony down. If anything, he goes faster,
because the
rain keeps his body cool. "The vet check is miserable. Rem dives into his feed and stays warm under the
blanket I sent out to the vet check in our crew bag. But I am wet and
freezing.
Just as I climb back in the saddle, it starts to rain even
harder. Somebody
tells me they heard on the radio that they are having
flash floods all over Utah
and Arizona. We don’t have this problem,
because we are up above everything else
at 8,000 feet so the water
drains off into the canyon.
"Rem moves out really well through the puddles and mud and rain. I think once
again how I could never get through country and weather like this
without him. I
dream about a hot shower and dry clothes and see no
reason to tarry. I’m glad I
saw the canyon yesterday, because I sure
can’t see anything today through my wet
glasses and all the rain. We
get back to camp in just a few hours and actually
finish in (by far)
our fastest time for a 50-miler this year. Remington is
totally sound
at our completion vet check.
"I am so cold at the finish that Willie has to take off the tack and put a
blanket on Rem, because my fingers are too stiff to work the buckles. I
gobble
up some nuts, take a short nap, and jump in the shower.
"Rem now has 9,995 cumulative miles from endurance rides of 50 or 100 miles
in a day. We’ll ride out again tomorrow to reach 10,000 miles but at
least it
won’t be raining as much, according to the forecast."
The following day, John and Remington rode into the record books. Shopping Savvy
Icelandic Horses come in a rainbow of colors and patterns, and are generally
long-lived, athletic companions, with kind and generous temperaments.
The USIHC
offers these suggestions to those interested in
buying an
Icelandic:
• Be honest about your goals and ability to find the right partner. To
learn more about the breed, attend Icelandic Horse demonstrations, seek
out
breeders and owners, and check out the USIHC’s informative
brochures and
videos.
• Keep in mind that Icelandics are slow to mature, so shouldn’t be
started under saddle until they’re approximately 4 years
old.
• Try out the horse in a controlled situation, such as an arena, before
heading onto trails.
• Take the horse on several trail rides in an environment similar to what
you’ll encounter at home.
• Question the seller about the horse’s health history. You may wish
to
have a veterinarian perform a prepurchase exam.
• Make certain your tack fits and doesn’t impede the horse’s gaits.
Specially made Icelandic tack is English-style, and placed a
little
farther back
off the shoulder than normal. This allows
for greater
freedom of movement.
Usually, Icelandics are
ridden with a simple
snaffle bit.
• Then, welcome to the Icelandic Horse family!
Honi Roberts is a freelance writer and horsewoman based in Washington State.
She’s the co-author of Breed For Success: The Horseman’s Guide to
Producing
Healthy Foals (The Lyons Press; www.lyonspress.com).
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