A Breed Apart: 1,100 Years of Isolation
The Icelandic horse arrived on this island the same way everything else did — on Viking longships. When Norse settlers made landfall in Iceland around 874 AD, they brought their horses with them: sturdy, compact animals bred for endurance across the wild terrain of Scandinavia. What happened next is what makes this breed truly remarkable.
For over a thousand years, the Icelandic horse has bred in complete isolation. No other horse has been imported into Iceland since the 10th century — Icelandic law prohibits it, and any horse that leaves the country may never return. The result is one of the purest and most genetically distinct horse breeds in the world. Archaeologists have confirmed through European digs that the Icelandic horse is descended from an ancient breed now completely extinct everywhere else on earth. Here in Iceland, it survived.
Meeting an Icelandic horse is, in a very real sense, a glimpse into the ancient world. These animals are living history.
What Makes the Icelandic Horse Unique
At first glance, the Icelandic horse is compact and stocky — standing around 142 cm at the withers and weighing between 330 and 450 kilograms. Visitors sometimes mistake it for a pony. That is a mistake you will not make twice. This is a horse with a big personality, a spirited temperament, and a physical toughness forged by centuries of Icelandic winters. It is powerful far beyond its size.
The breed also comes in an extraordinary range of colours — the Icelandic language has developed more than 100 words to describe the various shades and patterns found in the coat. No other equine vocabulary in the world comes close.
Five Gaits — Including Two Found Almost Nowhere Else
Most horse breeds have three gaits: walk, trot, and canter. The Icelandic horse has five — and two of them are unique to the breed.
The tölt is the gait that makes riders fall in love with this horse. It is a smooth, four-beat lateral ambling gait in which the horse lifts one or two hooves at a time, producing a ride so fluid and comfortable that a rider can cover great distances without fatigue. It can be performed at any speed — from a gentle walk to an explosive gallop-pace — and it is the gait most associated with the Icelandic horse worldwide.
The flying pace — known in Icelandic as skeið — is something else entirely. Not all horses can do it. Those that can reach speeds of up to 50 km/h (30 mph) in a two-beat lateral gait so fast and smooth it borders on spectacle. Skeið is used in pacing races and covers short distances only — it is built for adrenaline, not endurance. Watching a horse fly through it for the first time is genuinely breathtaking.
Riding Tours: The Best Way to See Iceland From the Saddle
There is no better way to experience Iceland’s unspoiled landscapes than from the back of an Icelandic horse. These animals were bred for exactly this terrain — the lava fields, river crossings, highland trails, and coastal paths that make up the Icelandic wilderness. They are sure-footed where other horses would stumble, calm where others would bolt, and enduring where others would tire.
Riding tours are available across the country, with numerous farms offering experiences just minutes from Reykjavík. Tours suit all experience levels — from complete beginners on a gentle two-hour introduction to seasoned riders on multi-day expeditions through the highland interior. Half-day, full-day, and tours of up to ten days are all available.
A practical note: horse riding is not available everywhere in winter. If you are visiting between November and March, check in advance with tour operators to confirm availability. We at Ice Paradise Tours are happy to help you find the right experience for your season.
Two Cultural Experiences Not to Miss
Landsmót — The Great Gathering
Every two years in summer, Iceland hosts Landsmót — the premier event in the Icelandic horse world. The best horses and riders in the country compete for top honours across all five gaits, drawing visitors from across Europe and North America who share a passion for the breed. But Landsmót is as much a cultural festival as a competition. In the evenings, live music, food, and festivities run deep into the northern summer night. It is a celebration of the horse, the land, and the people who have kept both alive for over a thousand years.
The September Roundups — Iceland’s Oldest Agricultural Tradition
Each September, farming communities across Iceland participate in one of the country’s oldest and most visually spectacular traditions: the annual sheep and horse roundup, known as réttir. Hundreds of sheep — and in some areas, free-roaming horses — are herded down from the summer highland pastures and brought together in communal pens surrounded by mountains and wide open sky.
Visitors are welcome to watch and, in some communities, to participate. It is a rare chance to see Icelandic rural life in its most authentic form — a tradition that has changed remarkably little in a thousand years, and one that connects the modern country directly to its Viking roots.
Quick Facts: The Icelandic Horse
- Origin: Brought to Iceland by Norse settlers approximately 1,100 years ago
- Height: Average 142 cm (56 inches) at the withers
- Weight: 330–450 kg (730–990 lb)
- Gaits: Five — walk, trot, canter, tölt, and flying pace (skeið)
- Colours: Over 100 colour names in the Icelandic language
- Lifespan: Long-lived and exceptionally hardy
- Import law: No horses may be imported into Iceland; exported horses may never return
- Global reach: Large populations now exist in Europe and North America
Come and Meet Them
You can read about the Icelandic horse for a long time. You can study its gaits, learn its history, and admire it in photographs. But none of that prepares you for the moment one walks up to you in a field, fixes you with a calm, curious eye, and breathes warm air against your hand.
This is a horse that has survived a thousand years of Icelandic winters, glacial floods, volcanic eruptions, and famine. It did not survive by being fragile. It survived because it is, in every sense, Icelandic.
Come and see for yourself. We’ll take you there.