United States Icelandic Horse Congress
4525 Hewitts Point Road
Oconomowoc, Wisconsin 53066
www.icelandics.org
The Icelandic is an energetic and powerful little horse. It is a beautiful animal to see as it paces along at a remarkable speed, with its head up and thick mane and tail flying. It’s even more exciting to ride. These small horses are a delight as they zoom along at a relaxed tölt or a rolling canter, making trail riding a joy.
Icelandic horses are descendents of European breeds that were brought to Iceland by the Vikings in longboats prior to 910 AD, after which time importation of all animals to the island was banned by the government. This remains true today. No horses can be imported into Iceland, including native horses that were once exported. Thus the Icelandic horse has been purebred from 910 AD to the present. Pedigree trees on the horses can be traced back 150 years.
Most Icelandics have four or five gaits, compared to the three gaits of other breeds. The thrill of their wonderfully smooth tölt and flying pace is fun for riders. The tölt especially is a gait peculiar to Icelandics.
Icelandics are smaller than most American horse breeds (under 14 hands) and are often referred to as ponies by those not familiar with them. They are, however, considered horses by the Icelanders, as physiologically they are, based on bone shape and other determining factors. Although short in stature, they can easily carry grown men on trail rides and in competition. Their size makes mounting easy, yet their attributes are those of a horse.
Icelandics are generally intelligent horses that learn quickly and want to please their rider. Even average Icelandics will tolerate some error on the rider’s part without difficulty. They have a positive, dutiful attitude.
Icelandics should have a cylindrical body and long mane and tail, like this stallion. Deborah Cook
Personalities vary from those suitable for children and grandmothers to ride, to those that are for professionals only. Some will carry a child with the utmost care and then show all the power and speed required in the show ring or on the trail. A spirited horse for one may be a runaway horse for another. The power and speed of some horses can be intimidating.
In Iceland
The mountains of Iceland can be dangerous, so Icelandic horses are careful about where they step or they would not have survived for centuries. Until the 1930s, the horses served as the main form of transportation in the mountains, so they were trained to carry riders on the difficult terrain. They also carried freight, plowed fields, pulled wagons, and gave family members a ride to church. With so few bridges, the horses were also expected to be strong swimmers to cross the rivers carrying their loads or riders.
Horses running free in the highlands are barefoot, and thus over the years the breed has developed strong hooves. Horses ridden in Iceland, though, have shoes all around because they are ridden on volcanic soil that would quickly wear down any hoof.
Winters in Iceland are wet, but not terribly cold, although the snow can be deep. In the old days, the horses were turned out for the winter and the hay was reserved for sheep and cows that provided income for the farmers. The horses had to paw down to get the dry grass, and those that could live on that diet and lifestyle survived. Thus most Icelandics today are easy keepers, typically requiring only 11 to 14 pounds of grass hay a day.
Mares, young geldings, and foals less than one year old are still turned out into the highlands in some areas of Iceland, but only for the summer and then they are rounded up in the fall. At the roundup, the horses are identified by their earmarks, freeze brands, or other distinctive markings and returned to their owners. Often people come to the roundup to buy horses.
Many horse shows in Iceland have the Pace test as part of the shows, which is a pace race usually run as the last event. For this, the horses may run two at a time, although the race is against the clock. At an indoor facility, the horses will pace into the arena and zoom straight through the door at the other end. Competition is open to anyone. There are also pace races in other forms that are held worldwide.
Icelandics come in various colors, adding an interesting dimension to their attractiveness. Hannamariah/Shutterstock
Characteristics
Cold or wet weather in winter is no problem for Icelandics, as they grow long, thick coats in harsh weather. They prefer to be outside even in the worst winter weather, but then shed out to sleek coats in the summer. In hot climates, they probably prefer to be clipped, at least partially.
Although Icelandics can “spook,” their reactions even in domestically bred horses seems to be less severe than some other breeds. Horses raised in Iceland tend to look at something that is strange, or even walk toward it to get a better look, before they decide if they should run away. This may be due to a lack of natural predators in Iceland. A quick sidestep or a few quickened steps is the norm with some Icelandics, but there are also those that will take a rider for a hair-raising ride, just as with any other breed.
Icelandic horses have a longer working lifespan than most others; usually they can be ridden into their late twenties and can live much longer than that. They are perfect for endurance rides. John Parke from California has logged over 5,000 trail miles on one of his Icelandics.
Horses raised in Iceland tend to be very surefooted, and this trait seems to have carried over to the horses born in the United States. Riders new to Icelandics often complain that the horses trip a lot, but this is 99 percent rider error. The change from the loose rein of western riding, to the collection required to properly ride an Icelandic horse, can be difficult for some riders.
For new owners, taking lessons on Icelandic horses is recommended, and when selecting a horse it is best to attend a professionally taught clinic to learn how to communicate with an Icelandic horse. It may take some time to find the perfect horse for a particular rider. Each Icelandic horse is different in character, training, and gaits. As far as choosing the right horse is concerned, the only important feature is what the back of the ears looks like. That is what a rider looks at when it counts the most.
Some Icelandics are great with kids, and in fact, most like kids. Many Icelandics understand that they must be careful with a child or any person who has trouble balancing on their backs and therefore needs their help. Those same horses can also seem quite spirited for someone who is an experienced rider, but Icelandics are not usually difficult to handle.
Icelandics are usually easy to train, but it is advisable to use a trainer familiar with tölt and pace to refine those gaits. To get the best results from the horses, the riding style and the type of saddle used must be Icelandic. Icelandic saddles look similar to dressage saddles, but are designed to fit Icelandic horses and be comfortable for the rider. Some Icelandics in the United States are trained to ride western and do fine in western gear, as long as it fits them.
World championship shows are held biennially in a host country, and some competitors get heavily involved in them. Horse and rider teams represent their countries in the competition.
Standards
Parentage must be verified by DNA testing when a horse is registered in its new home. In the United States, Icelandic horses are registered with the United States Icelandic Horse Congress. Horses born worldwide are now often microchipped.
Icelandics are bred more selectively now than they were fifty or one hundred years ago. Today, the goal is to produce a more lightly built and athletic horse compared to the draftier type horse produced years ago, yet keep the same healthy, fertile, and durable attributes of the breed.
The size of the Icelandic horse should be 12 to 14 hands, weighing 800 to 1,000 pounds. How much weight a horse can carry depends upon the horse. A 12 or 13 hand Icelandic should be able to easily carry a 250 pound person, and a 14 hand horse would probably be comfortable with a rider up to 300 pounds.
Icelandics have a cylindrical body that should be made up of front, middle, and hind sections that are approximately equal in length. The legs should be about the same length as the depth of the body, with the withers slightly higher than the croup.
Young horses tend to be a bit slab-sided, but by the time they are seven or so they will have muscled out nicely. A mature horse should not be rotund, but a nicely rounded barrel is desirable.
Manes and tails are long and are kept natural in the show ring.
The only consideration given to color is that all varieties should be preserved. Icelandic horses come in all colors except appaloosa patterns.
They are bred to be high energy horses, but they are also expected to be dutiful and obedient. There is very little tolerance for aggressive behavior toward humans.
Gaits
The natural gaits of Icelandic horses are one of their greatest charms (after their wonderful disposition). These are preserved by breeding horses that have strong abilities in the pace and tölt. For all-around use, it is also important that Icelandic horses be able to trot.
Icelandic horses are either four- or five-gaited. The four gaits they all should have are walk, trot, canter (gallop), and tölt, which is an incredibly smooth four-beat gait that lets the rider sit very comfortably while covering ground very quickly.
It is desirable for a tölting horse to bend at the poll and round its back. The faster the horse goes, the more it is inclined to bring its head up, but usually the horse is also bringing its hind legs further under itself. The horse should not be ventrally flexed.
The Icelandic horse is a sturdy, natural breed. Manes are not trimmed for the show ring. Hannamariah/Shutterstock
The fifth gait is the flying pace, which is a two-beat lateral gait that is primarily used on flat open spaces or for racing. With horses reaching up to 35 miles per hour, it is not for the faint of heart.
Head position must be appropriate for the horse’s conformation. Some horses tölt with a high head, while others do not. With the flying pace, the horse is quite stiff in the loins and back and up through the body, so the head is held higher, but is still not ventrally flexed.
Evaluations
The United States Icelandic Horse Congress, the national registry, allows some regions to hold evaluations of breeding horses. This is a major undertaking for any group. Horses four years and older can be evaluated in any country with an International Federation for the Icelandic Horse Association (FEIF).
The evaluation is done by two or three certified international breeding judges. Horses are measured for height at the withers, croup, and saddle dip; length from chest to hindquarters; depth and width of chest; width of hips and between thigh bones; width of the front cannon bones; circumference of front knees and around front cannon bones; and hoof length. They are evaluated for conformation and receive scores of 5 to 10 for head, neck, withers and shoulders, back and croup, overall proportions, quality of legs, and correctness of joints and hooves.
The riding portion is evaluated by two or three judges. One judge may be designated as a riding judge and would then ride each horse to measure more accurately its willingness and character. (This is not always done at evaluations.) The horse is shown in a walk, trot, tölt (both slow and fast), slow and fast gallop, and pace (if it has pace). The horse is also scored for its willingness, character, and form under a rider. Scores range from 5 to 10, with 10 being considered ideal. Each score carries a different numerical weight (value); for example, tölt carries a weight of 20, while walk carries a weight of 4.
Once all the calculation is done for conformation and riding abilities, the two scores are combined, giving conformation 40 percent weight and ridden abilities 60 percent.
The goal is to breed a perfect 10. An average horse would score 7.5, while an exceptional horse would score 8 and would be called a First Prize horse.
Evaluations are held by regional riding clubs wherever there are Icelandic horses, usually once a year by each club. All scores are entered into an international database called World Fengur, which is available on the internet by subscription.
Evaluations are serious business, with the horses’ scores being recorded for all the world to see. They are entirely different than horse shows, which are usually among friends or riding clubs, and give riders goals to reach while enjoying their horses.
Credit: Flugnir Icelandic Horse Association