Mary Allen
The Icelandic is a horse in pony format: with a size of up to 1.50 meters, the Icelandic horse usually falls under the official pony measure (up to 1.48 m), but it is a full-fledged riding horse for adults. The Icelandic is a popular recreational horse and became popular among recreational riders at the end of the last century. His fans revolutionized horse keeping in Germany so that in addition to the many pit stalls, more and more open stables with species-appropriate horse housing were created. An Isi, as the robust gaited horses with the curly mane are called, feels most comfortable in a group. What is special about him, however, are actually the gaits: The Isi not only walks, trot, and canter, but also tolt and pace.
Origin and History
About 45,000 Icelandic horses live on the island of Iceland, the home of Icelandic horses. They were originally brought there by the Vikings about 1000 years ago. Today no horse is allowed on the island – a horse that has left Iceland is never allowed to return. This regulation primarily serves to protect against epidemics. Originally, different Nordic pony breeds and a few thoroughbreds probably contributed to the creation of Icelandic horses.
On the island, the Icelandic horse has not only been a means of transport from the very beginning but has also been an important supplier of meat. The herds of horses live on the pastures of the highlands in summer, which is why the Isis are very robust to this day. In the south of Iceland, mostly somewhat coarser horses were bred for meat production, while in the north more elegant riding horses were bred. From 1940 on they specialized in riding horse breeding and since the 1950s more and more Icelandic horses have been exported to Germany. To this day there are nowhere as many Icelandic horses outside of the island of Iceland as in Germany. A friendly family riding horse was first bred here for the whole family. Later there was also a somewhat more specialized breed of gaited horses for competition sports.
Interior
The horse, growing up semi-wild in Iceland, is robust and self-confident. It is willing to perform and fearless – it had to survive in the wild. As a riding horse, it always had to be extremely reliable on the island, the rider had to be able to rely on his horse even in the most difficult terrain. This reliability has remained with most of the Icelandic horses to this day: They are considered fearless and sure-footed. In addition to the reliable leisure horses, there are of course also more spirited sport horses that are much more alert and agile.
Exterior
The Icelandic horse is between 135 and 150 cm tall. The body is strong, has stable legs and a strong foundation. With its fluffy mane, it is often cute to look at and a large, friendly eye belongs to its relatively large head.
The peculiarity of the Icelandic horses are the original gaits tölt and pass. Almost all Icelandics tölted. The tölt is a four-stroke gait in which each foot is set individually, similar to a quick step. The tölt is much more comfortable than the trot, as there is no suspension phase, but one or more feet are always on the ground so that the horse’s back does not swing as much. In tölt, the horses are just as fast as in trot, but some horses also have a significantly wider range of speeds.
Not all Icelandics, on the other hand, have mastered the pass gait. A horse that can tölt and pass is therefore also described as a five-gaiter and is something special. The pass, in which the pairs of legs are set laterally, i.e. on the same side, is ridden at a racing pace. A racing pass like this is a real experience!
Suitability / Use
Icelandic horses are excellent recreational horses. It is precise because they are so fearless that they are very suitable as cross-country horses and their excellent will to walk makes them perfect trail riding horses. Despite their smaller size, they like to keep the pace of large horses.
Icelandics also cut a good figure in tournament sports: Here they compete in tölt tests, multi-speed tests, or pass races at distances of up to 250 meters.
Attitude
The original keeping of the Icelandic horse is semi-wild in herds. Even today they feel most comfortable in the company of many Icelandic horses. Bad weather is less of a problem for them than their southern relatives because of their thick fur – which of course does not mean that an Isi does not need protection from the weather. What the Icelandic actually does not need is large amounts of concentrated feed or additional feed. The sturdy horse is more likely to get sick from it. Lean pastureland is perfectly adequate for most Isis.
Diseases Typical of the Breed
Sweet itch – this word is the horror of many Icelandic horse owners. Unfortunately, it is actually the case that many Icelandic horses imported from Iceland have to struggle with this disease. The funny, fluffy mane then becomes a briefly rubbed mane comb, which is all too often sore and bloody. In bad cases, the otherwise robust little horses can even chafe their stomach seams because they are allergic to so-called midges or black flies. The sick Isis can be helped with targeted insect control, various ointments, and creams or with so-called eczema blankets. These are fly rugs that cover the whole body. Icelandic horses bred in Germany seem to be affected less often by this disease.
In addition, a tendency to allergic cough disorders can be observed among the Isis. Furthermore, the mostly cow-like position of the hindquarters in older Icelandic horses occasionally leads to spat, an arthritic disease in the ankle. Despite all this, the Icelandic is robust and can often be ridden well into old age.