The Icelandic Horse is the ONLY breed of horse in the entire country of Iceland. They are free of disease and get absolutely no vaccinations, which is unheard of pretty much anywhere else in the world. They are smaller like ponies (but they are not ponies) and great to ride, especially when they do the tölt!
One day, four of the six of us in our group booked a riding tour at Islenski Hesturinn outside Reykjavik.
My sister is our resident expert when it comes to horseback riding, and she tries to go whenever she travels, along with my mom too. My mom was the one who booked us a trail ride at Islenski Hesturinn and she chose a great place!
There are plenty of places to go riding in the Reykjavik area, but Islenski Hesturinn has my vote for best service, best owners, and best ride. The day of our ride, they picked us up in a van right outside our hotel on Laugavegur - already, great service! It was nice not having to attempt to fumble our way to the place using the stick shift on the rental vehicle only my dad could drive (and he was staying behind with his grandson).
When we arrived, we met with the two owners as a group, who gave us an introduction to the farm and Icelandic horses. In the group was my sister, her boyfriend, my mother and me along with a few other people who booked the same time. The owners spoke a bit about their farm and the horses. Now, my sister had brought some of her riding gear (pants, boots, etc.) from the States with her and apparently that is a big no-no; reason being is that gear has been exposed to horses in another country and poses a potential threat of disease to the Icelandic horses. Even Icelandic horses that are sent to other countries are never allowed back into Iceland due to exposure to disease. I found that to be very interesting.
After the intro, a horse was assigned to each of us. They were already saddled, so that was helpful. They had riding gear like boots and pants if we needed to borrow anything. Also very helpful! So we got on our horses, practiced in the ring for a bit, and went on our way into the lava fields. Now, Icelandic horses have five different gaits, the one that is unique to them is called the tölt, a lateral gait in which one foot is on the ground at all times providing a smooth ride for the rider. It was pretty awesome to learn this!
We had chosen the Volcanic Landscape Tour, over the barren landscape with small psuedo-craters and mountains in the distance. It was stunning as we meandered through the black dirt, evidence that we were, in fact, on a volcanic island. We took plenty of photos from upon our horses. Our guides were tremendously helpful, told us some interesting stories and took a lot of pride in their farm, the horses, and their beautiful country.
Back to the barn, we learned that Icelandic horses like to roll around in the dirt after a ride. They looked like they were having so much fun after our ride that I almost joined them! These horses were just so much fun and playful and really love to be around people. They are also quite beautiful with their thick colorful coats. I highly recommend anyone who loves horses and makes it to Iceland to book a horseback riding tour with Islenski Hesturinn. Here is their website (and you can book online too!): http://islenskihesturinn.is
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