The Icelandic horse can be traced clear back to the 9th century when Vikings brought this breed with them as well as a mixture of others to Iceland. The isolation of their native land left the Icelandic horse fairly undisturbed and unchanged for the nearly 1,000 years after they first came to Iceland, while other herds though were crossbreeding elsewhere. People believe that the Iceland horse is closely related to the English Exmoor Pony.
This horse played quite the part in Norse mythological stories that were told in heathen times. The stories that they were involved in depicted them as the pets of Norse Gods as well the pets of the Norse Gods' enemies, the Giants. There was even a mythical Icelandic horse that was famous, an eight-legged pacer named Sleipnir. The impact the horses made in the mythological stories still shows today as many riding clubs are named after famous mythological horses and even herds of them bear the same type of names.
During the Viking period, these horses were held at a very high respect and played the role of warhorse to many serious warriors. When such a warrior would be slain in battle, they were often buried next to their mounts. The horse was the main source of transportation for many years, until the arrival of automobile arrived in Iceland. As with many other places, the horse became outdated for travel. It hasn't stopped the breeding of these horses though; there are around 80,000 Icelandic Horses in the small country of Iceland.
The Icelandic horse has a main time of the year that it takes part in competitions and shows, the summer time. The winter time though, it takes part in the winter games, such as ice riding, also February through May many indoor events take place. In Iceland there are two types of competition, one is the sports end and the other is Gadingakeppni , this is the competition that is based around the horse's abilities while the sports aspect is based on the communication between the rider and the horse.
Because of the solitude that surrounds Iceland, the horses have remained all these years disease free; to keep it this way the importation of any outside horses or any other form of livestock is forbidden. The importation of any used riding wear, tack, or any other material used around livestock is also forbidden unless it is completely cleaned and sanitized.
Thousands of foals are born in Iceland every year; many of them are born in their natural habitat of wide open grassy fields, very rarely are they born in stables. Many breeders believe by watching the behavior, movement, and spirit of a young foal can determine how it will be once it's older, within the first few weeks of a foal's life, future stallions and prize winning mares can often be identified. Icelandic Horses mature rather slowly and are not usually trained until they reach the age of four.
Their natural life span is 25 to 30 years old; some have been known to live to the ripe age of 40 years old. They only require shoes for protection, traction, and therapeutic use.
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