Friday, June 28, 2013

Of Horses and Women

Of Monsters and Men, the band that is all over the radio, is from Iceland. who knew??

But for us today it was about the Icelandic horses. The breed was originally brought with the Vikings from Norway around 870 A.D., and in the 10th century the country banned any further importation of horses, a ban that continues to this day. They don't vaccinate the horses, and the horses suffer from no diseases. They want to keep it that way. So much so that horses that leave Iceland for competitions cannot return.

The horses are on the small side, it not as small as ponies, and have a uniformly even temperament. The thing they are known for is their special gaits: the "flying gait" and the "tolt," a super smooth gait as fast a trot where only one hoof at a time leaves the ground. In the flying gait, all 4 hooves are off at once! The horses are not taught this, they just do it, and there are competitions just for these special gaits (some people breed Icelandic horses in other countries too). The tolt is so smooth you can carry a full glass of water ( or ale or champagne) without spilling a drop.

I loved the horses!
My horse, Gaurkur, kept nuzzling me while I tried to take photos. It was love at first sight!

Apparently there are also Icelandic sheepdogs to help with the herding - they look a lot like Shetland sheepdogs - but I haven't seen any yet. Sheep here outnumber people 4 to 1, so I suppose the people need all the help they can get! 

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