The Icelandic horse stands around 12.2-13.2hh and is never referred to as a pony by the Icelanders.
Pics of pony
There are no fewer than 15 varieties of colour, which include all the basic colour types including palomino, skewbald and piebald.
This breed dates back to the 9th century when settlers introduced them to the country.
The horses were from Norway and the British Isles, and used by the Vikings during battle and peaceful times.
The breed has been kept pure, due to no other horses and ponies being imported to the country since the 9th century.
Today the breed is still popular, being used over the snowy terrain, farm work, riding, competitions and racing.
This breed is now the only five-gaited European horse.
The five-gaits are:
Fetanour – walk or step
Brokk – trot used when crossing rough country
Stokk – gallop used when speed is needed
Skeid – short stretches of speed
Tolt – a four- beat running walk used for crossing broken ground.
They have well-proportioned heads, with straight profiles and wide foreheads.
The neck is short, muscular, and broad at the base; the withers broad and low; the chest deep; the shoulders muscular and slightly sloping; the back long; the croup broad, muscular, short and slightly sloping.
The legs are strong and short, with relatively long cannon bones and short pasterns.
The mane and tail are full, with coarse hair, and the tail is set low.
The breed is known to be hardy and an easy keeper.
The breed has a double coat developed for extra insulation in cold temperatures.
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