FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q. What’s so special about the Icelandic Horse?
A. That’s a tough one to answer, but try this on for size. Take an ounce of magic, about 800 pounds of energetic body power, a ton of common sense, and boundless kindness and acceptance, and add a thousand years of tradition and survival; this is a special horse. It is gentle, colorful, gaited, long-lived! Wow!

Q. How big are Icelandic Horses? Aren’t Icelandic horses basically ponies?
A. The Icelandic Horse is between 13 and 14:20 hands. This puts the Icelandic horse within the pony standard. Yet they are classified as a horse both by tradition and also because the Icelandic horse is ridden by adults of all sizes.

Q. I know that an Icelandic Horse can carry my wife and my children, but I’m a pretty husky guy, do you really think one of those little Icelandic horses can carry me?
A. Definitely! The Icelandic Horse is very strong and can out pull an ordinary horse 1.6 times per pound of body weight. This is the only breed in Iceland, and men are the ones who do most of the riding. The Icelandic people are generally tall and many men exceed six feet. The Icelandic Horse is very powerful, has a very long stride and a proud bearing that makes it look much larger than it actually is.

Q. Is the Icelandic Horse really the horse the Vikings rode?
A. Yes the Icelandic horse is the horse the Vikings rode. When peaceful Vikings settled Iceland more than a thousand years ago, they brought their horse with them in open long ships, braving the sometimes very cruel seas. The horse has remained completely purebred ever since because of a decree that the Icelandic chieftains made at that time to ban further importation of live animals to Iceland. Even today this ban is still upheld. No other horse can be imported to Iceland.

Q. How about colors of the Icelandic horse?
A. Icelandics come in over forty-two different color patterns including pintos. These possible color patterns make them extremely interesting.

Q. Is there a registry for the Icelandic Horse in the United States?
A. Yes, the United Icelandic Horse Council runs the central register and is affiliated to the FIEF the international association that unites all the fourteen existing registries.

Q. How many Icelandic Horses are there in the United States?
A. Probably about a thousand right now, but more are being bred and imported all the time. Icelandic Horse Acres has the largest herd of Icelandic Horses in the Pacific Northwest. There were no Icelandic Horses in Continental Europe forty years ago. Now they have nearly as many there as are in Iceland, which is approximately sixty thousand.

Q. How about all those gaits, and is the Icelandic Horse really as smooth as everyone says?
A. The Icelandic Horse is an incredibly smooth ride. Riding at a fast speed carrying full beer mugs without spilling a drop is a trademark of the breed. Almost all Icelandic Horses have the potential of learning to perform all of the five basic gaits (walk, trot, canter, tölt (or single-foot), and flying pace), but it is obvious that some horses are more talented than others. The lateral gaits of the Icelandic Horse are very spectacular and comfortable to ride, yet their greatest asset is the extra surefootedness added by the horse’s ability to move it’s feet in any order.

Q. It sounds like the Icelandic is too good to be true, correct?
A. Almost! The Icelandic Horse is fun and exciting to ride, yet unpretentious. The Icelandic horse can maneuver safely through all kinds of terrain. It never falters yet it also has a low general maintenance cost as well as easy to keep. Icelandic horses are also very long-lived.

Q. Where can I see these rare and wonderful Scandinavian horses?
A. Of the thousand or so Icelandic Horses in the entire United States Icelandic Horse Acres has over eighty of these captivating creatures. They are still considerably rare in this country at this time. Call now (509) 924-8112 to arrange and select the horse of your dreams.