I Rode an Icelandic Horse!
Last Saturday, I had the opportunity to ride a very special horse. In early April, we are taping a television show all about Iceland and one of the featured topics is the unique Icelandic horse, a breed of horse developed in Iceland. At first glance, these small, compact creatures look adorable and pony-like. However, in addition to being adorable, Icelandic horses are very strong, very spirited, and very fast!
1 Betsy and I rode my Friesians, Ramon and Rinze and we met up with Nicki Esdorn and her friend, Martina Gates, riding Icelandic horses.
2 Here I am with Nicki. Riding Icelandic is very different than riding a Friesian. Nicki says it's like going from driving a bulky Suburban to driving a sleek Porche.
3 Icelandic horses look very cute and cuddly until you see them move. Their looks are very deceptive because they are very strong and spirited and offer a very big ride. Nicki gave me a few pointers and I was off! I rode the golden palomino, Dagfari, very well.
4 On the trail, we met three other Bedford Icelandic riders and I invited them all to my farm to ride on the trails. Nicki was so happy to see all the flowers in bloom.
5 The other three riders were Mindy Papp, Meredith Brokaw, and Cynthia Brill.
6 It was a great opportunity to get to know these horses because we are taping a show about Iceland on April 3rd, and two of these horses will make the trip to my TV studio in New York City.
7 Here's a nice group shot of Nicki Esdorn, me, Mindy Papp, Cynthia Brill, Meredith Brokaw, and Martina Gates.
8 Icelandic is a 'five-gated' breed, which includes walk, trot, and canter/gallop, as well as a four-beat lateral ambling gait known as the tölt. Some horses also perform the 'flying pace,' reaching up to 30 miles per hour!
9 Icelandic horses are long-lived and quite hardy. Natural selection played a large role in the development of this breed. Throughout Icelandic history large numbers of horses died from starvation and exposure to the elements. Only the strongest animals survived.
10 In Iceland, these horses have very few diseases. Icelandic law does not allow horses to be imported into the country and exported animals are not allowed to return.
11 Here we are tölting down the boxwood allee.
12 Tölting involves rapid acceleration and speed. It's a very comfortable gait.
13 The tölt is often compared to horses with similar lateral gaits, such as the Paso Fino, a popular breed for trail riding.
14 Icelandic horses are prized for their friendly and social behavior. These are very happy animals!
15 Icelandic horses are considered to be the world's purest breed. They were brought to Iceland upon Viking ships and served as the only source of transport for many years over the rough terrain of that remote country.
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Such beautiful horses and so interesting to learn a little about Icelandic horses. Everyone looks like they are having a very fun time.
Posted by: Sherey | March 29th, 2012 at 2:49 am
What an interesting blog and pictures of these fine horses. Gaits are difficult for me but Dakota has wonderful Icelandic park with no gates. "Duece of August" is an annual event in Thingvalla township and there is also great fishing for those who enjoy the fighting Northern Pike. Hope to hear more of it on April show. My daffodils have never opened in March before this year of mild winter weather.
Posted by: ann | March 29th, 2012 at 7:25 am
Many thanks for taking the time to blog about your experience. It must have been a fabulous ride.
Posted by: Deborah | March 29th, 2012 at 7:41 am
Martha,
Soooooooo, how did it compare getting off of one of your horses and getting onto a smaller horse? The Icelandic horses are beautiful. Can't wait to watch the show about them.
Karen
Posted by: Karen Tracy | March 29th, 2012 at 7:41 am
Well, you looked very comfortable on Dagfari Martha! The Icelandic horses are beautiful animals. I'll be watching for your show on Iceland!
Posted by: Cindy F | March 29th, 2012 at 8:00 am
Hi Martha, WOW! These Icelandic Palominos certainly are beautiful and I'll bet you and Betsy had a terrific time riding them around your Bedford farm! Your Friesians are absolutely handsome and strong, too! I've always loved the color of palominos way back to always seeing Roy Rogers beautiful ones in movies! Riding that golden Palomino must have been an exciting experience! Nicki and her friends must have had a great time, also! I recall a prior TV Show about your trip to Iceland and the new one on April 3rd should be a lot of fun to see with the Palominos at the studio! Can't wait for that! All of these photos and information today is fantastic and I love it all! Thanks so much for sharing this! Loved seeing your live TV Show in Orlando about the Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest-it was superb! Loved seeing all of the tweets you sent about that, also! Your tweets about your dental visit yesterday were amazing! Hope you are doing well and have another great day! Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | March 29th, 2012 at 9:33 am
Thanks, Martha.
Another super interesting & informative post. I'm like Jan E. always in love with Trigger. My Penny was not as purebred, but a great horse. We had great times barrel racing and riding through the hilly woodlands of Northwest Illinois.
Off to the Daily Wag!
Sharon
Posted by: Sharon | March 29th, 2012 at 10:45 am
Martha,
Cute horses! Thanks for sharing this blog.
Posted by: KLBrown | March 29th, 2012 at 11:12 am
Martha, Glad to hear you enjoyed your Icelandic ride,I have enjoyed them a lot and even have been to the Ice Tolt horse show in the northen part of Iceland ,Lake Myvatan
Posted by: Sean Mulcahey | March 29th, 2012 at 11:34 am
Hi Martha,
Such great looking horses – I love the colors and could almost see you and the other riders tölting. Zero to 60 in how many seconds? Thanks for the introduction and I look forward to seeing them on the show although it would be better to see them in person. I wish!
The eggs from your chickens look beautiful on the counter especially the chocolate colored ones. Enjoy your day. Trish
Posted by: Trish | March 29th, 2012 at 11:40 am
How fun! What a lovely afternoon! And your farm looks like a treat to ride.
I've never had the chance to ride an Icelandic, but a good 5 gaited horse is a thrilling ride...
Thanks for sharing,
Jackie
Posted by: Jackie @Auburn Meadow Farm | March 29th, 2012 at 1:13 pm
I am traveling to Iceland for the 3rd time this April. I will be on a Alpine Ski Touring Adventure. I am a photographer and would be willing to share my photos with you for your iceland show. I can even take some video if you would like me to. I will be in the far north ski touring in the mountains of the trolls! It is a magical land!
Posted by: Pennie Rand | March 29th, 2012 at 1:44 pm
Oh my gosh!!! These horses are absolutely adorable and gorgeous! That must have been a blast for all of you!!!
Posted by: Frances | March 29th, 2012 at 2:56 pm
So thrilled to see this blog and to hear of the MSL show regarding Iceland. I just booked my first trip to Iceland for the end of the summer and on the top of my list of to-do's is a day of horseback riding. I'm even more excited now after seeing all of these great shots of the Icelandic horse in action.
Thanks,
Renee
Posted by: Renee | March 29th, 2012 at 3:09 pm
Hello,
The Icelandic horses are fantastic ! See our daughter ( than 5 years old ) riding our white stallion Friðrik X in a snow storm for example ! It is not just there gates and movements but also there super friendly mind
http://www.holakot.net look under stallions
Posted by: Ester | March 29th, 2012 at 3:49 pm
I was always partial to a small horse of course they were partial to smaller riders. I think someone told me it was less distance to fall. I believed them. The horses also ducked under limbs better so I spent less time watching for tree branches to hit me in the face.
Posted by: margie | March 29th, 2012 at 4:07 pm
you should meet the herd we use in our theraputic riding program...words cannot describe the tenderness and compasion this breed shows to those with physical and emotional disablilities..a very special horse indeed...
Posted by: kellee | March 29th, 2012 at 5:43 pm
The Icelandics are a wonderful breed of horse. My daughter has been riding for about a year now and it has given her such great confidence and sense of responsibility. I much rather have her riding and taking care of horses than sitting in front of a TV/computer screen any day!
Although I haven't taken lessons yet, I do plan to this summer. These horses are so friendly and not to offend in any way, they're like big Golden Retrievers!
Posted by: Carol Tolbert | March 29th, 2012 at 5:44 pm
Please feature the Icelandic sheepdog too!
Posted by: nicole | March 29th, 2012 at 6:46 pm
Very cool.
Posted by: Holiday Baker Man | March 29th, 2012 at 6:56 pm
Lived in Iceland for five years, came from Connecticut and my daughter thought of herself as a experienced rider, since she had taken lessons for years. What a surprise she got when she went pony riding in Iceland with her Icelandic friends. They have a mind of there own, and very fast as you learned. Once she was thrown when the horse ran over barb wire. Once on the ground the horse kicked her in the face with the wire in it's hoof! The pony allowed her to take the wire out, and they were friends forever. You know my Icelandic friends tell me the horses have not changed for thousands of years since they are so isolated in their enviroment. Love Iceland!
Posted by: Diane | March 29th, 2012 at 7:10 pm
Martha,
What beautiful animals! You looked great. I love all of them. But the color of the horse you were riding was just gorgeous. They all look so fluffy and soft. What an awesome day you had. Thank you so much for sharing.
Posted by: Sandy | March 29th, 2012 at 8:41 pm
Thanks Martha. I have 2 North American Spotted Drafts and 2 Quarter Horses. Have always wanted to ride an Islantic, your ride looked like a slice of heaven.
Posted by: Linda H | March 29th, 2012 at 9:48 pm
Martha, Love your enthusiasm about everything you do. You are a true inspiration and part of the reason why I visit dictionary.com more than any other website, perfection is in the details.
Posted by: Chris Harris | March 29th, 2012 at 10:10 pm
Love these horses as do your horses lucky enough to meet them at a fund raiser..
I would give anything to ride these horses as well..You are so lucky...Thank you for sharing
Posted by: Angela | March 29th, 2012 at 10:31 pm
Hey Martha! These are so adorable! I first saw these when I watched the movie Beowulf with Gerard Butler. I thought that these little horses would have had to be pretty viral and stout to take on full grown men riding them into battle scenes. The movie if you have not seen it was filmed in Iceland. Thanks for sharing your adventures! How amazing it must be to have a ride like that!
Best wishes and happy riding!
Cari~
Posted by: Cari Garrison | March 29th, 2012 at 10:59 pm
I love this photo! What gorgeous horses!
Posted by: Cari Garrison | March 29th, 2012 at 11:02 pm
Thank you for sharing your experience with this wonderful breed of horse.
As a horse owner and a member of an Icelandic horse organization this is great.
Posted by: wade | March 29th, 2012 at 11:30 pm
Hi, Thank you for beautiful comments about our beloved Icelandic horses. They are amazing and I hope you will someday get the chance to ride them here in there natural home Iceland. The gate TÖLT on a really good horse is a fantastic experience
A breed so special and I think you will love them.
My 2 favorit animals in the world are the Icelandic horse and of course the majestic Chow Chow
Posted by: Tryggvi E | March 29th, 2012 at 11:45 pm
I found your blog very interesting! While looking at the pictures I thought "That horse looks gaited!" Then a few images later, you mentioned their gaits - thanks for sharing! Looks like you all had a fabulous time!
Posted by: Chelsea | March 30th, 2012 at 12:22 am
On behalf of our Flugnir Icelandic Horse Association members here in the Midwest --- Thank you!!
...and to share the slogan used by Winterhorse Park Icelandic Horse Farm, Eagle, WI.
"More Hair...More Gaits...More Fun"....
Kind regards,
Wade Elmblad, President, http://www.Flugnir.org
Posted by: Wade E. | March 30th, 2012 at 8:20 am
Hi Martha!
Here comes a little greeting from Sweden, it was wonderful to read your blog post about the icelandic horse, since I myself am partially icelandic on my mothers side and my father is from Finland, I spent many summers on Iceland as a child and now as I am older and have started my own family with my Icelandic husband, we still spend many summers and vacations with relatives in Iceland and I can tell you it is magnificent to go horseback riding in the Icelandic terrain, it is a magical eperience one will ever explore. I went one time when I was there with my husband and son, about 2 years ago, and then there was a guided tour through what they call the golden circle, it is when you explore the geysir national park, Gullfoss (golden falls) and much more, and it was amazing, I hope you do this also soon and I promise you will love it.
Unfortunally I wont be able to see your show on tv, but I hope I will be able to see it online on your website or something because I dont want to miss this episode.
Yours sincearly
Anna-Maria Esergren
Posted by: Anna-Maria | March 30th, 2012 at 10:43 am
Martha,
I really miss watching your show daily. When you went to the Hallmark channel I was sad. The internet server we have does not carry Halmark:( I do catch some of your daily things on line.
Thank you so much for giving so much to us.
In Him, Sabrina DeHaven
Posted by: Sabrina DeHaven | March 30th, 2012 at 10:47 am
The Icelandics look so happy (too)!
Posted by: Jo Shields | March 30th, 2012 at 1:00 pm
I live for my Icelandic mare, Snilld. Her name means genius, and she is one.
Posted by: Esther Heffernan | March 30th, 2012 at 1:26 pm
so glad you noted my comment ...please enjoy our fine Icelandics on facebook at sea pony farm nantucket mass a smile is worth a thousand words...have a wonderful trip
Posted by: kellee | March 30th, 2012 at 10:28 pm
My wife and I became enamoured with Icelandics horses 5 years ago. We were both novice riders, but have never looked back. They are indeed a "special" breed of horse
Posted by: Roger Haab | March 31st, 2012 at 7:34 pm
if you are looking for the best kielbasa go to kawalski.com from Hamtramck.MI
Posted by: rose gora | April 2nd, 2012 at 11:05 am
My husband and I had the pleasure of riding Icelandic horses while there in summer of 2010. Experiencing riding these horses was a special memory. So small and quick! The tolt is a beautiful gait. I like watching it, too.
Posted by: April | April 4th, 2012 at 1:30 pm
Oh what fun!!!!
I love riding Icelandic and/or Paso Fino horses, they are so easy on your back and so much fun to ride...Looks like you all had a great time...lovely photos! Thanks for sharing!
delia
Posted by: delia | April 5th, 2012 at 11:05 pm
Talking about Iceland, if you are interested in something specially Icelandic. The Icelandic Sheepdog was brought to Iceland by the Vikings during the Age of Settlement more than a millennium ago. Due to the isolation of the island for ages, it is one of the oldest and best-preserved dog breeds in the world. The Icelandic Sheepdog is very energetic intelligent and lively and loves to be around people, like our horses.
Posted by: Unnur | April 12th, 2012 at 10:37 am
Thank you Martha for your kindness and support to our humble little island. Look forward to see your show on Iceland.
Posted by: Baldvin Jonsson | April 12th, 2012 at 1:42 pm
What a great experience! Riding an Icelandic horse is one of those experiences that is on my bucket list!
Posted by: Sev | April 20th, 2012 at 5:33 pm