Iceland review - 2013, Side 45

ICELAND REVIEW 43
MoSt truSty Servant
of Mongolian origin and related to the norwegian lynghest,
the icelandic horse has five gaits, including the soft
tölt, which exists in few other breeds. no other horse
demonstrates five gaits at shows.
through the centuries, icelanders have depended on the
horse, which, despite being small and sturdy—measuring
on average 141 centimeters to the withers—is not a pony.
horses were invaluable for transport, carrying people and
heavy loads across regions, and for farm work. although not
bred for meat, horses sometimes ended up on dinner plates.
While other animals were given shelter in winter, horses
were often left out in the cold to survive on their

own. under harsh conditions, a particularly hardy and unique
breed of horse evolved.
the qualities of the icelandic horse have resulted in it
becoming popular for export, delivering about isK 1 billion
(usd 8 million, Eur 6 million) to the national economy every
year. there are currently around 170,000 icelandic horses
outside iceland, more than twice as many as in the country.
the icelandic horse has ten different basic colors and up
to one hundred color variations. the most common are red
and black but horses of colors such as móvindskjóttur (‘blue
dun, silver dapple, pinto’) are rarely spotted in herds.
SourCeS:
The Farmers Association of Iceland (bondi.is); the Reykjavík Zoo & Family Park (mu.is); the Icelandic Sheepdog Association (dif.is);
the Arctic Fox Center (melrakki.is); the Association of Fox and Mink Hunters (refur.is); Statistics Iceland (statice.is); Íslenska sauðkindin
og saga sauðfjárræktar á Íslandi, compiled by Árni Brynjar Bragason; and Forystufé á Íslandi by Lárus G. Birgisson, 1994.
fAUNA
Number of horses: 78,277
average weight: 390 kg (860 lb)