Icelandic Horses

Icelandic horses have many unique qualities. They are small, sturdy and gentle with people. They’ve adapted to Iceland’s rugged terrain, so they are very sure-footed.

Other horses have 4 gaits, but the Icelandic horse has 5. Mares can even delay giving birth for up to 6 weeks if the weather is bad. They are also quite cute, as you can see.

After our guide reeled off all these facts, he casually added, “And sometimes we eat them.”

Seemingly unaware of the ripple of surprise this comment created, he went on to add that, “Icelandic horse meat is one of the healthiest meats you can have.”

(As for the Icelandic horse’s 5 gaits, they are: the fet, which is a walk; the brokk, or trot; the tölt, which is a faster walk, the skeid, or the pace; and finally, there's the stökk, or gallop, which is very fast. Can any horse experts tell me which gait is the uniquely Icelandic one?)Read more