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Icelandic horses: How I ended up taking hundreds of photos

Last updated on January 15, 2018 by Claire / this article contains affiliate links (Info)

After the amazing landscapes, the second interest of tourist in Iceland is for the horses. With 16 days in Iceland, I managed to came up with hundreds photos of them. They are so majestic! Here are some info about them and my best shots.

Icelandic Horses facts and photos

Navigate back to the complete Iceland Travel Guide


TIPS FOR TRAVEL PLANNING ADDICTS - Icelandic Horses

Not much to say – Horses are absolutely everywhere, not need for tips to find them

  • Don’t jump at the first time you see some especially along the main road. Find a place with nice light and interesting grass or background
  • Myvatn is not the best place for a horse ride or just to admire them. There are surrounded by the flies and get very annoyed. However if you like pictures with flies, then this is the place :-)

Icelandic horses are everywhere

For centuries the horse was the only means of transportation in Iceland. Today, I read, there are close to 80,000 horses in Iceland (for 320,000 people…). The horse is used for pleasure riding, travelling, competition and sometimes to collect the sheeps. Wherever I was driving, they were there.

Icelandic horses in the landscapes

Icelandic horses are majestic

Those horses are small, sometimes pony-sized, with straight profiles and wide foreheads. They are very muscular with short and strong leg. The breed has a double coat developed for extra insulation in cold temperatures.

Majesctic Icelandic horses photo 1
Majesctic Icelandic horses photo 3
Majesctic Icelandic horses photo 2

Icelandic horses are different

As Iceland is an island, the breed remained pure and importation is forbidden to keep that. Being isolated, theya re now very distinctive from other breeds (even their blood is apparently significantly different)

I particularly enjoyed all their haircuts. What do you think?

Icelandic horses haircut photo 1
Icelandic horses haircut photo 2
Icelandic horses haircut photo 3

Icelandic horses all have something special

Although I know I already had plenty of pictures in my camera, I kept stopping for more. There was always something special, one with interesing colors or hairs. apparently there are around 40 colors and colour varieties in the Icelandic horse.

Icelandic horses variety photo 1
Icelandic horses variety photo 2

The surroundings vary tremendously

Icelandic horse are known for their sure-footedness and ability to cross rough terrain. So I saw them in many different surroundings making me stop for yet another photo.

Icelandic horses in their surroundings photo 1
Icelandic horses in their surroundings photo 2
Icelandic horses in their surroundings photo 3
Icelandic horses in their surroundings photo 4

Icelandic horses are very photogenic and friendly

The horses tend to not be easily spooked, probably the result of not having any natural predators in their native Iceland. Icelandics tend to be friendly, docile and easy to handle.

Sometimes they were even too friendly. I was staying at the enclosure and they kept coming to me. If I was moving on the side to take pictures of horses further away, they would move with me and stand in front of my camera… it drove me nuts

Funny shot of icelandic horses photo 1
Funny shot of icelandic horses photo 2
Funny shot of icelandic horses photo 3

And simply adorable!

Adorable icelandic horses

Want to see more of Iceland's beauty?

Discover more things to do and places to see in Iceland in my online Iceland Destination Guide.

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Do you understand now why I took so many pictures?

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Neil Alexander says

    October 2, 2014 at 8:44 PM

    These are really great Claire. Never really been a horse person but these are lovely, and what great subjects you had!

    Reply
  2. Claire Robinson says

    October 3, 2014 at 9:23 AM

    Thanks Neil. I am normally not an horse person either. But those were just too beautiful.

    Reply
  3. Marvin says

    April 26, 2017 at 2:24 AM

    Headed to Iceland next month and hadn’t given much thought to the horses. After reading this I can’t wait to see them!

    Reply
  4. JULIE K DOWN says

    February 26, 2019 at 10:15 PM

    Heading to Iceland for the whole ring road adventure end of June – July. Have a hankering to see these beauties and see where there are sites to “book a photo shoot” Looks like you had some excellent opportunities sans the tours. Were they literally on the side of the road? Julie

    Reply
    • Claire, the Travel Planning Geek says

      February 28, 2019 at 9:01 AM

      A lot were seen while driving around, on the side of the roads (although not the main ring road).
      However to get closer shots, farms are a better bet.
      Note for a few of the pictures above, it was at Thormosk (available only by 4WD with river crossing or hiking).

      Reply

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I am the Travel Planning Geek behind the ZigZag Travel Guides. My goal is to provide you with clear and practical information to help you plan unforgettable trips! Read more

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