Horse Sense Double Maned Icelandics

By Samantha Johnson

The island of Iceland, known to many as " the land of fire and ice," is famous for its epic landscapes and the elusive Northern Lights. It ' s also the birthplace of a beloved breed of equine, appropriately named the Icelandic horse.

Iceland recently made the news when mosquitoes were discovered on the island, among the first ever to survive Iceland ' s frigid climate. The country’ s temperatures average 30 degrees Fahrenheit in winter and a chilly 52 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer as a result of its far northern location, which is west of Greenland in the waters of the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans.

As one might expect, Iceland ' s hardy horses are well-suited to the rigors of life in their chilly climate, displaying rugged endurance and longevity.

Viking Heritage Preserves Icelandic Purity

The ancestors of today’ s Icelandic horses arrived with

Viking settlers centuries ago, brought to the island by ship. Their genetic purity has been carefully protected ever since— horse importation has been banned in Iceland for more than 1,000 years.

Thanks to these dedicated efforts of horse breeders in Iceland, the gene pool for this breed has remained pure as a result. Another important policy: once an Icelandic horse has been exported off of the island it is never allowed to return, thus further protecting the breed ' s purity from outside influences.

Small in Size, Big in Strength

Icelandic horses average 12 to 14 hands high, although 12.2 to 13.2 hands is said to be the most desired size range and 13 to 14 hands is most common.

Despite the fact that they are technically pony sized, this breed is referred to as horses rather than ponies. The Icelandic language lacks a specific word for pony, and since there has only been one equine breed in the country throughout its history, the word hestur( horse) has proven sufficient, with no distinction needed between horse and pony. The Icelandic language does, however, have the word smáhestur, which translates to " small horse," although it ' s said that referring to an Icelandic as a pony is actually perceived as being rude.

36 AcreageLife December 2025 AcreageLife. com