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Unusual Horses: Icelandic

We’re taking you around the world for a glimpse at some of the planet’s rarest breeds of horse in our new video series, Unusual Horses. Watch and learn!


This week’s Unusual Horse spotlight takes us to the edge of the Arctic Circle and the island nation of Iceland, where centuries of careful breeding and isolation has cultivated one of the world’s most beloved, purest breeds synonymous with the country itself.

The Icelandic horse is compact, sturdy and majestic, ready and able to tackle just about any job presented. In addition to the standard walk-trot-canter, Icelandics come equipped with two extra gaits: the tölt, a 4-beat amble, and the skeið, better known as a “flying pace”.

While Iceland still produces the majority of the global population, Icelandic horses are bred all around the world as demand for this intelligent and versatile breed continues to grow.

10/10 Icelandic horse owners agree, this breed is the bomb. Oh, and one more thing…though they may be small, these rugged land rovers do not take kindly to being labeled as ponies.

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