The Icelandic Horse

Icelandic horse
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The Icelandic horse is a real gentle and intelligent animal. I was able to go on a couple of tours by horse, riding for hours at a time, and all the horses seemed to be having a great time. You really connect with the horse you're riding. They have a very personable demeanor that you can feel right away.

The Icelandic horse is small in comparison to most horses, but is very strong for its size. They have been carrying people and luggage over very long distances for a very long time. They have been pure bred in Iceland for over a thousand years, starting with the horses the first Viking settlers brought from Norway. Non-Icelandic horses have not been allowed in Iceland for a long time now.

With the horses, we were able to see things we would otherwise not be able to see. We crossed rivers and rode for miles across lava fields into volcanic valleys peppered with hot springs.

A valley in the Hengill central volcano area
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Panoramic view of a valley area in the Hengill central volcano

There are two main stables in the Reykjavík area that do horse riding tours: Ishestar (Iceland horse) and Eldhestar (volcano horse). I did one tour with Ishestar and another with Eldhestar. Ishestar seemed better for beginners - a little more professional and not as rugged as Eldhestar. Eldhestar offers much longer tours and, although they claim you need little to no experience, they do not do as good a job training you for the things you need to do on longer trips.