I ride Iceandic horses and let me just say...BEST ANIMALS IN THE WORLD!!! They are so gentle, sweet, and majestic. They have so much personality as well! I love them
I fell in love with a horse named Bylgja when I was in Iceland (and vice versa haha 😂). Half way through our ride, when everyone gets off the horses so they can graze and eat and just chill for a bit, she did not leave my side once. And instead, she chose to stay with me, and spent like ten minutes just rubbing her head all up and down my body haha. I was the most experienced rider in the group, and she was apparently “the matriarch” of ALL the horses in the group, and one of the toughest to ride. And both of the pro riders that were with us said that they had never once seen Bylgja act like that to anybody. Normally she can’t wait for the person to get off so she can go eat and chill, but again, she never left my side to stop rubbing my body with her head once lol, and they said she was just absolutely in love with me. It honestly almost made me cry lol. Because I’m Icelandic, and I was the first person in my entire family lineage to return to Iceland, since our ancestors left to come to Canada. And when I made that connection with that horse, I felt like I was honestly making a pure soul connection with my ancestors, and my motherland. And it was just such an insanely special moment. And that is my Icelandic saga lol 😂
I think Bylgja was trying to tell you something. If not "take me with you" then at least "never forget me". I have 2 icelanders (even after moving to Sweden and thought I might change... always thought the big ones were cool and qas sad we only had one breed to chose from back home) but no hahaha, both the horses I looked at said "take me home" so I guess that was that. I dont regret it and find mysekf thinking I must gave been crazy to ever consider another breed!!! I am so proud of my heritage and "my" horse the Icelandic Horse, none like it - literally. Size aint everything ;)
@@imba.hjaltalin Did your family seek refuge from the móðuharðindin in Canada, heard there was mass immigration from Iceland to Canada during that time. I'm happy that you went to visit Iceland and I wish you and your family good luck Edit: apparantly the Immigration period was from 1870-1918 so not during móðuharðindin
They are gorgeous! Not too many people know these facts about Icelandic horses in which thank you for informing people about how amazing they are! 💚💛❤🧡💙
the fact that those horses are really strong and durable for there size, is one of the biggest reason i respect them, greetings from the netherlands 💪💪💪
Someone seriously needs to look into the genetics of these horses if it hasn't already been done. Their like a time capsule genetically, there's no telling what findings could be found from comparing their genetics to other more "modern" and "man made" horse breeds. I for one would like to know how these horses have retained natural knowledge of the Tölt and Flying Pace without specific training.
They are related to the Norwegian fjord horses and the shetland pony (both viking horses) and Spanish horses (from Viking raids). In continental Europe all horses were able to perform the tölt, in German literature called Zelter. But with more roads and with that more carriges and furthermore more military use that gait was bread away. On Iceland there wasn't a big street network or a huge war which required a lot of cavallerie, so the tölt stayed in the breed. Fjord horses don't show tölt from birth, most of them are able to learn it easily (opposite a lot of other 3-gaited races).
The Tølt is a very comfortable gait, and iceland having had not much roadwork, it was needed for long distance traveling due to its speed and comfortable nature. Only the best ones were chosen as breeding material while the ones without the gait wouldve been higher on the butchers list.
Ive ridden since i was 6 and ridden cobs highlands shetlands and Welsh ponies , but i love icelantics they have such lovely temprements and lovely to ride and so strong to such kind horses
Good informative video about the Icelandic horse, I'm curious about the next parts! Also, she's not wrong about the engagement of the people who follow the HoI accounts - look at the comments haha! (I'm one of them, whoops.We have 4 kind and extremely hairy Icelandic horses)
I just watched your video talking about the beautiful Icelandic horses,their five gaits,characters,etc.Thank you for putting this video on you tube and I enjoyed watching it. There are Icelandic Horse Farms in Alberta Canada that I have checked out on their websites and maybe someday in the near future I will be able to ride an Icelandic horse.The horses will be a perfect fit for me to ride because I am 4'7"
I have an Icelandic (well, I'm not the owner, but he's still my horse). They are the BEST! I'd love to try and ride a flying pace one day (my Eldfari is four-gaited, so...). But tölt is awesome to ride...Icelandics, to me, feel like the cats among horses. They truly are something else, character-wise. Amazing horses. I guess, once you fall in love with this breed, there's no going back. I love other horses too, but I invariably end up making comparisons.
Icelandic horses are beautiful,their gaits are beautiful as well.I am 4'7" an adult with arthritis and I was wondering if arthritic riders can ride icelandic horses
Thank you so much for this great video about these beautiful creatures! You inspired us to create a video about Icelandic Horse Day, the holiday/event celebrating these awesome creatures! We'd love to hear your feedback on our Icelandic Horse Day video: ua-cam.com/video/Nr4DJM8_LSA/v-deo.html
It makes me sad to see this beautiful horse being subjected to Rollkur in showing the gait examples. It also looks like their gait is being 'enhanced' like the Tennessee Walkers are to get that exaggerated kick in the front legs. Just let them be horses!
Why are there bandages on the tops of the front hoofs. Is sawing being used on these animals? And do the bandages have chemicals in them to cause the horse pain?
It's unfortunate that these small horses make most riders look oversized and awkward. If they could be crossbred with large breeds the appearance of the rider on the horse would be much more impressive. However, the Icelandic people will not allow horses to be imported to their island because they have no built up resistance to outside diseases. Furthermore large horses would tend to dominate the local stallions because of their greater size and strength. This would lead to the imported stallions siring the preponderance of the ensuing generations exacerbated by the practice of uncontrolled breeding in the summers. Due to novelty and scarcity factors, the small Icelandics are very expensive outside of Iceland so the necessary period of crossbreeding elsewhere would not be economically viable for many generations. If a program of encouraging only small Icelandic people to have children could be followed this might diminish this problem as well but since the length of time between human generations is roughly 15-20 years it would take many centuries for this tactic to bear fruit. Furthermore, it would be doubtful if a people that allow uncontrolled breeding of horses would ever agree to a controlled program among humans.
@@idontknowmuch3441 Well, I believe it is you, sir or madam, who is the one totally missing the point. I did not say that the Icelandic people would ever cross-breed their diminutive equines with larger breeds brought in from outside. I said, in effect, that the quite large Icelandic people look outlandish on small Icelandic horses but there is nothing that will be done about it as unrestricted breeding of both horses and humans, within the island's inhabitants, will be the continued practice. The horses will remain very small and the humans quite large. I just believe that a normal sized human on a pony sized horse looks ungainly and out of proportion. Do you agree?
some of those gaits look unnatural. It can't be good to force a horse to do that. Looks similar to tennesee walking horses/big licks movements. the owners/riders are doing something to force them to move that way, which can't be good for the horse. Admire the horse for what it is and can do, that should be enough.
do your research. The icelandic horse is way closer to nature than most "man made" horses. They perform Tölt and flying pace on their own when you watch them in the pasture, it's very natural. But go off and judge something you obviously don't know anything about 😂👋🏻
Ancient horses were smaller than most modern breeds. Horses have been bred for warfare, logging and pulling heavy loads, and large horses have been favoured for breeding. The special enviromental and cultural conditions on iceland have favoured other traits. Or, it could just be that the small number of ancestors of the iceland horse lacked the genes needed to develop larger horses.
These gaits Are so unnatural to the horse. When you look at them you see the horse training to keep this absurd Darrell pasture it’s absolutely mind blowing that anybody who loves horses truly loves horses would find this attractive. This is about some guy riding a horse making you suffer to get into these absurd position so they can get some stupid trophy to say that they are a good tider. When we know it’s all the horses work. I know there are some “horse enthusiast“ that will be challenging what I say but that will only prove my point that these people don’t care anything about horses they just care about winning some stupid trophy and making these horses into unnatural positions that are so strict and so uncomfortable for the horse but they don’t care anything about these horses this is a disgusting practice and I’m disgusted with Iceland for going along with this just so they can make a few bucks out of these beautiful horses that they eventually will useFour horse meat because it’s known that Iceland uses these horses for leaks it’s disgusting that they’re promoting themselves as lovers of these beautiful animals when all they do is exploit them
I value your opinion, but let me ask you this? Do you view all sports including horses this way then? Icelandic horses can move this way on their own even without a rider. The reason most other horse breeds over the world can’t move this way is because it’s been breed away. But on another note, jumping, dressage, reining and all other horse sports are just as bad if you value it the way you do? Or you do that as well?
I ride Iceandic horses and let me just say...BEST ANIMALS IN THE WORLD!!! They are so gentle, sweet, and majestic. They have so much personality as well! I love them
Yeah! We look forward to more of you and your goals!
Me too!!! I want one 💖🙏🏼😇🐎
I fell in love with a horse named Bylgja when I was in Iceland (and vice versa haha 😂). Half way through our ride, when everyone gets off the horses so they can graze and eat and just chill for a bit, she did not leave my side once. And instead, she chose to stay with me, and spent like ten minutes just rubbing her head all up and down my body haha.
I was the most experienced rider in the group, and she was apparently “the matriarch” of ALL the horses in the group, and one of the toughest to ride. And both of the pro riders that were with us said that they had never once seen Bylgja act like that to anybody. Normally she can’t wait for the person to get off so she can go eat and chill, but again, she never left my side to stop rubbing my body with her head once lol, and they said she was just absolutely in love with me.
It honestly almost made me cry lol. Because I’m Icelandic, and I was the first person in my entire family lineage to return to Iceland, since our ancestors left to come to Canada.
And when I made that connection with that horse, I felt like I was honestly making a pure soul connection with my ancestors, and my motherland. And it was just such an insanely special moment.
And that is my Icelandic saga lol 😂
I think Bylgja was trying to tell you something. If not "take me with you" then at least "never forget me". I have 2 icelanders (even after moving to Sweden and thought I might change... always thought the big ones were cool and qas sad we only had one breed to chose from back home) but no hahaha, both the horses I looked at said "take me home" so I guess that was that. I dont regret it and find mysekf thinking I must gave been crazy to ever consider another breed!!! I am so proud of my heritage and "my" horse the Icelandic Horse, none like it - literally. Size aint everything ;)
@@imba.hjaltalin Did your family seek refuge from the móðuharðindin in Canada, heard there was mass immigration from Iceland to Canada during that time. I'm happy that you went to visit Iceland and I wish you and your family good luck
Edit: apparantly the Immigration period was from 1870-1918 so not during móðuharðindin
@@IAOIceland1984 you probably meant to answer vikanuck. Ég bý í Svíþjóð
@@imba.hjaltalin jebb hefði átt að chekka hverjum ég svaraði rip
That is so incredible🤍 Thank you for sharing🥰🥰🥰🥰
Watching these horses move is breathtaking! Would love to see more of these types of videos highlighting different breeds.
You could Have a look at my channel, i own an icelandic gelding myself, if you want to see more of them 😊
Ditto! How about Mawari or the Brumby to start? :)
The very best horse breed ☺️♥️
Great job FEI informing the world about these beautiful horses ✨
I am so glad owning an icelandic gelding myself!
These horses are breathtaking!!❤️❤️
They are gorgeous! Not too many people know these facts about Icelandic horses in which thank you for informing people about how amazing they are! 💚💛❤🧡💙
My sister adores horses! She showed me Icelandic horses years ago and still to this day they look like they came out of a fairytail.😍
2:44 - 2:45 How i think i look vs. how i actually look
I love Icelandic horses they are one of my favorite breeds.
the fact that those horses are really strong and durable for there size, is one of the biggest reason i respect them, greetings from the netherlands 💪💪💪
The most durable horses in the world
Have 5 icelandic horses🐴 absolutley the most amazing horses ever💖 once you gone icelandic you will never go back😄
I love that dark brown one with the sandy mane
Erissa Blackthorn Me too! Gorgeous colour combo 💕
The one at 0:15 ? If so this is called Silver Dapple :)
my mare is that color
My mare is this colour too :)
Silver dapple or silver bay. I have a silver bay mini gelding, 33 inches tall. These Icelandic horses are absolutely gorgeous!!! (Jan Griffiths).
Half Icelandic
Proud of it ❤❤
Same
I just love icelandic horses!
Me too.
You can come ride Icelandic Horses in Alaska with me too! They are just as amazing as everyone says!
I absolutely love this breed!
Just saw the Icelandic horse video.... They are wonderful in their natural habitat!
My favorite breed of Equine is a Icelandic horses.🐴🐴🇮🇸🇮🇸
#4, the White and Brown horse is BEAUTIFUL, I’ve never seen such a magnificent horse.
Such a beautiful breed!
Kiah Summers you could have a look at my channel, i own an icelandig gelding myself if you want to see more of these beautiful horses!
Amelie Þorður yes I have had a look and have subbed💖💖
Kiah Summers tysm ♥️
Someone seriously needs to look into the genetics of these horses if it hasn't already been done. Their like a time capsule genetically, there's no telling what findings could be found from comparing their genetics to other more "modern" and "man made" horse breeds. I for one would like to know how these horses have retained natural knowledge of the Tölt and Flying Pace without specific training.
They are related to the Norwegian fjord horses and the shetland pony (both viking horses) and Spanish horses (from Viking raids). In continental Europe all horses were able to perform the tölt, in German literature called Zelter. But with more roads and with that more carriges and furthermore more military use that gait was bread away. On Iceland there wasn't a big street network or a huge war which required a lot of cavallerie, so the tölt stayed in the breed.
Fjord horses don't show tölt from birth, most of them are able to learn it easily (opposite a lot of other 3-gaited races).
The Tølt is a very comfortable gait, and iceland having had not much roadwork, it was needed for long distance traveling due to its speed and comfortable nature. Only the best ones were chosen as breeding material while the ones without the gait wouldve been higher on the butchers list.
Breathtakingly beautiful. Such elegance.
The horses are so pretty! 🤩
Ive ridden since i was 6 and ridden cobs highlands shetlands and Welsh ponies , but i love icelantics they have such lovely temprements and lovely to ride and so strong to such kind horses
beautiful horse
Good informative video about the Icelandic horse, I'm curious about the next parts! Also, she's not wrong about the engagement of the people who follow the HoI accounts - look at the comments haha! (I'm one of them, whoops.We have 4 kind and extremely hairy Icelandic horses)
Only Sleipnir is above these mighty animals.
Best breed in the world. I have 1 icelandic horse!
I got two Icelandic Horses. Mare named Dís and a Gelding named Seifur :)
Wow minn hestur heitir mósa ég sakna hennar 😢
I just watched your video talking about the beautiful Icelandic horses,their five gaits,characters,etc.Thank you for putting this video on you tube and I enjoyed watching it.
There are Icelandic Horse Farms in Alberta Canada that I have checked out on their websites and maybe someday in the near future I will be able to ride an Icelandic horse.The horses will be a perfect fit for me to ride because I am 4'7"
Best breed ever 💕
This reminded me of the film Of Horses and Men.
Truly beautiful horses ❣️🤎
Beautiful horses
I love my gaited horses! Tennessee Walkers, American Saddlebreds, and Icelandic horses ❤
Allison Fraser you could have a look at my channel, i own an icelandic gelding myself if you want to see more of this beautiful horses!
I have an Icelandic (well, I'm not the owner, but he's still my horse). They are the BEST! I'd love to try and ride a flying pace one day (my Eldfari is four-gaited, so...). But tölt is awesome to ride...Icelandics, to me, feel like the cats among horses. They truly are something else, character-wise. Amazing horses. I guess, once you fall in love with this breed, there's no going back. I love other horses too, but I invariably end up making comparisons.
I love Icelandic horses 4 th
Sooooooo fast! They can run so far
You should do more breeds. Friesians I recommend!
Even the horses are good-looking up there.
😄
Interesting!
These viking horses hairstyle is better than mine
I wonder how tall they are as most of the horses appear short when the men are on them ?
They are 133 - 147 cm
They can be around 1.30-1.60 cm (the tallest one i have met) or 13,7 - 16,7 hands tall 😁👍🏻
Tallest ones are around 155cm and the smaller ones at a 130cm. The tallers ones are most popular with the adults and the smaller ones were for kids.
Awesome Horses
Beautiful 💕💕💕💕
Icelandic horses are beautiful,their gaits are beautiful as well.I am 4'7" an adult with arthritis and I was wondering if arthritic riders can ride icelandic horses
OMG 😱 there amazing ❤❤❤❤❤
No wonder the Nordic seafarers valued them
Show the performance shoeing set up
How much? And how expensive to transport and quarantine upon arrival to U.S?
What temperatures can they endure?
About -20C° to 30c°
Thank you so much for this great video about these beautiful creatures! You inspired us to create a video about Icelandic Horse Day, the holiday/event celebrating these awesome creatures! We'd love to hear your feedback on our Icelandic Horse Day video: ua-cam.com/video/Nr4DJM8_LSA/v-deo.html
They look like they got wigs on 😂
Came after watching nas daily...
Zohan hair
The black looks very much like a Freisian to me..
...... Where? The friesian is much larger, has thinner coats and hair and a whole other build. The only similarity is the color.
Skyrim horse
It makes me sad to see this beautiful horse being subjected to Rollkur in showing the gait examples. It also looks like their gait is being 'enhanced' like the Tennessee Walkers are to get that exaggerated kick in the front legs. Just let them be horses!
They aren't being subjected to rollkur though ( it's very rare and it's not allowed)
Why are there bandages on the tops of the front hoofs. Is sawing being used on these animals? And do the bandages have chemicals in them to cause the horse pain?
They're not bandages, they're over reach boots.
It's unfortunate that these small horses make most riders look oversized and awkward. If they could be crossbred with large breeds the appearance of the rider on the horse would be much more impressive. However, the Icelandic people will not allow horses to be imported to their island because they have no built up resistance to outside diseases. Furthermore large horses would tend to dominate the local stallions because of their greater size and strength. This would lead to the imported stallions siring the preponderance of the ensuing generations exacerbated by the practice of uncontrolled breeding in the summers.
Due to novelty and scarcity factors, the small Icelandics are very expensive outside of Iceland so the necessary period of crossbreeding elsewhere would not be economically viable for many generations.
If a program of encouraging only small Icelandic people to have children could be followed this might diminish this problem as well but since the length of time between human generations is roughly 15-20 years it would take many centuries for this tactic to bear fruit. Furthermore, it would be doubtful if a people that allow uncontrolled breeding of horses would ever agree to a controlled program among humans.
You’re totally missing the point. Not everything needs to be genetically mixed to please what you think looks good.
@@idontknowmuch3441 Well, I believe it is you, sir or madam, who is the one totally missing the point. I did not say that the Icelandic people would ever cross-breed their diminutive equines with larger breeds brought in from outside.
I said, in effect, that the quite large Icelandic people look outlandish on small Icelandic horses but there is nothing that will be done about it as unrestricted breeding of both horses and humans, within the island's inhabitants, will be the continued practice. The horses will remain very small and the humans quite large.
I just believe that a normal sized human on a pony sized horse looks ungainly and out of proportion.
Do you agree?
some of those gaits look unnatural. It can't be good to force a horse to do that. Looks similar to tennesee walking horses/big licks movements. the owners/riders are doing something to force them to move that way, which can't be good for the horse. Admire the horse for what it is and can do, that should be enough.
do your research. The icelandic horse is way closer to nature than most "man made" horses. They perform Tölt and flying pace on their own when you watch them in the pasture, it's very natural. But go off and judge something you obviously don't know anything about 😂👋🏻
Fking a good horse up. Terrible 👎
They look like big ponys.😆the riders look too big on the horse.😆
Ancient horses were smaller than most modern breeds. Horses have been bred for warfare, logging and pulling heavy loads, and large horses have been favoured for breeding. The special enviromental and cultural conditions on iceland have favoured other traits. Or, it could just be that the small number of ancestors of the iceland horse lacked the genes needed to develop larger horses.
poor horses
Why?
Why?
Obviously not a horse enthusiast. So your comment heads no credibility.
These gaits Are so unnatural to the horse. When you look at them you see the horse training to keep this absurd Darrell pasture it’s absolutely mind blowing that anybody who loves horses truly loves horses would find this attractive. This is about some guy riding a horse making you suffer to get into these absurd position so they can get some stupid trophy to say that they are a good tider. When we know it’s all the horses work. I know there are some “horse enthusiast“ that will be challenging what I say but that will only prove my point that these people don’t care anything about horses they just care about winning some stupid trophy and making these horses into unnatural positions that are so strict and so uncomfortable for the horse but they don’t care anything about these horses this is a disgusting practice and I’m disgusted with Iceland for going along with this just so they can make a few bucks out of these beautiful horses that they eventually will useFour horse meat because it’s known that Iceland uses these horses for leaks it’s disgusting that they’re promoting themselves as lovers of these beautiful animals when all they do is exploit them
I value your opinion, but let me ask you this? Do you view all sports including horses this way then?
Icelandic horses can move this way on their own even without a rider. The reason most other horse breeds over the world can’t move this way is because it’s been breed away.
But on another note, jumping, dressage, reining and all other horse sports are just as bad if you value it the way you do? Or you do that as well?
Put down a lot of korean and world's stock. And d'ont raise it up. This is right in Jesus Christ~! 🐢.....
..
Interesting 😮