Horse show in North Iceland

The Icelandic horse is unique as it is the only breed in the world that holds all five gaits; walk, trot, gallop, tölt and flying pace. Our equestrian shows aim to introduce the Icelandic horse in its natural environment and tell about its history. The breeds unique qualities are brought to life with emphasis on the horse‘s multiple skills and diversity.

TIMES AND BOOKINGS

We offer equestrian shows from biginning of june each year until the end of August for groups. The show is available upon request and takes around 20 minutes. After the show, guests are welcome to pet the horses and ask us questions about the horses and the breeding. It is ideal to have some local refreshment at our on-site café after the show.

GROUP BOOKINGS

Group bookings can be made for 10 or more outside fixed showing hours, with or without refreshments. If you have a group of 10 people or larger, please contact us by email at brunirhorse@brunirhorse.is.

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ABOUT THE ICELANDIC HORSE

HISTORY

The Icelandic horse is believed to have arrived to the country during the settlement over 1000 years ago and has adapted to Icelandic nature and climate with great success. The first settlers brought with them livestock from Europe and amongst the livestock were some excellent Scandinavian riding horses. Although the Icelandic horse is fairly small compared to many other horse breeds, it is exceptionally robust and healthy with great stamina and endures the harsh Arctic weather conditions well.

The house boasts of a calm, friendly and welcoming character resulting in a well-deserved admiration. Its strong spirit overrides many of the larger horse breeds, which is no wonder when considering the harsh situation it has endured through the centuries, carrying people from place to place. There are many stories of how horses have outsmarted their riders by choosing a safer path, or finding the way home when the rider has lost his way.

A healthy Icelandic horse has a life expectancy of 25 to 27 years but can very well reach 30 years or more.

Nowadays, the Icelandic horse is trained for competitions and breeding shows, but most horse owners use their horses as riding horses in leisure riding, riding on the ice during winter and travelling during summer. Trips into the wilderness are often the highlight of the year amongst horsemen, usually lasting 4 to 8 days, where they spend the nights in mountain cabins located in various places in the highlands, some in the vicinity of hot springs where one can bathe in at the end of the day.

GAITS

The Icelandic horse is famous for its five gaits: walk, trot, gallop, tölt and flying pace. The horse is the only breed in the world that holds all five gaits.

While most Icelandic horses are five-gaited, meaning they possess all five gaits, some lack either tölt or flying pace. Therefore, they are split into three categories: a versatile riding horse possessing all five gaits; a working horse with tölt but lacking the flying pace, and a working horse lacking both the tölt and flying pace. For the past 60 years, the official breeding goal of Icelandic horses has been to produce a versatile horse with five excellent gaits and a temperament suitable for most riders.

COLOURS

The Icelandic horse has over 40 base colours and up to 100 variations, ranging from palomino to bay. The most common base colours are red/chestnut and black, with red being the most common, but with various nuances. In addition, the horsetail and mane do not always hold the same colour nuance and the feet can be variable in colour as well.