Iceland is often associated with its distinctive and hardy horses, which are seen roaming freely across the vast, rugged landscapes. While these equines appear wild, the Icelandic horses are not truly feral or undomesticated. They are a managed livestock population, all registered and owned, whose independence results from unique farming practices and a millennium of genetic isolation.
Answering the Question: Are They Truly Wild?
The perception of wildness comes from the traditional practice of letting herds roam the uninhabited highlands for months during the summer grazing season. Farmers release the horses into large, unfenced areas to graze on nutrient-rich vegetation, allowing the animals to build resilience and survival skills. Because they are often out of sight for extended periods, visitors frequently mistake them for a feral population. However, every Icelandic horse is registered and belongs to a specific owner, often tracked via an individual identification number, known as a kennitala.
The managed nature of the population is most evident during the annual autumn tradition known as réttir, or the round-up. This is a large-scale, cooperative event where farmers gather all the free-roaming horses and sheep before the harsh winter weather begins. The herds are driven down to large, circular corrals where owners sort and separate their animals. While there is a small, estimated number of truly feral horses in the country—perhaps around 100—the vast majority of the approximately 80,000 horses in Iceland are free-roaming domestic animals.
The Defining Traits of the Icelandic Horse
The Icelandic horse is physically distinguished by its relatively small stature, often being pony-sized at about 13 to 14 hands high. This hardy build is a result of natural selection in the challenging island climate, granting them exceptional durability and a thick, double-layered winter coat. The most distinguishing characteristic lies in the breed’s unique locomotion, as many individuals possess five different gaits rather than the usual three found in most other horse breeds.
Beyond the standard walk, trot, and canter/gallop, the Icelandic horse is prized for two additional gaits: the Tölt and the Skeið, or flying pace. The Tölt is a four-beat lateral ambling gait, which can be performed at speeds ranging from a fast walk to the pace of a normal canter. This gait is exceptionally smooth because the horse always has at least one hoof on the ground, eliminating the jarring motion of a trot and making for a comfortable ride over long distances.
The fifth gait, the flying pace (Skeið), is a two-beat lateral gait with a distinct moment of suspension, used for high-speed racing over short distances. Not all Icelandic horses possess the flying pace; those that do are known as five-gaited, while those with only the Tölt are called four-gaited. The ability to perform these smooth, lateral gaits is linked to a specific genetic mutation.
A Unique Heritage: The Importation Ban
The genetic purity of the Icelandic horse is a direct result of a legal decision made over a thousand years ago, tracing back to the Viking settlement of Iceland in the 9th and 10th centuries. The Norse settlers brought their best horses, and the foundation stock was subsequently isolated from outside influence. This isolation was formalized by a ruling passed by the Althing, Iceland’s ancient parliament, which prohibited the importation of foreign horses to the island.
The primary purpose of the ban was to prevent the introduction of foreign diseases, to which the isolated population would have no natural immunity. This policy remains strictly enforced today. A secondary law states that any Icelandic horse exported from the country, even for international competition, can never be returned.