LOOK AT THESE FUZZY PONIES!!!!!

Ahem.. ok now that that’s out of the way… these were seriously the fuzziest horses I’ve ever had the pleasure of petting.  After horses were first brought to Iceland, many died out due to the harsh climate.  The ones that are left, the current Icelandic horses, have been bred for centuries to be small, sturdy, hardy, and able to survive in this cold and windy place.  They may be small in stature but they’re capable of carrying vikings and have been used by the Icelanders for transportation, sheep herding and general farming.  The people of Iceland are very proud of the horses and to preserve the breed, there are no outside horses allowed onto the island.  Also, once a horse leaves, it isn’t allowed to come back.

I didn’t get to ride one this trip, unfortunately.  The weather and scheduling didn’t cooperate.  There are herds of them all over the countryside and they like to hang out next to the fence line where tourists will come up and pet them and give them treats.  They’re very smart horses.  I think they even look cute on purpose… 😉

We really should come back here in the summer.  There are many places that offer week long camping trips on the horses. It would be neat to take them out into the backcountry to places inaccessible by car. And also, I just really want to ride one. Because fuzzy. 😉