I’ve finally returned from Iceland and while the weather was not highly cooperative, the country’s famous scenery made it possible to capture images at most of the spots we visited. Probably the most agreeable conditions occurred at an unplanned stop on the morning we departed Reykjavik. About two hours northwest of the capital, we spotted a sunlit pasture with about a dozen of Iceland’s famous horses.
According to the Lonely Planet Guide and other sources, all horses in Iceland can be traced back to the animals imported by the Vikings. The small breed is hardy and long-lived, well-conditioned for the country’s harsh conditions and still plays an important role in Icelandic life. Icelandic law prevents horses from being imported into the country and exported animals are not allowed to return. They have five gaits, including the unusual töit, a running walk so smooth that riders can drink a glass of beer without spilling a drop. In addition to performance competitions, horse racing is a popular sport and the animal is also used for traditional sheepherding. Some are raised for slaughter and much of the meat is exported to Japan.
Based on our brief experience interacting with the herd we encountered, the Icelandic horse is social, curious, and seems to enjoy having its nose petted.
Shortly after we resumed our drive, the weather took a turn for the worse.
To be continued…..
OMG! I am so jealous! What a wonderful sight to see and your pictures are gorgeous!
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Thanks for the comments. We were all in a good mood, thanks to the horses. We had another unplanned stop a short time later and I’ll have a picture from that one in the next post.
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I can’ t wait!
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Amazing clicks Robin. These pictures look like part of a fairytale. Waiting for more 🙂
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Thanks so much, it’s good to be back. I’ve been remiss in keeping up with others who are posting so much catching up to do. Good to hear from you.
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Super photo, Robin. Can’t wait to see more.
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Thanks, Greg. More coming soon.
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Robin – I loved the horses – wonderful, wonderful!
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Thanks, Joan. I think I have one more that I’ll include in tomorrow’s post.
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Welcome back! I adore these photos Robin. These pint sized horses are so photogenic and are cute to boot. I’ll be looking forward to more for sure.
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Thanks, Leanne. Good to be back, and I have been enjoying your posts on your USA travels.
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I’m laura robin LOL. People always get our photography mixed up.yeah right!! But thanks for enjoying the images anyway 🙂
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I think the gait is the Tölt – they have competitions online so you can see it at speed, very cool. Great light!
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Yes, that’s right. There are Icelandic horse associations in sveral other countries as well as competitions in Europe and elsewhere (as evidenced by the video here from Berlin).
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Great images, Robyn. The light is so crisp and different up there! Looking forward to more once you settle back in.
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Thanks very much, this was one of the few times we got that light as you will see from the next several posts. But the scenery is very impressive in all kinds of consitions.
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Two GREAT images! Love them! Michele
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Thanks, Michele. More coming soon.
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Welcome home. Magnificent horses, beautifully captured. As shame you didn’t have better weather, but I’ll bet you made the best of it.
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Thanks! Good to be back after a pretty eventful trip. We did the best we could with the conditions we had, and in a couple cases the clouds made for a dramatic scene.
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Gorgeous sight 🙂
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Thanks very much, I appreciate it.
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What a lovely shot, can’t wait to see more. It seems to me it was easier to take pictures on this trip than it was in Antarctica.
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Thanks! Actually, this was much harder than Antarctica. While the temperature was colder in Antarctica, the weather was far more cooperative there. The Iceland wind can be really strong when it gets going. Much of the time in Antarctica we were in narrow channels and protected bays so the wind was less of a problem.
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Amazing photos – particularly the last one. The hand touching the horse is priceless! So well caught 🙂
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Thanks very much. Yes, the brief moment of connection between horse and human kind of sums up our experience. The horses seemed intrigued by us and came over to the fence when we showed up.
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These photos are stunning. I so adore the last shot. 😀
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Thank you, Cee. The hand reaching out does seem to have touched a number of folks. Thanks for the comments.
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Both are great photos but that first one is STUNNING! The clouds, green grass, beautiful horses and the lighting was perfect. Looking forward to seeing more of Iceland. It’s been on my list to visit since I saw a 60 minutes segment on it when I was in high school ~ way too long…
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Thanks very much for the kind words. If you want to go, I’d suggest sooner rather than later. The number of tourists is rapidly growing, especially photography enthusiasts, so the wildness of the scenery and weather is likely to be undercut by throngs of visitors in the coming years. It’s easy to get around, the facilities are excellent, and the food is great although prices are high. Check the weather patterns for the best time to go. We experienced 10 days of mostly cloudy and rain when we were there in early to mid September.
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these horses are STUNNING and I love the photo of them running. Made my day!
Arva Suzanne Graham Gibson home- 703-759-7116 mobile- 703-629-7116 suzannegibson@ me.com
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Thanks, Suzanne. Another horse shot coming up in the second post of this series.
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Oh, Robin, thanks for the education on these remarkable horses! To think some are slaughtered for the meat makes me so sad (I’m beginning to feel that way for all animals slaughtered for our consumption – but that’s an opinion best left for another forum). Beautiful photos, and I am head-over-heels for the second one!
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Hi, Stacy: Thanks for the comments. Yes, it is sad, but I choose to believe that this group had a better fate in store. They certainly had a pleasant situation at the time. A huge pasture to frolic in and occasional visitors who stop by and pat their noses.
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Looks amazing there! I would love to visit!
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Thanks very much. Yes, it’s a great place to visit, with a great variety of scenery in different seasons of the year.
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