THE ICELANDIC HORSE

Apart from snow tipped mountains, moss clad lava fields, plumes of steam drifting from the ground, glaciers and the odd Volcanic eruption bringing the western world's airline industry to a grinding halt the other thing you'll notice in Iceland is the ponies. Of course, call them ponies and you'll likely be arrested and put on the first plane back to where you came from. Invariably between 13 and 14 hands and therefore whilst unquestionably pony size they are horses; beautiful, even tempered and with coat colours for which the Icelandic language has over a 100 names. Splashed white, yellow dun, dark buckskin, roan, flaxen, blaze,cremello, palomino and keep going in combination until you get over a hundred. Its most obvious trait is its five gaits of which the tolt is the one most noticable to anyone the moment they land in the country and see their first horse.