We Had One More Day in Iceland
My cousin, Kim, and I had one extra day in Iceland, and the day before, we told our local tour guide that we wanted to go horseback riding. He made a call to some friends, told them to take care of us, and just like that, we had plans for the next morning. Sometimes it pays to ask the local guy, “So...where can we ride horses?”
He sent us to Íshestar, just outside Reykjavík in Hafnarfjörður. When we arrived, everyone was friendly and made the whole process easy. They asked us a few questions about our riding experience, got us checked in, and before long, we were heading out to meet our horses.
Our horses had already been picked out for us based on our riding experience. After meeting them and getting a few basic instructions, it was time to get on and get comfortable. The staff made sure everyone knew what they were doing and helped where needed before we headed out.
Before long, our group was on its way, riding Icelandic horses through the countryside. It was exactly what Kim and I had hoped for when we decided the day before that horseback riding sounded like a pretty good way to spend our extra day in Iceland.
Wait...That's an English Saddle
I grew up on a farm in Iowa, and we had a couple of horses, so riding wasn’t completely new to me. But I had always ridden western, and these horses had English saddles. I knew there was a difference between the two, but knowing that and actually sitting in one are two different things.
A western saddle was familiar to me—bigger, heavier, and with a saddle horn right there in front. The English saddle felt much smaller and more open, and I quickly realized how much I relied on that saddle horn without even thinking about it. I knew how to ride a horse, but suddenly I had no idea what to do with my hands.
It didn’t take long to get comfortable, though, and once we started riding, I was much more interested in where we were going than where my hands were supposed to be.
There were four of us from our tour who decided to go horseback riding that day. Since the whole thing had come together at the last minute and none of us had ridden in a while, a couple of hours seemed like the perfect amount of time.
We also had a flight home coming up. As much as I wanted to ride an Icelandic horse while we were in Iceland, there was no need to get carried away and spend the flight home discovering muscles we had forgotten existed.
Riding an Icelandic Horse
I had heard about Icelandic horses before this trip, but I had never ridden one. They’re smaller than many of the horses we’re used to seeing in the United States, but don’t let their size fool you. They’re strong, sure-footed and really comfortable to ride—which I definitely appreciated since it had been quite a while since I’d been on a horse.
One of the things that makes Icelandic horses so unique is that they’re known for having five gaits. Along with the walk, trot and canter, they have the tölt and the flying pace. The tölt is known for being especially smooth, while the flying pace is much faster, with a brief moment when all four feet are off the ground. Whatever my horse was doing, I was comfortable and having a great time. Our ride was only a couple of hours long, but I would have happily stayed out there longer.
Icelandic horses have a pretty interesting history, too. Their ancestors were brought to Iceland by Norse settlers more than a thousand years ago, and Iceland has some very strict rules when it comes to protecting the breed. Horses can’t be imported into the country, and once an Icelandic horse leaves Iceland, it can’t come back. I had no idea about that before our trip. Once they leave Iceland, that’s it. There’s no changing their minds and coming home again.
Getting the chance to ride one through the Icelandic countryside was already pretty special, but learning a little more about the horses themselves made me appreciate the experience even more.
Picking Up the Pace
Our ride itself was pretty relaxed. We followed the trail through the Icelandic landscape, with woolly fringe-moss around us and hills and mountains in the distance. We weren't going to cover a huge amount of ground in a couple of hours, but that really didn't matter. We were riding horses...in Iceland!
For most of the ride, we kept a comfortable pace and followed our guide along the trail. It gave us plenty of time to look around and enjoy the scenery. I was already pretty happy with how we had decided to spend our extra day.
Then, toward the end of the ride, our guide asked us a question. Since we all had some riding experience, did we want to run? Of course we did!
We picked up the pace and let the horses run. After spending most of the ride taking our time and enjoying the scenery, this was completely different—and so much fun. Riding through the Icelandic landscape was already a great experience, but getting the chance to run the horses made it even better.
That was probably my favorite part of the entire ride. Considering I have a bit of a history of falling off horses, I was also pretty happy that I managed to stay on this one.
Would I Do It Again?
Absolutely. I loved the ride and wouldn’t hesitate to do it again. I’d also return to Íshestar. Everyone we met was friendly and helpful, they made the whole experience easy, and the horses were clearly well cared for. Whether you’ve ridden before or it’s been a while, like it had been for us, they did a great job of making sure everyone was comfortable before we headed out.
Sometimes having a little extra room on your itinerary works out pretty well. None of it had been planned. We had an open day in our itinerary, asked our tour guide about horseback riding, and the next morning we were saddling up. Not a bad way to spend part of our last full day in Iceland.
Been There. Saddled up. Ran with the Icelandic horses. Loved That.