The Icelandic horse - the original horse of the Vikings

Horses were brought to Iceland by the first Viking settlers. Their boats were small and only a few horses, the very best, were brought along.
What makes Icelandic horses different from other types of horses is their calmness and kindness when being handled and their willing temperament when being ridden. Their height varies from 12.2 h.h. to 14.2h.h. but in spite of their size these horses are ridden by grown-ups without any problem.
The purity of the Icelandic Horse is unique. No horse has been imported to Iceland for more than a thousand years. This situation has not changed, even though a lot of horses have been exported to different countries.