Icelandic Horse 1
Hello there! Yes we are on vacation and I told you I would not be posting for a while, but my niece
and her husband here in Germany have a scanner I can use . . . so here we are! The drawings on this blog page are from iPhone photos of my drawings, however the printable versions are from the scanner so they are better quality. Please click on the "Free Printable Downloads" button up above and then scroll down to the bottom of the list to print Icelandic Horse drawings.
Icelandic Horse 1
The Icelandic Horse originated in Norway or at least the Nordic countries. It is a small breed of horse but it is not a pony. It is hearty and sturdy. It has been called "the most useful servant." It is considered the purest horse breed in the world since it has lived on the island in isolation since the Vikings settled Iceland. In the year 987 a decree was made that forbad the importing of any more horses and so the Icelandic Horses came form the same original breeding stock.
The one problem with this is that these horses are very susceptible to equine or horse diseases. They are essentially too inbred an that means very little variation in the species. SO if a disease hits the horses perhaps the whole breed would be at risk of dying. So the law says that you can not take your Icelandic Horse off the island and ever bring it back. Some breeders actually breed some horses for export though. The law may seem extreme but this protects the breed from invasive disease.
Photo of Icelandic Horse (Brown with Dark Mane)
Even though the inbreeding has problems for health,horse farmers or ranchers have bred for many coloring patterns in their horses. In fact, the variety of color patterns ...including the manes, is truly amazing. They can be paint or multi-colored, and they can have manes of various colors. There are over a hundred words in the Icelandic language for the different coloring patterns of the Icelandic Horse.
I used this photo for these last two drawings. This Icelandic Horse is from the town of Grindavik. It is located just south of the amazing "Blue Lagoon"
Icelandic horses are very hearty and with very thick fur and a heavy hairy mane so they can stand the bitter cold Icelandic winter. They have compact bodies with legs that are shorter than most horses seen in other parts of the world. Just to show how hearty these Icelandic Horses are...Here is an example of a type of animal that did NOT make it on Iceland. At one point musk ox were brought in to Iceland and they all died of the ever changing cold weather. (While we were there this week in was sunny and rainy and snowy, all in the same day, nearly every day we were there.) But it is an amazing country with spectacular scenery...and great looking horses. By the way, the people of Iceland were very friendly to us. We, my wife and I, having lots of health limitations, they were always very accommodating to us. l . and very kind to us as well.
Icelandic horses have an extra gait that makes riding them a very smooth experience. This smooth four beat gait is called the "tolt" and it makes for a very comfortable ride. The horses are rather friendly too. Breeders do not breed for speed but for other qualities. The horses are not raced but competitions are based upon various gaits, horse and rider relationship, and of course appearance. Remember that for around a thousand years the Icelandic Horse was the only means of transportation on the Island so they were vital to the survival of the settlers...and residents.
All these drawings are of Icelandic Horses in the winter...or at least in November...cause that is when we were there. I would love to go back to Iceland in the summer if my health holds out. Maybe I could actually handle riding one since their gait is very smooth.
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