Let's face it Icelandic horses are expensive whether they are imported from Iceland or bred domestically. What is it about them that could possibly justify the added expense? The following is a list of some of the reasons I think they are worth it. This list is not necessarily in order of importance; the order of importance varies for me depending on my most recent experiences.

1. Gaits

The tolte, tolt with an umlat over the o, is THE reason we buy Icelandic horses! But because they come so much from behind all of their gaits are smooth like a collected horse. I have never heard them described this way but I think of them as being naturally collected. Because of their conformation (short backs, short necks and sloped hips) and breeding they carry their rear legs up under themselves. Is this collected? Well maybe not exactly but pretty much the same as far as how they carry weight. Icelandic horses carry weight about evenly: 50% front legs and 50% rear legs like a collected horse. This compares to about 60% front legs and 40% rear legs for most uncollected horses. This distributoin of weight and their short backs help them carry more weight for their size. The usual rule is for a horse to carry 25% of their own weight; Icelandics carry 33% of their own weight. It is a good thing. I am not a small man; I weigh about 33% of what my Icelandic horses do.

2. Willingness

There is an Icelandic word for this characteristic but I can't recall it. The paso people call it "brio". They LIKE to go out on the trail; they go willingly. They step out at the walk and tolte willingly. I don't like to ride fast but I do like to GET someplace. Icelandic horses do too; we get along well. To get this kind of response from a horse one usually has to accept more spirit, spunk (and risk) than we senior citizens want. One caveat is in order here: horses imported directly from Iceland are usually trained to be spirited and spunky. They like them this way in Iceland where they race a lot at the pace. It took me a year or two to get my mare Mylla calmed down to my liking. Mylla came directly from Iceland. Now several years later she is the sweetest, calmest horse in the world but still willing.

3. Temperment

Many people say that this is the most distinguishing characteristic of the Icelandic horse. I guess I would not argue with that. They are kind horses and safe (relativelty speaking) horses to be around. I think the thing that amazes me most about Icelandic horses is how aware they are of their own body relative to your body. Believe it or not they try NOT to hurt you. I have a gelding named Sokron who is very afraid of thunder. One day he was in our shed and something hit the shed which must have sounded (to him) like thunder. He wanted to leave that shed in the worst way. The problem was that I was standing in his way. He didn't run me down; instead, he did a tolte in place. A fast tolte by the way. My grandson said he looked like a little boy who had to go to the bathroom. As soon as I was able to move out of the way he was out of there like a shot. How much is a horse like that worth? I don't know for sure but this one is not for sale. Smooth riding, willingness and safety: how can you resist? But there is more.

4. Intelligence

I tell everybody that I am either a very good trainer or these horses are sure easy to train. Everybody assures me that it is the latter. They catch on quickly--maybe too quickly--they get bored easily. Sometimes you'll hear training advice, "Once a horse gets the idea then you repeat the lesson 100 times." Not with Icelandic horses. Once they get the idea go on the something else. Come back to the lesson the next day and maybe for several days thereafter but bore them and you'll sour them. Closely related to intelligence, or maybe part and parcel of it, is the fact that they look after themselves and because of this they require far fewer emergency calls to the vet. Sometimes this quality of self preservation is mistaken for stuborness and sometimes I admit it is kind of hard to tell the difference.

5. Basic Soundness and Longevity

Partly because of their instinct for self-perservation, partly because of their dense bone structure but mostly because of their breeding they are basicly sound and remain that way into what would be old age for most horses (thirtys). Thirty is not old age for Icelandic horses. I heard of one who lived into his mid fiftys--now that's old age. They live a long time, remain sound and avoid hurting themselves. Couple their longevity with fewer vet calls and I calculate they are worth about twice as much; incidently, that is about how much more they cost. I figure that you will have (and use) an Icelandic horse for many more years than any other horse (except maybe one of the hearty pony breeds). So the extra expense is actually a good investment. The increased comfort, saftey and enjoyment come along as no-cost, added benefits.

6. Size

I've made my point and I should stop. But I want to mention one more advantage of the short legged, not necessarily small, Icelandic horse. When one makes the occasional unscheduled dismount, it is nice to be closer to the ground.

If you are still not convinced to buy Icelandic, my advice to you is, "Don't ride one." They are a joy to ride and to be around. I figure my main market is baby boomers with bad backs to whom comfort has become relatively more important than cost. Many of us are of an age (I'm 63 by the way) when we probably should give up riding but don't have the good sense to do so. I never come back from a ride on an Icelandic with my back hurting and my back always hurts after riding a horse that trots, jigs and jogs. I know it would help to post but it's tough to teach old dogs (and cowboys) new tricks.