denny.yang
This Is My Good Side
Besides amazing landscapes, one of the unique features of Iceland is the Icelandic horse. This breed is a small but hardy horse that was thought to be brought over between 860 and 935 AD by Norse settlers from Scandinavia. They were developed from ponies and molded over centuries by selective breeding and natural selection due to Iceland’s cold climate. In order to avoid the degeneration of the stock, Icelandic parliament passed laws in 982 AD banning the import of horses into the country. Thus the Icelandic horse has now been pure bred for over 1000 years.
While visiting Iceland we had several opportunities to interact and play with these horses. They are extremely friendly and docile and at the first sight of people are quick to come over and play. If only I could take one back home! :)
This Is My Good Side
Besides amazing landscapes, one of the unique features of Iceland is the Icelandic horse. This breed is a small but hardy horse that was thought to be brought over between 860 and 935 AD by Norse settlers from Scandinavia. They were developed from ponies and molded over centuries by selective breeding and natural selection due to Iceland’s cold climate. In order to avoid the degeneration of the stock, Icelandic parliament passed laws in 982 AD banning the import of horses into the country. Thus the Icelandic horse has now been pure bred for over 1000 years.
While visiting Iceland we had several opportunities to interact and play with these horses. They are extremely friendly and docile and at the first sight of people are quick to come over and play. If only I could take one back home! :)