An Overview of Horse Tours in Iceland

Iceland and its horses are our passion and we go to Iceland to ride with our outfitters and guides as often as possible. Visitors like to know what to expect in this faraway land so we explore as far and wide as we can while we are there, checking out hotels and restaurants when we get off the horse, and finding the best hot springs. It's a very tough job!

The Difference

Most of the tours we feature are in the very old Icelandic tradition. This a tradition of traveling some distances on their horses. When among other Icelanders they will ride at a pretty fast pace.

Of course, the big deal in touring in Iceland is that on the longer rides you ride along with a herd of loose horses. These horses serve as your remounts since you might ride 3 horses in a long day.

We have ridden in, and considered offering tours in, several other lands (sometimes even on Icelandic horses) and this singular aspect of herding remounts seems to be exclusively Icelandic.

The idea of riding tours didn't come from someone in the tourist industry. In a near-Arctic pastoral country Icelanders had to round up their sheep and horses from far flung fields each autumn. It would be an ardous week's work for man and horse, so they would condition the horses by riding them in the wilds, over hills and passes, travelling from farm to farm and up to the remote huts that would be stayed in during the roundups. It conditioned the horses, gave the farmers a chance to look over herds and flocks that were up in the hills...and,Yeah, it was a vacation of sorts from the daily routine of farming.

Many of the world's horse trekking tours are at a relaxed speed. We can send you on tour in Iceland where you will walk along a trail in a line of horses; and it's a good way to see the country and experience a little bit of the horses. But, if you have some experience riding and would like to see a bit of unique equestrian history talk to us about some of the longer tours.

Picking a Riding Tour

Picking an outfitter for a riding vacation in a faraway land isn't easy. A little advice and help in making arrangements can go a long way to to keeping the adventure where you want it. The  adventure will come when you're on an Icelandic horse riding across the magnificent countryside that Iceland has preserved.

Because we very much like Iceland, it's horses and people, we relish the idea of introducing people to the Icelandic Horse. People are always amazed at what this little gaited horse will do!   We've ridden with many outfitters in the last few years, learning their  strengths and routes their guides and horses.  We've gotten to know  what sort of traveler will get on best with each of our outfitters. In our short history, the people whom we've sent riding in Iceland have come back from their trips with praise for our suggestions and support  and usually with high praise for Iceland and its horses. 

Horses North offers a  wide variety of horse riding tours, and we are happy to  help you pick the level of adventure travel that suits your style.  Rides range from day rides for a  few hours, near Rekjavik, where you'll be picked up and delivered back to your hotel after a short ride on some very gentle and smooth gaited horses. At the other end of the scale there are tours where you'll cover up to 30 miles on some days, and  you'll really appreciate the  gaited qualities of the Icelandic horse. You may not have hot water all the time, but you will get into some amazingly rugged and beautiful, areas that would be hard to reach any way but on a horse.  And the Icelandic horse makes it all easy!

From an hour to a day, there a number of nice opportunities for those with just a bit of time for horses. Whether just beyond Reykjavik proper, or out in the country, a short ride offers a nice taste of the tolt. You can also take a day-long ride, or use an 8 hour riding clinic to sharpen your riding skills. Day rides are generally priced without airfare, as most people just add them on to other Iceland activities. If we are booking other elements o travel services for you we'll help you find the day tours that work out best for your location? and interests. Most our activer clients want to to try at least a short ride on the amazing creatures.

A great way to sample traditional Icelandic life and enjoy Icelandic horses! You ride out from a farm house or nic country hotel everyday, and come back to the same comfy bed each night. Exciting days. Pretty relaxing at day's end and a chance for other activities-hiking, fishing, bird watching- as well.

Our most popular touring option! Iceland's wild back country is not far off Highway 1, and these rides will get you there quickly. Running from 4 to 8 days, these tours are like those taken by Icelandic farmers, conditioning their horses for the fall round ups. A days ride starts after a good breakfast, proceeds at a pretty good clip, with stops to graze both horse and rider (lunch) and then ends with a home cooked dinner in a mountain hut, community center or farm guesthouse. Sleeping bag accommodations may be a bit primitive, but the food is hearty, the songs are plentiful, and the surroundings are lovely.

Wilderness rides:

In the old days, Icelanders would travel north to south on tracks through the highlands. Long days of riding, over vast open landscapes makes these rides suitable for experienced riders in good condition, but they are a marvelous way to ride the traditional way. In the spring it would be neccessary to ride from all over Iceland down to Thingvellir for the annual parliament.

Few things are more fun for a group of friends than riding together in Iceland. It's quite easy to custom make a ride for groups, large or small, and it's not necessarily more expensive than the using a scheduled tour. We work with outfitters and farmers who take you on a tour that you and your pals will long remember!

Icelandic Horses

Visit our sister site www.icelandadventure.com for some more information on Iceland and touring