The Horses of Iceland

For 91 Days has a series of beautiful posts about the short, spunky horses of Iceland. In the first, Mike Poweland and Jeurgen Horn went horseback riding in the Skagafjörður valley. Mike writes about his horse:

Our time together was short, but Mósa didn’t need long to work her way into my heart. I loved soft coat, her short stature, her rich color, and how she farted with every other step. I loved her mane, and her mild countenance when I accidentally pulled some of it out. I loved how determined she was to speed past others when it came time to gallop. Her stubbornness. And most of all, I loved that she didn’t buck me off, when it would have been so easy.

Then they attended the annual horse roundup at Sauðárkrókúr.

Most of Iceland’s horses spend their time wild and free in the highlands, instead of on farms. Like sheep, they roam at their own whim, with neither supervision nor control, able to graze wherever they choose. But once a year, toward the end of summer, they’re brought down from the mountains.
Wild Icelandic Horses

We happened to be in Sauðárkrókúr during this year’s roundup, which sees a group of farmers recruit their friends, neighbors, and even some courageous tourists to hop into the saddle and gallop off into the vast highlands. Their mission: locate and herd every horse in the area to a corral set up outside town.

Each post has plenty of pictures, but there are closeups of the beautiful Icelandic horses in the third post.  

 
-Thanks, Jeurgen!