Last update: May 16, 2022

Icelandic horses are unique, and their history is amazing.

Here’s a quick summary. In the year 982 (yes, nine eighty-two!) a law was passed in Iceland forbidding any horse from being imported into Iceland. A horse can leave the country, but it can never come back. And this law has been in place continuously for over 1,000 years.

These Icelandic horses have a unique characteristic. Most (all?) horses can walk, trot, and gallop. But Icelandic horses have two more gaits: The Tölt, and Flying Pace. Both of these gaits are considered to be extremely smooth for how fast they are.

Seeing and Petting Icelandic Horses

You may or may not want to go on a horse riding tour while in Iceland, but a quick stop to see them can be an enjoyable experience. You’ll see cars stopped by the side of the road to pet random horses they come across, though I don’t think it’s ideal to visit strange horses on private land.

I used to recommend a place called Fakasel, but sadly they seem to be out of business; their web site returns more or less nothing. You used to be able to pet the horses and see a short but entertaining show. If you’d like to enjoy the nostalgia of the place, see my Fakasel post here.

The Icelandic Horse Center

So I am switching my recommendation to a brand new place, The Sólvangur Icelandic Horse Center. Their web site is icelandichorsecenter.is, which redirects to hesturinn.is. Sólvangur is about 40 minutes outside of Reykjavik, and 10 or 15 minutes south of Selfoss. So it’s not far out of the way if you’re on your way to the Golden Circle.

UPDATE October 2019: We’ve published a detailed review of the Sólvangur Icelandic Horse Center!

I shouldn’t really call Sólvangur brand new place. They’ve been breeding horses and offering riding lessons for close to 20 years. But what is brand new is a stable tour and the café and gift shop.

The stable tour is the reason to come out of your way to get to Sólvangur. The 20 minute tour is a nice option for families with children too young to ride, or if some people simply don’t want to ride. The cost is 2000 krona for adults, 1500 krona for ages 3-15, and free for kids 2 and under. Be sure to e-mail them (icelandichorsecenter@gmail.com) and make a reservation– your family will generally receive your own private tour of the stable.

Before or after (or instead of) the stable tour, you can also visit their horse-themed gift shop, as well as the café, which is open from 11 AM – 5 PM. You can just drop by and see and pet some of the horses, but if you’d like to take a stable tour, it’s best to e-mail and make a reservation; e-mail them at icelandichorsecenter@gmail.com.

Riding Icelandic Horses with children

There are lots of companies offering horse rides of an hour or two, and just about all of them are reviewed favorably online. Sólvangur, just mentioned above, now offers children’s rides for 3500 krona. This is a 20 minute ride.  If you have 3 or more children, ask about a “package deal” for a stable tour combined with a children’s horse ride. I’ve found them very responsive to e-mails: icelandichorsecenter@gmail.com.

Other companies also offer tours for people with less experience and/or small children.

Riding horses in North Iceland

We enjoyed our ride up north at Hestasport in Varmahlíð. They are west of Akureyri, in an area where there isn’t as much to do as you will find, say, on the south coast. If you’re traversing the entire Ring Road, Hestasport might be a nice stop on a long driving day.

The minimum for their “Pleasure in Every Hoofstep” tour is 6 years old. You can see our just turned 8-year-old returning from that tour in the picture above.

Note these names are all sounding similar: hesturinn, hestasport. “Hestur” means horse in Icelandic!

 

Riding horses near Reykjavik

Íshestar

If you are looking for options closer to Reykjavik, make sure you look at the minimum ages different companies have. Almost all of your options have excellent ratings online, but only a few offer tours for younger children.

One good option is Íshestar. (There’s that Icelandic word for horse again!) They are about 20 minutes south of Reykjavik, near Hafnarfjörður. It’s just a few minutes out of your way if you are heading to the airport. Or, if you want to make a day of it, see our post about other attractions in Hafnarfjörður. (If you don’t have a car, Íshestar will pick you up for an extra 2500 krona per person, or about $20.)

Íshestar offers a Lava Tour ride that allows children 8 and up. Younger children can do a shorter paddock ride.

 

Riding horses in the Golden Circle or South Iceland

Sólhestar, near Selfoss

Sólhestar offers 2 tours for children as young as 6. You can choose their 1 hour horse riding tour, of their 1 1/2 – 2 hour Ideal Family Riding Tour. You can see both options here. That Ideal Family riding tour is a pretty serious tour for a 6-year-old, so make sure your child is willing to sit on a horse for that long!

 

Vik Horse Adventure

Vik Horse Adventure offers a Black Beach riding tour for kids 10 and older, and a 30 minute Black Beach family tour for kids as young as 6.

 

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If you plan to ride with a company not listed here, you will still more than likely have an amazing experience! Horses are a respected part of Icelandic history, and companies offering riding tours all seem to offer excellent service. The companies above just offer options for younger riders or non-riders that you are less likely to find at other horse farms.