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and Besides the five gaits he is famous for, the most remarkable thing about the Icelandic horse is how decisive it has been for the country’s settlement. The Viking age settlers came to land in the 9th century, bringing this small horse, now known as the purest breed. Right from the start, horses have been used as an essential means of transportation through the rough Icelandic terrain and sometimes harsh weather. Horses carried people from one side of the country to the other and fostered the exchange of goods like wood, hay, or dried fish. Without them, any form of settlement would have been simply impossible.
Where Past and Present Merge
In North Iceland, Lýtingsstaðir emphasizes celebrating the Icelandic horse by offering riding tours and sharing stories from the past.
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Lýtingsstaðir was named after the first man to have settled the area, Lýtingur. In the old days, Lýtingsstaðir consisted of a manor. It also featured a small church that became the local community house “þinghús.” Later, the farmhouse was built along with the sheep barn and horse stables, with materials such as turf and wood.
None of the buildings mentioned above survived. To keep the memories of the past alive, the construction of a storage room and a traditional turf stable was completed in 2015, per traditional techniques. 2016 also saw the addition of a turf horse pen on-site.
Get to know the Icelandic horse
You will encounter the stable’s inhabitants. At Christmas the turf stable hosted Tenor and Vinur, who adapted quickly!
Horses and history being inseparable is the idea behind Horses and Heritage Tour. You ride through the beautiful Öxnadalur valley. The valley connects the capital of the North, Akureyri, to Skagafjörður, the cradle of Icelandic horsemanship. Our guide will tell you everything about the big clan battles in the area in the middle ages. You will also hear thrilling ghost stories!
You discover how Icelanders built turf houses until the 20th century and what rural life in old Iceland was like. At Lýtingsstaðir you also learn about the Icelandic horse and get to ride one.
Words by Camille Thiébaut, pictures by Evelyn Ýr
