VIKINGS must have been stumpy little marauders.

Because the horses they rode into history certainly came from the not-overly-tall end of the equine gene pool.

A big boy in the Icelandic horse breed might, at a stretch, reach 14 hands high, but most probably won't.

At Haldane Icelandic Horses in western Victoria, the average is 13.2 hands. And these guys at the Yambuk herd would know.

It is estimated there are just 100 of the horses in Australia, and 70 of them are there. But the breed appears to be on the cusp of a renaissance.

Records show the first Icelandic horses arrived in Australia in 1863.

Unfortunately, Amy Haldane says there is no record of what happened to them after they arrived.

The Haldane family's journey into this remarkable breed began in 1995, when the late Clyde Haldane, in Denmark buying buffalo for a cheese-making enterprise, first spotted them.

Amy says Clyde was enchanted by these almost-horses and could not resist bringing some home.

"We first became involved with the horses after Clyde passed away, leaving us with 34 Icelandic horses," Amy says.

"I didn't really understand what was so special about them at first but after travelling to New Zealand for a riding clinic and getting a taste for "tolt", I was convinced everyone should have one of them."

The most unusual feature of the Icelandic horse its extra gait, known as a tolt.

Amy says, like most horses, they can walk, trot, canter and pace, but they can also tolt - a four-beat gait where the horse always has two hooves on the ground. In Iceland, the canter is considered the same as a gallop.

"There is just something about them, they have such charisma, and everyone falls in love with them," Amy says.

"We even know of a 74-year-old lady, a lifelong Arabian horse lover, who went to Iceland to see some on a friend's recommendation and she came back with a new passion.

"It's hard to explain, but we get calls and emails from across the country, and the world, from people wanting to come and see ours, and have a ride."

She says the horses have had a chequered history, from carting Scandinavian warriors into battle, to carrying heavy loads as pit ponies in England's Industrial Revolution coal mines. Today, they are big business among the equestrian competition crowd as well as the pleasure-riding industry.

"The breed standard is from 12 to 14 hands, which is one of the main reasons people are so attracted to them," Amy says.

"The horse is still able to carry a relatively large rider but is manageable and less intimidating to handlers and riders of all ages, sizes and experience. And there are no issues of a child outgrowing its pony. This is a horse the whole family is able to use."

Amy says they are popular in Germany where there are about 80,000. "They are also getting very big in Sweden and now the US," she says. "We have sold them to every state except the Northern Territory.

"Iceland could not have been colonised without these horses, they are so good in the highlands working on sheep musters, and were the primary means of getting from one side of Iceland to the other before roads were finally built, which, in many areas, was not until the 1960s.

"There is a popular photo of the first car in Iceland stuck in a bog and being pulled out by these horses."
Haldanes' icy pick

Icelandic horses from the Haldanes cost from $5500 to $20,000 (for a trained breeding mare).

In January last year, they imported super-sire Haukur fra StudlumStu Dum to join their all-natural breeding program.

Amy says conception rates in Icelandic horses are high, consistently around 100 per cent and, because they have been bred over centuries for temperament and ability to cope with harsh conditions, they are tough and healthy.

She says, because of their compact frame and body structure, Icelandic horses can carry up to 120kg riding weight.

"We don't start breeding them until they are about 31/2 years, and the same goes for training, but they will live happily into their 30s and breed well into their 20s," Amy says.

"There was an Icelandic horse in Denmark which, in the 1950s, was considered the oldest one on record, living into its mid 50s.

"They come in every colour, except Appaloosa, and officially there are 400 shades - if you are a purist.

"A normal dressage saddle, with a wide gullet, works well for them, although we get our leather ones made in Iceland."

For a horse which originally arrived on the farm as an afterthought to buffalo, it was never going to be a contest as to which would prove the most popular.

But Amy is happy to have them all to herself now, and leave the buffalo dairy and cheese factory to other family members.

They might have their mozzarella, but she also has the magic of a horse "with an unparalleled personality".

ICY FACTS

  • Icelandic horses date back to Viking-age Scandinavians in 830. They have been purebred in Iceland for the past 1000 years.
  • There are about 80,000 Icelandic horses in their home country, where there is a human population of 320,000.
  • The Icelandic horses are known as five-gaited as they can walk, trot, canter, tolt and pace. The tolt is one of the horse's most unusual characteristics.
  • They are usually 12-14 hands high, are heavy-set, and have a thick durable winter coat.
  • Icelandic horses are registered in 19 countries through the International Federation of Icelandic Horse Associations.
  • For more information, visit feif.org, as there is no national body for the breed in Australia.
  • For more information about Haldane Icelandic Horses, visit icelandichorses.com.au