A Horse of Five Gaits – One-Shot Story

Yes, in the above still from a short Fuji F31fd video, the rider is carrying a full stein of fine Icelandic beer! And she’s on a native Icelandic Horse. Reputedly, the purest breed in the world, and the only one that can usually do all five “natural horse gaits” without special training.

Most horses can Walk, Trot and Canter/Gallop without much coaxing. But only Iceland’s naturally does the Flying Pace and (pictured above) the Tolt. NOTE: While many horse experts outside Iceland consider the Canter and Gallop to be separate gaits, Icelanders classify them as minor footfall variants of a single gait. I’m just relaying what they say!

Protecting Their Heritage

The people of Iceland fiercely protect their heritage. Many parents still name their children in the traditional “Nordic way.” Boys whose fathers’ first name is “Jacob” automatically receive the patronymic last name “Jacobsson” (unless parents adopt a matronymic, or even more western, alternative). Similarly– though with results not seen as often outside Iceland– Girls whose fathers’ first name is “Jacob” automatically receive the last name “Jacobsdóttir” (unless parents… etc.).

NOTE: This quickly became quite confusing, so a long-established government agency has kept detailed records for genealogical sanity. (We even heard that on first dates, young Icelanders often trade information about their ancestry… to potentially avoid dating and marrying relatives.)

Iceland’s children also learn two languages in school: Icelandic (the island’s official tongue) and English (which is mandatory).

And Iceland may be the most literate country in the world. Out of a population of only about 300,000, one of every ten Icelanders publishes a book. A large percentage of these are translations, re-tellings, interpretations or other adaptations of the ancient Icelandic Sagas. (And according to GuinnessWorldRecords.com, “In a modern variant on the tradition of storytelling, public benches in Iceland are labeled with bar-codes, which one can scan in order to pick up stories that can be listened to on a smartphone.”)

As I said, Icelanders protect their heritage with unusual passion!

Which Brings Us Back to The Horse

The purity of the Icelandic Horse is equally protected. It is small, sturdy, hardy, long-lived and unusually gentle. Again, it’s reputedly the only breed in the world that can do what Icelanders classify as all five natural gaits. And usually without being taught.

On our tour, we saw both the Flying Pace and the Tolt. The Flying Pace is fiercely beautiful. (Here’s a Facebook video that nicely compares the Flying Pace with the Gallop– it’s better expanded to full-screen.) But the Tolt (especially the high-stepping “Fast Tolt”) is strikingly smooth. My photo is from a demonstration we attended at a hydroponic tomato farm. The rider carried her stein of beer during a Fast Tolt and spilled nary a drop! It reminded me of old cartoons where a horse’s body cruises along perfectly level, while its feet wheel furiously below.

Then after the demo, a traditional competition invited amateur and professional riders (including volunteers from our tour) to see who could spill the least beer during a Tolt. The winner was a woman from our group, who had the most beer left in her stein to drink afterwards! Here’s a YouTube video of a similar “Beer Tolt” competition. (It wants to begin in the middle, but that’s easily corrected.) Yes, a variety of gaits were on display. Some riders still fared remarkably well. Others, not so much. But obvious good times were had by all!

Protecting the Breed

For a thousand years, the Icelandic Horse’s purity has been protected more strongly than perhaps any other breed. Other horses– even Icelandics in other countries– cannot enter Iceland. And if an Icelandic Horse ever leaves its island home– even for a short demonstration or competition– it cannot return. This law seeks to protect Iceland’s isolated herds from outside diseases, and it applies equally to native livestock.

FINAL NOTE: Earlier, I said that the much-beloved Icelandic Horse is gentle. And we experienced how gentle in a special way. One of our group, a quiet young woman, was “on the spectrum.” While the rest of us watched the equestrian demonstration and then cheered the beer-spilling competition, this woman quietly petted an Icelandic Horse in its corral. And it stayed with her the entire time.

–Dave Powell is a Westford, Mass., writer and avid amateur photographer.

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