I is for "Icelandic Horses"

In 2003 I had a chance to visit Iceland with my Mom and a cousin.  We went to visit relatives and friends there and stayed for three weeks. It was amazing!  One of the highlights of my trip was having an opportunity to ride an Icelandic horse.  A relative of the family we were staying with had a herd of horses that they needed to move from one pasture to another.  The easiest way to do this was to ride some and lead the others (there weren't many horses - only four or six)  What a fun time!  We had to ride for about 12km :)  Man alive was I stiff the next morning (I don't get to ride often!)  Here are a couple pictures of me riding:

These are interesting horses.  They are native to Iceland and the breed has been kept 100% pure in the country.  They are also susceptible to diseases that they have never been exposed to.  If a horse is taken out of the country to be shown it is not allowed back into the country.  The horse also has five gaits intead of the three typically found in horses.  The ride is very smooth!