Please tell me about the breed, good and bad. Do they have common health issues? My husband needs a horse and he would do better with a gaited horse. He likes personable horses and short is better. Neither of us are large people. He weighs less than 160 and I’m even smaller.
There’s a breeder in our region that we can visit.
They do not do heat well, even clipped. A friend had a couple and just did not use them a lot or hard in our hot and very humid Michigan summers. Winter riding was fun! She bought hers as adult horses and they were very well-trained. Not sure from where though.
Limited experience. I boarded two here for about a year. The mare was a pistol, very honest and forward, full of herself, great footed, pretty thing. Very opinionated and wiggly. The gelding was quite hesitant about new things, really snorty and quick as lightning. Both just brimmed with energy. Also great footed and both were just round as a barrel through the barrel. Cute horses, she was very personable and he was just quite aloof. We are in Alabama and they were fine in this heat, but they were very rarely ridden to be fair.
My sister, who only rides on the trails now, fell in love with the breed years ago, after a week-long riding trip in Iceland.
She has owned 3 geldings so far.
The first one was a gem. Very cute, very well trained, high energy but very gentle. It was easy to get him to tölt and go into Flying pace. So much fun! He had no health problems whatsoever. He lived a long life and we were heartbroken when he died.
The 2nd one was ok, more of a kick-ride. I only rode him a handful of times and I don’t remember him offering the fun gaits on his own. She ended up selling him to a kid who was in love with him.
Her current one is another cutie! In-your-pocket, dog-like personality. A bit taller than the other 2, easy to ride and comfortable even if he’s not particularly easy to go into tölt. BUT - he has asthma. He is allergic to…GRASS (!!). He has no energy in the summer heat. Now that she knows how to treat him (one shot a month) he’d doing much better. Here he is with me 2 years ago.
IME they are great trail horses, and their gaits are so very comfortable, but not all of them offer them naturally.
My experience with Icelandics is limited to riding one when I was younger and it was cool! I do remember finding the horse was a bit stubborn though.
I can attest to the nordic breeds having a harder time in warmer climates with my fjord. Summer is when he gets more time off with the heat/humidity/sun we get in my area. He also only exhibits fecal water syndrome in the summer which after 3 years I now attribute to heat stress…it’s the only thing that changes and is worse on hotter days.
OP, maybe consider a Foxtrotter, Rocky Mtn or even a TWH.
All of these come in compact sizes as well as tall.
Easier to find, better suited to our climate & bound to be cheaper.
I can personally attest to TWH having great people personalities. I’ve owned 3 
I think the key is how they feel to my husband. He has arthritis issues. We’ll give one a test ride, if we’re able.
I ride one on a regular basis, imported from Iceland. He can be a bit stubborn for kids, but we have a good understanding. He’s a bit more nervous than some of the pony breeds I’ve worked with. But he’s quite comfy, and on cross country courses I encourage the tolt because it’s quick and comfortable, though awkward to jump from. Our canter scores on dressage leave something to be desired, but he spent nearly his entire life with walk and tolt being the two acceptable riding gates, so the fact that we now have a nice trot and an existent canter isn’t too shabby.
Also, no blanketing required ever. Honestly, I’ll look into one when I buy my next horse.
I don’t know where you are but you might also want to look at paso finos. They can be short and are pretty smooth. But I have a feeling they are hotter than many other gaited horses, but I’m sure there’s variety just as with all breeds.
If you find an icelandic horse that was raised in your climate, you’ll know how they manage there.
Has your husband spent considerable time riding both gaited and non-gaited horses? I ask because while I don’t have arthritis, I do have a connective tissue disease and deal with a lot of joint and muscle pain both.
I had the opportunity to regularly work a Tennessee Walker a few years back and I found his running walk to be really bothersome in my back! It was smooth no question but I never really got used to it or had it feel comfortable to my body. It could be a lifetime of riding non-gaited horses that has me used to the trot, but I have found a horse with a smoother trot and posting much more comfortable. I might be a different case, but something to consider.
A standardbred that is a dedicated pacer might be an option if you can find a smallish one.
yeah the RW can be a real doozy, it’s sooo swingy and loose. A racking horse would be far cheaper than an Icey, I would think, and their gait is very ‘stable’ not loose like a big walk.
I haven’t enjoyed the feel of TWHs myself. We also prefer a shorter horse. What attracts me to the Icelandic horse is their tolerance of cold weather. It gets cold up here. I prefer playing in colder weather. I hide when it’s too hot.
Oh I get you, I do. I have three TWHs and they all carry themselves very differently so finding ‘the one’ would be hard. Too much work!
That’s interesting. I’ve never ridden one that was a dedicated pacer.
I tried those and felt like it was a lot of work to learn how they handle. Very different feel. It was complicated for me to give the proper cues, and I’ve ridden far longer than hubby. I also know that this horse would be exercised by me often enough to want a nice ride for us both.
I am looking forward to riding an Icelandic horse when I go to Iceland in May. Not any kind of trekking, just a short ride to a waterfall but we are supposed to be able to tolt during the ride.
My horse is only 15.2 but at 67 with lots of skeletal issues, I am kind of interested in them too due to size and the tolt.
Susan
That sounds like fun! I told my husband that riders tolt while holding a mug of beer at the Icelandic shows. I had his immediate and undivided attention.
Very true! Gaited horses are not comfortable for everyone. I considered purchasing a Paso at one time, but the side-to-side motion did nothing good for my back or hips. (The breeders thought I was nuts because I preferred a trot.) It must just depend on each person’s individual conformation, as well as the gait, and whether it’s front-to-back or side-to-side. The TWH I rode had a trot as well, and was fairly comfortable to me. On a side note, my DD would LOVE to have an Icey! 
On topic…has anyone ever watched of Horses and Men? There were some really funny parts and a couple parts I had a hard time watching, but if you’re looking for something a little different movie wise…
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