The ancestors of the Icelandic horse were probably brought to Iceland by
Viking Age Scandinavians between 860 and 935 AD. The Norse settlers were followed by immigrants from Norse colonies in Ireland, the
Isle of Man and the
Western Isles of Scotland. and the breed has physical similarities to the
Nordlandshest of Norway. Other breeds with similar characteristics include the
Faroe pony of the
Faeroe Islands and the Norwegian
Fjord horse. Genetic analyses have revealed links between the
Mongolian horse and the Icelandic horse. Mongolian horses are believed to have been originally imported from Russia by Swedish traders; this imported Mongol stock subsequently contributed to the Fjord, Exmoor, Scottish Highland, Shetland and Connemara breeds, all of which have been found to be genetically linked to the Icelandic horse. Attempts were made to introduce
eastern blood into the Icelandic, resulting in a degeneration of the stock. The early
Germanic peoples, including those living in Scandinavia,
venerated horses and slaughtered and ate them at
blóts throughout the Viking Age. When these settlers arrived in Iceland, they brought their beliefs, and their horses, with them. Skalm, a
mare who is the first Icelandic horse known by name, appeared in the
Book of Settlements from the 12th century. According to the book, a
chieftain named Seal-Thorir founded a settlement at the place where Skalm stopped and lay down with her pack. Horses also play key roles in the
Icelandic sagas ''
Hrafnkel's Saga, Njal's Saga and Grettir's Saga''. Although written in the 13th century, these three sagas are set as far back as the 9th century. This early literature has influenced many riding clubs and horse herds in modern Iceland, still bearing the
names of horses from Norse mythology. Indispensable to warriors,
war horses were sometimes buried alongside their fallen riders,
Natural selection played a major role in the development of the breed, as large numbers of horses died from lack of food and exposure to the elements. Between 874 and 1300 AD, during the more favorable climatic conditions of the
medieval warm period, Icelandic breeders selectively bred horses according to special rules of color and
conformation. From 1300 to 1900, selective breeding became less of a priority; the climate was often severe and many horses and people died. Between 1783 and 1784, around 70% of the horses in Iceland were killed by volcanic ash poisoning and starvation after the 1783 eruption of
Lakagígar. The eruption lasted eight months, covered hundreds of square miles of land with lava, and rerouted or dried up several rivers. The population slowly recovered during the next hundred years, and from the beginning of the 20th century selective breeding again became important. The number of Icelandic horses exported to other nations has steadily increased since the first exports of the mid-19th century. The Icelandic remains a breed known for its purity of bloodline, and is the only horse breed present in Iceland. The Icelandic is especially popular in western Europe, Scandinavia, and North America. There are about 80,000 Icelandic horses in Iceland (compared to a human population of 317,000), and around 100,000 abroad. Almost 50,000 are in Germany, which has many active riding clubs and breed societies. ==Uses==