Date the Icelandic Horse

by Hestasport · Horse riding · North Iceland

4.80(433) · operator on Google
Date the Icelandic Horse — Hestasport

Would this be cheaper direct? No — we sell at Hestasport's own price and take our commission from them, not from you. What you get here is one checkout across operators, one confirmation, and one place to change or cancel it. If you ever find it cheaper on their own site, tell us and we will match it or explain why we cannot.

  • Duration

    45 minutes

  • Difficulty

    Very easy

  • Season

    All year

  • Starts in

    Varmahlíð

  • Meeting

    Meet on location

  • Languages

    EN, DE

  • Departs

    10:00, 13:00, 16:00

About this experience

Have a charming rendezvous with one of our horses. This private tour gives you the chance to have a close encounter with the soft natured animal without the duty of going on a longer ride. Take your time to brush the horse, give some treats, make friends and if you dare, we saddle the horse and lead you around the area Vindheimamelar to get the feeling of freedom when you are on horseback.

Age Limit: from 2 -110 years. Young children and people with handicap (depending on the degree of disability) bring ideally an accompanying person.

Description from the operator, Hestasport. Prices and availability in the booking panel are live.

Included

English speaking guide

Riding Helmet

Thermal Overalls or Rain Gear as required

Coffee and/or Tea

Good to know

Be prepared for all kinds of weather and wear lots of layers. We recommend thermal underwear, sweater(s) and a windproof jacket as well as gloves, a scarf and warm socks. Wear comfortable pants and strong shoes (hiking boots are fine). We will provide you with a helmet and rain gear or a snow suit. Please note that we require you to wear a helmet when riding with us, so if you'd like to wear a woolen hat or head band, make sure it's a thin one and fits comfortably under a helmet.

Please meet us at our office 20 minutes before the agreed time of departure.

In case you bring your own riding clothes and boots, they must be disinfected before you arrive. It is prohibited by Icelandic law to bring used riding gear including saddles, bridles, etc. into the country, as well as used leather riding boots, other leather riding wear or riding gloves. Riding clothes, rubber riding boots and any other gear should be machine-washed (min. 40°) or dry-cleaned (chemically cleaned), and disinfected with VirkonS®.

We reserve the right to alter any itinerary in the guests' best interest and for reasons of safety. This will not reduce the quality of our tours.

Cancellation for this tour

Cancelling costs 10% of the price within 365 days of departure. If the operator cancels for weather or safety, you get a full refund or a new date.

If the weather cancels this tour

Iceland's weather is real. What usually stops this one is a forecast the operator judges unsafe. Here is exactly what happens to your booking.

  1. 1Hestasport decides, and tells us. Operators cancel when it is unsafe or pointless, and we back that call every time — we do not ask them to run anyway.
  2. 2We contact you by email, and by phone if your tour is the same or next day. You choose: another date if there is one you can make, or a full refund. There is no fee and nothing to argue.
  3. 3The refund goes back to the card you paid with, through Stripe, usually visible within a few working days. If this tour was one of several in your booking, the others are untouched.

What you do not get is the day back. If this is the only free day in your plan, put a spare day next to it — the planner leaves days free with the rest-day option. And if you want out because the forecast looks bad, that is your own cancellation: free until the cutoff shown above, the operator's policy after that.

Questions on the day: [email protected] · +354 497 1373. How cancellations work in Iceland →

Sold out on your date?

Seats come back — a cancellation, or the operator adding a vehicle. Tell us the date and we will check once a day and email you if one opens. One email, then we delete the address; nothing else is ever sent to it.

Why we list it

Hestasport is one of 154 operators we work with — chosen for reliability, honest descriptions and how they treat guests when weather changes plans. We don't list everything; we list what we'd book ourselves. The six checks every operator passes →

What travellers say about Hestasport

Read all 433 reviews on Google →

Operator rating 4.8/5 from Google — these are reviews of the company, not this specific tour. Shown as Google returns them, unedited.

  • Jéssica Bauer

    ★★★★★ · 3 months ago

    I had an amazing experience on this horseback riding tour. It was my first time riding a horse, and I felt safe and comfortable throughout the entire experience. The staff were incredibly helpful, friendly, and took the time to explain everything clearly before we started. The horses were very well cared for, calm, and easy to ride, which made the experience even more enjoyable. The views of the valley and the waterfall were absolutely breathtaking and truly unforgettable.

  • Monica Marks

    ★★★★ · 3 months ago

    The cottage I got (Odinshaus) was gorgeous, clean as a whistle, super quiet, and very spacious. Staff made late check-in & check-out a breeze. Water smelled like rotten eggs because it’s heated geothermally, which made showering & brushing one’s teeth less enjoyable, but was part of the special Iceland experience. As is unfortunately par for the course with nearly all hotels in Iceland, this place lacked genuine blackout curtains, AC / air-conditioning, or a fan. About 30-40% of the light was coming in even at the darkest part of summer night with all curtains closed. I was not too hot at night, but would have loved to feel a fan for the ventilation/soothing white noise. Impossible to sleep here without an eye mask, probably. But until more hotel management gets hip to & competitive about international standards, that’s par for the course unfortunately. Still one of the best hotels of my stay across two trips & would happily stay here again!

  • Nancy Winning

    ★★★★★ · 3 months ago

    Our second time here (2022 and now 2026). Both times the cottages well furnished and BIG. The people here exceptional. Went riding this year and had a great time. Like any horse excursion, be truthful about your riding level. If you are not sure have them watch you in the pen. Sarah took the two of us on a 3 hour excursion mat he'd to our ability. WILL come back again.

  • Ike Mattern

    ★★★★★ · 3 months ago

    Great place. They have individual cabins with 2 bedrooms, at least ours had 2. There is also a common hot tub in the center of the cabin area open to guests only, 24/7. There is also a small TV and free wifi. I highly recommend

Reviews from Google · updated 13 Sept 2026

Reviews from our travellers

Only people who booked this tour through us can write here. We publish every review in full — good or bad.

No reviews yet from our travellers on this one. After your tour we send one email asking how it was, and what you write goes here, unedited.

Horse riding — questions people ask

Can complete beginners ride Icelandic horses?

Yes, and most people on the tours are beginners. Icelandic horses are small, calm and used to novices, and the one- to two-hour rides on the farm tours (/experience/164615/, /experience/170834/) move at a walk with a taste of tölt, the smooth fifth gait the breed is known for. You get a helmet and a short briefing. If you have ridden before, tell the guide; they will match you to a livelier horse.

Why can't I call it a pony?

Because Icelanders will correct you, politely. The Icelandic horse stands around 13 to 14 hands, pony height elsewhere, but it has been bred as a horse for a thousand years with no outside blood since the settlement. It has five gaits, including tölt and the flying pace. Once a horse leaves Iceland it cannot come back, to protect the herd from disease. Call it a horse; the guides will like you more.

Can I bring my own riding gear to Iceland?

Only if it has been disinfected. Iceland has strict rules to protect its horses from foreign disease: used riding clothing, gloves and boots must be disinfected before entering the country, and used leather tack, saddles and bridles are not allowed at all. The stables provide helmets and rain overalls, so most people bring nothing. Wear long trousers and closed shoes with a small heel if you have them.

Is there a weight limit for horse riding in Iceland?

Yes. Icelandic horses are small, and most stables set a rider weight limit somewhere around 100 to 110 kilograms, sometimes lower for longer rides. The tour page states the exact limit, and stables do enforce it on the day. If you are close to the limit, email us before booking and we will check with the operator. Minimum ages also apply, usually six to eight for a farm ride.

  • One checkout, any number of operators

  • Rankings are not for sale

  • 153 operators vetted, and not all of them accepted

  • If it falls short, we fix it

Pairs well with

Everything here goes into the same basket and the same single payment, however many operators it comes from.

from

€86 per person

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