Date the Icelandic Horse

by Hestasport · Horse riding · North Iceland

4.80· 435 Google reviews of the operator

Beginners welcome

from €88 per person

Next departure: Sat 24 Oct

Book Sat 24 Oct · €88 Other dates

1 / 5

Duration
45 minutes
Difficulty
Very easy
Season
All year
Starts in
Varmahlíð
Pickup
Meet at the start point
Starts at
Hestasport Activity Tours
Vegamót, Varmahlíð, Skagafjörður
Guide
Guided in English
Departs
10:00, 13:00, 16:00
Cancellation
Cancelling costs 10% of the price within 365 days of departure.

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.

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.
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.
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 →

Why we list it

Hestasport is one of 207 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 435 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
★★★★★ · 4 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
★★★★★ · 4 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 23 Oct 2026

Read before you book

Icelandic farm visits: sheep, horses and lambsThe real farm visits are small and short: a family farm with sheep and horses at Mývatn, a dairy with its own ice cream, a horse stable. Lambs are born in May.
Skagafjörður: horses and rafting on the Ring RoadSkagafjörður is the best place to break the Reykjavík–Akureyri drive: a 30- or 90-minute ride from Varmahlíð all year, and family rafting in summer.

Reviews from our travellers

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

Reviews arrive the day after each trip — none yet for 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.

Hotels

Where to stay for this tour

From the cheapest to the top end of what is near Sauðárkrókur, from our hotel partners. Rooms are booked on our hotels site.

All hotels in North Iceland →

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from

€88 per person

Hestasport's own price. 3% off the whole trip when you book two or more tours together, in one checkout.

Your date

The next departure we can see — change it if this tour is for another day.

Pick a date to check departures.

Departs10:0013:0016:00

Sauðárkrókur: light 08:41–17:24, 8 h 43 min of daylight.

· Cancelling costs 10% of the price within 365 days of departure.
✓ Instant confirmation by email
✓ If Hestasport cancels for weather or safety: a full refund, or another date
✓ Card — Apple Pay or Google Pay where your device offers it — through Stripe; the charge is made in Icelandic krónur
✓ Price promise: Hestasport's own price, or we refund the difference
✓ One checkout, even with tours from several operators
✓ Vetted operator — the six checks every operator passes

Pairs well with

Add any of these to this tour and 3 % comes off both at checkout — about €5 on the cheapest pair. One basket, one payment, however many operators they come from.