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Islandshästens gångarter

Skritt rids i två olika tempon.
"Fri skritt" innebär att hästen går med helt långa tyglar.
Halsen och huvudet är lägre än manken och hästen går med energiska steg.
Fri skritt brukar användas som uppvärmning innan ett träningspass och när
man varvar ned hästen efteråt. Sedan har vi "mellanskritt" där hästen går
med vägvinnande steg på tygeln. Hästen ska ha gott övertramp, ju längre,
desto bättre.

Tölt: är en fyrtaktig gångart utan sväv, och steg i denna ordning;vänster
bakben,vänster framben,höger framben,höger bakben,höger framben.
förflyttningen är parallell. Det är bekvämt att rida i tölt, det känns igen på ljudet,
en jämn fyrtaks rytm,syns på långt håll,hästen bär huvudet högt och värdigt,svansen böljar stolt!
det känns som om man åker häst,ryttaren sitter så gott som orölig i sadeln.
Tölten kallas även "Gudarnas gåva"
för att den är så bekväm.

Pass,Flygande pass är en femte gångart som en del islandhästar har.
Inom islandshästridning säger man "kronan på verket"
om passen. Går i fyrtakt med jämna mellanrum och steg i denna ordning;
både fram-och bakben på ena sidan samtidigt.Pass är fartens tjusning!

Trav: är en språnartad diagonal rörelse,den är tvåtaktig,något obekväm.
Mellan de diagonala trampen ligger ett visst svävmoment. Beroende på svävmomentets
längd och hästens elasticitet blir travet mer eller mindre vägvinnande.

Galopp: som är en tretaktig, är en oliksidig språSkritt
Fyrtaktig gångart utan sväv.

Skritt
Fyrtaktig gångart utan sväv.

Trav
Diagonal, tvåtaktig gångart med sväv.

Galopp
Tretaktig gångart med sväv.

Tölt
Fyrtaktig gångart utan sväv.

Pass
Tvåtaktig gångart med sväv.

Breed Characteristics

The Icelandic horse is intelligent, good tempered, versatile and beautiful. It can be found in over 40 different colors, with about 100 variations. Its average height is between 12.3 and 13.1 hands. It masters five gaits, among them the magical tölt. It is strong, enthusiastic, forward-going and docile. It is virtually unknown for a horse, born in Iceland, to kick or bite, and they are usually easy to catch, box and handle. The Icelandic horse is also self-assured and acts well in traffic.

One of the main attractions of the Icelandic horse is its versatility. It is a five-gaited horse, making it exceptional in comparison with other breeds. In addition to the three basic gaits, the walk, the trot and the canter, the Icelandic horse masters both the pace and the tölt.

The Gaits
The walk is a four-beat gait. The horse is relaxed, but moves ahead briskly, putting each foot down independently. This gait is very important in training, especially when preparing for the tölt, because the feet move in the same way in the tölt as in the walk. The walk is also good to release tension and to get the horse to work in a more focused manner.

The trot is a two-beat gait where front and hind legs on oppositesides of the horse move together. The trot is used a lot in basic training, before the horses have mastered the tölt. It is useful when working on the horse's balance and teaching it to work with the rider. The trot can be difficult for horses that tend toward the pace, but it is important to train the trot as well as the other gaits.

The gallop or canter is a three-beat gait, ridden at various speeds. A slow gallop is comfortable for riding and is common all over the world with the different breeds. A fast gallop tends to liven up the horse, increasing its willingness and enthusiasm to work. It is good to allow horses in training to sprint short distances, both to enhance the above mentioned factors and simply because they enjoy a good run now and then.

The tölt is the specialty of the Icelandic horse. It is a remarkably smooth four-beat gait in which the horse moves its feet in the same order as in the walk. When tölting the horse's hind legs move well under the body, enabling the back to yield and the forepart to rise. A beautiful tölter has high foreleg movement and carries its head in a dignified, free manner. Other breeds, such as the American Saddlebred, have a similar gait, sometimes called the running walk or rack. Enthusiasts all over the world agree that no horse can manage this gait as naturally and beautifully as the Icelandic horse.

The smoothness of the tölt is its main attraction. At shows and demonstrations, Icelandic horses are often ridden in the tölt while the rider holds a full glass of beer in one hand and the reins in the other, without spilling a drop. The tölt can be ridden at any speed, from a gracious slow tölt, where the horse's tail wiggles up and down showing the rhythm of this remarkable gait, up to a very fast tölt, where the horse can easily keep up with a galloping or an even a pacing horse.

The pace is a two-beat gait, well known in the international racing world. When pacing the horse moves both legs on the same side together. In most countries pacers are raced in front of a sulky, but in Iceland the rider is mounted on the horse, This type of racing is one of the oldest and most popular equestrian sports in Iceland. Not all Icelandic horses can pace, but those that manage all the five gaits well, are considered the best of the breed.