Photography by Elliot Framan

The horse is an integral part of the Icelandic nation. They came to Iceland with the Vikings around 900 AD. It is thought that they were descendents of the Mongolian

ponies that were imported to Scandinavia.

The story of the settling of the island is found in Landnamabok, the “Book of Settlements,” which is a nearly factual account of what transpired. Rather than sailing the dragon ships usually associated with Vikings, the settlers came in deep-keeled knars. ... ...

For five days on the Sugarbush Tolt Trek we rode Icelandic horses over country roads, through fields and forests. Many trails were steep, overgrown and rain-slicked where walking on two feet would've been a challenge. These pony-size horses took us up, down and through them easily.

The Vermont Icelandic Horse Farm near Waitsfield, Vermont, breeds, trains, boards and sells Icelandic horses. It's run by Karen, with lots of help from her mother and experienced staff. We stayed at the nearby Mad River ... ...

Photography by Elliot Framan

The riders stopped at the Golden Waterfall, Gullfoss, to rest the horses. They told me that they had been on the road for six days, riding from Skagafjordas in the north over the Rjolur mountain track to the Geyser Hot Spring area.

"We travel as much as eight hours a day to cover the distance," said Ishester trekking guide, Hauhur Hanksson. "We take hand horses along, and change our mounts a couple of times a day, which allows us to travel at a comfortable speed. The ... ...