Iceland Travel Journal 冰島旅行日記 8 - 2019.10.15 Icelandic horse 冰島馬

Day 2's Notes - Continued 繼續第二天的雜記

The Icelandic horse is smaller than most other breeds, often being pony-sized. They typically weigh between 730 and 840 lb (330 and 380 kg) and stand an average of 52 to 56 inches (132 to 142 cm) high.

This breed is known for being long-lived and exceptionally hardy. Its physical resilience is aided by a thick double coat developed for extra insulation against cold temperatures.

To protect the breed’s purity and prevent the introduction of disease, Iceland has strict national laws in place: foreign-born horses cannot be imported into the country, and exported animals are not permitted to return.

In its native country, the Icelandic horse is still utilized for traditional sheepherding work, as well as for leisure riding, showing, and racing.

The breed boasts a wide variety of coat colors, including chestnut, dun, bay, black, gray, palomino, pinto, and roan. They also appear as bicolour/pied horses with large black or brown blotches over a white coat. Reflecting this diversity, the Icelandic language has over 100 specific names for the various colors and color patterns found within the breed.

The Icelandic horses are so irresistibly charming that we found ourselves pulling over to the roadside, lingering for a long time, and genuinely reluctant to leave their presence.

冰島馬比大多數其他品種的馬都要小，通常只有矮種馬那麼大。它們的體重通常在 730 到 840 磅（330 到 380 公斤）之間，平均身高為 52 到 56 英寸（132 到 142 公分）。

這種馬種以長壽和極強的耐寒性而聞名。其厚實的雙層被毛有助於抵禦寒冷，從而增強了其身體的韌性。

為了保護這種品種的純正性並防止疾病的傳入，冰島制定了嚴格的國家法律：外國出生的馬匹不得進口到該國，出口的動物也不允許返回。

在冰島，冰島馬至今仍用於傳統的牧羊工作，以及休閒騎乘、表演和賽馬。

此品種有多種的毛色，包括栗色、沙色、棕色、黑色、灰色、帕洛米諾色、花斑色和雜色。它們也有雙色/雜色馬，即白色底毛上帶有大塊黑色或棕色斑點。為了體現這種多樣性，冰島語中有超過 100 個專門用來描述此品種的各種毛色和毛色圖案的名稱。

冰島馬非常可愛，它們的魅力令人無法抗拒，我們可以在路邊停下來久久駐足，不想離開。