“Stop the car!”

My face was pressed up against the passenger window looking out towards an open field. The ponies were a multicolored blur as we sped past and my heart jumped.

Icelandic horses.

It was our first day on the ring road and we were heading south. I had been waiting to see these horses all day and there they stood, manes whipping frantically in the bitter cold. My mom made a quick u-turn and parked on the side of the road. Camera already in hand, I jumped out of the car and made my way across the ditch and to the fence. They saw me instantly. Ears perked and heads raised, they regarded me for just a moment. Then their curiosity kicked in and the herd broke into a run to greet me. They bucked and kicked and threw their heads wildly, and I finally saw that spiritedness these horses are famous for.

I spent the next half an hour rotating between petting them and taking photos. They found my camera fascinating. Whenever I’d go to take a shot, they’d reach their noses out to investigate fogging my lens up in the process.

Below are some of the photos I captured of these beautiful creatures. (In between lens cleanings, that is.)

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