Beginner or not you should only try the best of what the Icelandic horse has to offer

Experiencing a quality Icelandic horse is the Icelandic nature is an experience of a lifetime.

We love our farm lifestyle. Being in touch with nature and horses makes everything different and much more special.

Our activities revolve around the horses. First, we want to share everything about our Icelandic land and the culture behind it. We continue with the horseback riding lesson, then we will have a beautiful ride around our valey. We finish with a fun get-together at the farm where we share Icelandic food prepared by the family, and have a great time!

The Icelandic horse has been bread for over 1,000 years in Iceland, now it is your turn to see the results.

We invite you to connect with them in this amazing experience. We love them and we want you to do it too. It is something unique.

Let's meet the farmer

Black Beach Horse Iceland

Hörður Bender

Hi! I am Hörður and I am your Icelandic farmer.  My passion is Icelandic horses, food and nature.  I have been welcoming guests to my farm for many years and my philosophy is that all guests that come to my farm should have an authentic Icelandic experience.  The horses in my stable are clean, fit and well taken care og because I want you to experience a really good Icelandic horse once you come for a visit.  I also want your experience to be educational and that is why I start all tours with horseback riding lessons where we go through the basics of controlling an Icelandic horse.  The food I serve is only locally produced being my own produced lamb, fresh trout or something else.  I look forward to seeing you at either my farm just outside of Reykjavík or my South shore farm for an overnight visit.

Why Mr. Iceland?

When you come for a visit to my farm I guarantee that you will only get top quality horses and the best locally produced food.  I will make sure you will have the right horse and I before we go riding you will get a riding lesson to make sure you feel comfortable with your horse. After the riding we all gather around my kitchen table for a wonderful meal and lively conversations. Look forward having you as my guests – welcome

Do not miss this opportunity when you are in Iceland to get to know real Icelandic horses on a real Icelandic horse breeding farm.

Our Experiences

Mr. Iceland combines nature, culture, and animal life to create the best experience for you. The Icelandic farm living is different from others, and we want you to know all about it. We firmly believe in nature and everything it has for us. We create an adventure around nature with our beautiful friends, the Icelandic horses. You will fall for them as soon as you meet them!

Enjoy some yoga and meditation time if you like to, and we will end our day by sharing an extraordinary meal as a family. We love to know everyone and their life stories! Here are some of our tours.

Words from our dear guests

A highlight of our trip. Hordur is a wonderful host that cares about his horses and guests. He talked with us about the horses history, along with ensuring to pair us with the correct horse. We had time to get introduced to our horses, and some basic riding lessons. The ride along the countryside is stunning. Afterwards we relaxed, had lunch, and great conversation. The lamb was the best we had in Iceland. If we get the chance to come back to Iceland, we would do this again!
 – Pamela Sanford 17. February 2019

 

Best decision I made was booking this tour while visiting Iceland. I would do it again without hesitation! I had a “bad” horse experience as a child so decades later I finally got on the horse again and I’m glad I did! Hordur is very knowledgeable and takes great care of his horses. He taught us step by step and before we knew it we were horseback riding down a beautiful valley, crossing rivers and just admiring the scenery (surprisingly very green for March 1st). I loved crossing the streams with the horses, they were very sure-footed and a nice ride. The ride was just the right amount of time. By the time we returned we were all ready for lunch. Lunch was delicious! A meal I will remember and the company was fantastic! We didn’t even mind the 43 degrees and rain! It was worth it! Don’t let weather stop you! It would be beautiful in the snow too!! Afterwards Hordur pointed us towards a pool (with hot tubs) nearby. That was the perfect was to end the afternoon riding!! Great local recommendation.

 – Lisa Howell 7 March 2019

Wow! This was an incredible experience from start to finish! Hordur was the consummate host; his knowledge of Icelandic horses, world politics, languages (English, Spanish, Icelandic, Swedish and Norwegian), etc. is truly breathtaking, and made for a unique experience. Hordur easily connected with everyone on the experience, from adolescents to adults, and explained everything about the Icelandic horses in great detail. The riders got to know their horses, brushed them, learned how to saddle them and fed them hay at the end of the ride. The ride itself was out-of-this-world: the Icelandic landscape is stunningly beautiful on this cold February morning! At the end of the ride, Hordur treated us to a home-cooked meal of local lamb, salad and potatoes, which were exquisitely prepared! The tour was supposed to end by 2, but it was 4 PM and Hordur was clearly enjoying the conversation, and in no hurry to usher us out. This was a magnificent experience! Highly, highly recommended!

 – Robert Washington 19. February 2019

This was by far the best part of my experience in Iceland. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. You must come to the farm and see this for yourself. You will never forget it.

 – stefanie Brooks 18 March 2019

Ride like a Icelander and eat like a Viking! This experience blew our minds – a must if you’re in Iceland. The horses were so calm and affectionate, felt extremely safe the whole time and the ride was very scenic. Hordur is a great guy and a fantastic cook. Loved it!

 – Josh, Australia 16 March 2019

I can’t say enough about today. The valley is beautiful. The horses were majestic, happy, and extremely well taken care of. Hordur is a knowledgeable, fascinating, and genuine person and made me feel very comfortable despite not having ridden a horse since childhood. This was hands down one of the best experiences of my entire life. Authentic and magical. The lunch was wonderful, the home and farm were beautiful, and I learned so much! I will treasure the memory of this experience forever! Please book this experience. I guarantee it will be the highlight of your trip.

 – Aislinn 15 March 2019

Hordur’s love for what he does shows. He took his time explaining and introducing us to his beautiful horses, and taught us how to understand and ride them. By far this was the highlight of my 8 days in Iceland, and I’ll always remember meeting the wonderful people in this experience, and us all becoming more confident and relaxed riding the beautiful Icelandic horses, as well as sharing a delicious meal together. It was a meditative and relaxing experience. Thank you again Hordur for your hospitality, and sharing your love and passion with us all! You’re truly gifted at what you do, and I appreciate how you created this unique experience to share it!

 – Annelise, NYC April, 2019

Our experience with Hordur at his horse farm was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. He was extremely knowledgable and took the time to talk about his experience with horses, and share a background about the horses themselves. We were also fortunate to have some great fellow travelers sharing the experience with us and Hordur also made sure to build a great group dynamic. He took time to make us all feel comfortable and safe with the horses, and then we got a quick riding lesson after brushing and saddling our horses. The horseback riding itself was amazing!!!!!!! His two dogs are also adorable. After, we had the best meal of our whole trip in his beautiful farmhouse. I loved that he also took time to really cultivate meaningful stories with the group and shared lots of interesting facts about his experiences in Iceland. This is truly a personalized experience that is NOTHING like those tour buses or other things you may find online. Thank you for making this such a great morning on your beautiful farm.

 – Adriane, NJ April, 2019

I have done a lot of traveling and a lot of excursions and adventures but this one truly tops them all. Hordur is the most gracious host I’ve ever encountered and he truly made this experience something special to me. The horses and his expertise along with his generosity are unmatched in any other experience I’ve ever had. I feel I’ve made a true friend and will absolutely return to Iceland to take this adventure to the next level!

 – Amanda June 2019

I can’t begin to describe how amazing this experience was. If you’re going to the Reykjavik area, even just for a day, I recommend meeting with Hordur. He knows so much about Iceland and its history, and he is very welcoming and friendly. Excellent communication before our meeting, and super friendly in person. The Icelandic horses are beautiful and you can tell Icelanders are proud of these animals. This is a unique chance to get to know a bit more about them. We had no prior knowledge of horse riding, but felt like both we and the horses were in great hands throughout the day. The food was wonderful too. Thank you guys so much!

 – Tina, Norway Dec 2019