How to pack for your horse riding adventure in Iceland

I have been traveling around whole Iceland on horseback. Every summer I am more than 2000km in the saddle so I know all tips and tricks you want to know before taking your flight to Iceland!

The first thing you need to know is that you are not allowed to bring all your riding gear to Iceland. The reason is that we have no equine diseases on the island. In order to protect our horses you have to follow some basic rules:

1. Don't bring any used leather to Iceland. No leather gloves, no leather boots, no trousers with leather or anything comparable. Even if you have not used your leather boots in ten years and disinfect them several times before your travel you are not allowed to bring them.

2. Wash all your cloths with a minimum of 40 degrees Celcius.

For further information check the website of the veterinary institute of Iceland in the link below.

Import of riding equipment

Equipment you can borrow from us farmers at Íslandshestar: We provide riding helmets, rain gear and all equipment for the horse like bridles, saddles and saddle bags.

The orange rain gear might remind of people who are working for the garbage collection service but they are by far the best cloths you can wear in Icelandic rain. Some of my guests thought their own rain gear would hold the Icelandic rain but most of them ended in our orange rain gear at some point. And the color helps us to keep everyone together If the weather is very bad.

When packing for a horse riding tour I would always recommend to pack many layers. The weather can change fast and rapidly in Iceland and then it is important to be able to take on or off a layer. Furthermore, I would recommend to use cloths made out of natural material. Woolen underwear and sweaters is what I use myself. You will also see that Icelandic people count on their Icelandic woolen sweaters during a riding tour.

Insider tip: If you consider buying an Icelandic woolen sweater take care that you buy handmade Icelandic woolen sweaters. You can either buy them directly at a farmer or you buy one in a hand knitting association. Sweaters with the lable "designed in Iceland" might actually be produced in China.

For our packing list at Íslandshestar follow the link below:

Íslandshestar FAQ