Iceland's First Horse Imports (original) (raw)

The Horse and the Norse: Reconstructing the Equine in Viking Iceland (MLitt Dissertation)

By analyzing the historical texts and the archaeological record, the horse’s role in Icelandic Viking society was investigated. Studying horses in order to understand Icelandic Vikings is necessary due to the extraordinary abundance of faunal, artifactual, and textual remains pertaining to the animal – an abundance that is unique within the Norse expansion. Through the analysis and discussion of the available literature and archaeological evidence, it was determined that the horse was vital to maintaining Icelandic society – providing the crucial transport that ships could not offer on the island. Icelandic Vikings even adapted their way of life to accommodate and maintain their large herds – a feat that the island’s ecosystem could not sustain without sacrifice from its settlers. Through this adaptation and dedication to sustain their horse herds the Vikings integrated the horse so fully into their society that the animal can be seen in the island’s entertainment, ritual, religion, myth, and burial practices. With this evidence, a reconstruction of the horse and its tack was also completed, revealing gaps in the archaeological knowledge concerning the Vikings and their steeds.

9. The new equine economy of Iceland

The new equine economy in the 21st century. EAAP Scientific publications 136, 2015

When many other horse breeds lost their role following the industrial revolution, the Icelandic horse gained a new economic role. This chapter explains the development of this new role of the Icelandic horse and what economic and social factors it includes. The research is based on a literature review and analyses of secondary data. It also collates information from the authors' prior research on equestrian tourism. Findings indicate that the new economic, cultural and social roles of the Icelandic horse are extensive and many-sided. It includes breeding in the country of origin, participation in events and shows, inclusion in various social activities in Iceland and abroad and multifarious business operations including e.g. breeding, training and equestrian tourism. Despite the fact that equestrianism is a lifestyle choice of its practitioners, the new equine economy in Iceland does not only rely on the domestic market, as international markets with Icelandic horses and services are substantial. The horse industry is in many ways similar in Iceland and other countries, but it is unique in that there is only one breed in the country. The Icelandic horse is highly recognised and popular worldwide. The breed has a worldwide studbook and an acknowledged country of origin. There is a very high number of horses per person in Iceland, a strong culture of equestrianism and expansive grassland available. This allows for horse husbandry that lets horses live according to their nature as herd animals, free ranging for part of the year and for young horses to grow up with mature horses with minimal human interference.

Herding horses: a model of prehistoric horsemanship in Scandinavia - and elsewhere?

B. Santillo Frizell (ed)., 2004. PECUS. Man and animal in antiquity. Rome.

This article discusses a possible system of horse keeping, used in prehistoric Scandinavia, with focus on the Late Iron Age. The system, here referred to as that of free-roaming horses (Sw. utegångshästar ästar ä ), are still in use in several parts of the world and known from historic Scandinavian sources. The idea of the free-roaming horse system is to keep a surplus of horses under natural conditions, which means that the animals are left to themselves during the major part of the year, and in most cases, their lives. The systems leaves few, if any, traces in the archaeological record, but different sources indicate that there are many horses hidden behind the few stalls in Iron Age byres. However, there is ample evidence in archaeological and written sources that, when put together and illuminated by modern examples from different cultures, provide fruitful information about how great men and women kept their horses c. 1500 years ago. 1

Horse Transport: The Two-Century Odyssey

1997

The earliest confirmed land transport of a horse is 1771. Ever since, no matter the method or conveyance, transporting horses has never been easy for the horse or the owner. Long trips for a horse can result in a variety of illnesses, extreme stress, injuries and, in some cases, death. Until recently that is. During the past 40 years there has been an effort to bring about a dramatic change in the way horses are transported. The old, time honored method was for horses to travel forward-facing. Careful observations and research of equine anatomy and positions at rest indicated that a more natural, comfortable and safer direction for the horse would be rear-facing. Positioned in a trailer so that the head looks out the back, allows the horse a more natural stance, enables the horse to raise and lower their heads more comfortably and removes the horse's fear of being thrown forward. Forward-facing travel forces the horse to constantly brace against the forward movement of the trail...

Historical perspectives on long distance transport of animals

Since Roman Antiquity, domestic and wild animals have been transported over long distances for purposes as different as improvement of livestock production, food supply, scientific interest, public entertainment, war and numerous other purposes. This long distance transportation was originally limited to the Mediterranean area but, during the Middle Ages extended to the rest of Europe. The conquest of the New World was the first major occasion to transport large numbers of horses and other livestock across the oceans. Domestic animals were necessary for the new colonies and their armies. European expansion to Asia and the Pacific also required the transportation of large numbers of domestic animals. Data, figures and description of the conditions of transport of animals as different as wild beasts, horses, camels, elephants or poultry are reported for each historical period.

The introduction of mammals to the Outer Hebrides and the role of boats in stock management

Anthropozoologica, 1990

There appears to have been a sea channel he tween the Outer Hebrides and the mainland throughout the last glaciation.lfso, all the mammals on the islands today, both domestic and wild, must have been carried there by man. Recordsfrom the late seventeenth century and present day (tab. 1) show that the fauna is very restricted. Archaeological records also show few species (tab. 2). Larger wild mammals were presumably introduced for products such asfur and antler and asfall-backfood supplies, while the micromammals were carried unintentionally. Boats have been used for transport of stock from the time of Neolithic colonisation, alld continue to be used for routine movement of stock to summer grazing grounds, to deserted islets to estahlishferalflocks, and to carry animals beyond the islmuis as part of the exchange network and commercial trade.

Animal Transport in the Early Indigenous Market Economy of

2015

Abstract: Man is a social evolving being who has over the years, tried to understand and even tame his environment so as to make the best out of it. The natural environment was and has never been homogenous in its content and therefore did not provide all that man needed. This therefore forced him to undertake some form of exchange of goods and services. Such an exercise warranted the creation of markets where people could meet at least once or twice every week and exchange what they had, with what they did not. In the light of this effort, it became a necessity for man to move from one market to another since different communities set different days for this meeting. Transportation to the markets on foot and with goods on the head certainly became worrisome and uncomfortable to man. This forced him to look for alternative ways of movement. This paper, therefore, examines some of the animals man used as alternative mode of transportation during the early periods in some parts of nor...