Horse purchase in Iceland

Florentine gives insights into her experiences with buying horses in Iceland:

UNDRA: Hi Florentine, thank you for taking the time to give us some insights into buying a horse in Iceland and importing it!
Would you introduce yourself?
Florentine: Hi, I’m Florentine and I am from beautiful Hamburg. My horses are about 20 minutes from the city at the Icelandic horse farm Klövensteen in Schleswig Holstein.

UNDRA: Where do your horses come from and would you introduce them?
Florentine: My horses are “real” Icelandic horses, so they actually come straight from the island.

My bay mare Karólína comes from the south of Iceland. She was bred by Blesasta∂ir. I already knew a couple of great horses from this breed, many of which are very well known, such as Fláki or Krákur. A friend of mine started working there last year and so the idea of ​​looking for a horse there came up.

My other mare Tilfinning comes from a different breed. It is called Saudanes, which located in Northeast Iceland, about 5 hours drive from Reykjavík.

I also just recently bought two more horses from Iceland! Two geldings bred by Blesasta∂ir.

*Insights into buying horses in Iceland

UNDRA: You bought all your horses and your new additions, which will soon come to Germany, in Iceland. How did you find them there?
Florentine: I was lucky that I had good local contacts who recommended the horses or certain farms to me. It was important to me to get some background information about the farms and breeders. Unfortunately, a few years ago I had experienced quite a horror story regarding the purchase of a horse and wanted to make sure that something like this does not happen again.

UNDRA: How exactly did you contact the breeders in Iceland? Did you try your horses before buying them?
Florentine: I had a lot of contact with my friend on the island, but I also contacted a lot of farms on Iceland myself. It was easy and went very smoothly. I then flew to Iceland in the summer and tried out horses on different farms, including Kjarr. They have really great horses and give you very honest advice. Today I would of course also have a look at UNDRA in advance!

UNDRA: What was important to you when buying a horse? Was it difficult to find the right one
Florentine: Yes, it really wasn’t easy, but that was also because I had very specific ideas and my budget wasn’t unlimited, of course.

It was particularly important to me that the horse was healthy and had a good character. This was of course just as important to me when looking for my own horses as it was for Sjóli and Háleggur, who will soon be arriving from Iceland and who will be for sale.

UNDRA: Why did you decide to buy an Icelandic horse from the island?
Florentine: I would have decided on a horse in DE or DK if I had found the right one there. In Iceland, however, the selection of horses that matched my search was much larger.

UNDRA: How exactly does buying a horse in Iceland work? What needs to be considered?
Florentine: Basically, it’s similar to Germany. As soon as you have decided on a horse, you hire a vet to check the horses. I always went for a major vet check including a blood test and x-rays. After that I had all the papers checked again by my German veterinarian.

Thank you, Florentine, for your insights! We look forward to learning more about your experiences in importing horses form Iceland!

Pictures:
Carolin Giese & Melina Schmidt
Florentines Instagram-Account