Houlls Horses and Hounds
We are a new venture in Shetland. Our aim is to provide you with a wonderful experience as part of your holiday here.
We have a stable of five Icelandic horses. With these we offer a unique opportunity to see some of Shetland's best scenery here in Burra on horseback.
We can also provide taster sessions and lessons in our purpose built riding arena.
Our Horses
Icelandic horses have been bred in Iceland since the 9th and 10th centuries when they were introduced by Viking settlers.
They are the only breed of horse in Iceland with no other horses allowed to be imported and once a horse leaves Iceland they are not allowed to return.
We have 5 Icelandic Horses. They are: -
Hörður (pronounced Hordoor) which means "Warrior".
Vákur (pronounced Vowkoor) which means "Falcon"
Orri (pronounced Awree) which means "Black Grouse"
Kápa (pronounced Kowpah) which means "Cloaked"
Perla which means "Pearl"
All our horses are friendly and dependable. They suit any level of rider from beginner to experienced and will give you a memorable experience.
Last, but not least, we have a Shetland Pony called Foula. He hails from the island of Foula which lies about 20 miles to the west of mainland Shetland.
The Tölt
The interesting feature of Icelandic horses is that they have a gait called Tölt. Tölt is a four-beat gait where the sequence of foot falls is the same as in walk. This means that at least one foot is on the ground at any time. That being the case, there is no period of suspension within the tölt. This lack of suspension in the gait means it has a smoothness which is comfortable for the rider as there is no time when the horse bounces the rider out of the saddle.