!["[Icelandics are] so calm and friendly, they give me a feeling of peace," says owner Ann Mungovan. "They're like fuzzy, four-legged therapists."](http://www.myhorse.com/MyHorse/upload/1/107/10746/asset_upload_file952_10746.gif)
On the trail: Andrea Barber and her husband, Steve, love the Icelandic's "easy chair" ride. They own Sand Meadow Farm in Mendon, New York, south of Rochester, in the picturesque Finger Lakes region. The farm is currently home to about a dozen horses.
Andrea is the former president of the USIHC and a professional photographer who frequently focuses her lens on her adorable Icelandics. "Our horses are a perfect release from today's stressful living," she says. "We can come home from a long day at work and find our horses waiting at the gate to go for a ride. After we each pick one, the hard part, all we have to do is open the trailer door, and they eagerly hop in."
The Barbers frequently ride in Mendon Ponds Park, near their farm. "We usually have a brisk ride that won't end until the sun has long set," notes Andrea. "So, because it's hard to see in the dark forest, we'll just drop our reins and let out horses guide themselves back to the trailer on their own. I certainly would not try that with most other breeds!"
Selection savvy: Attend Icelandic Horse demonstrations, and seek out breeders to learn more. Consider heading to a riding-vacation destination that offers Icelandic Horse mounts, such as the Vermont Icelandic Horse Farm in Waitsfield, Vermont
