General Info

Enjoy a comfortable Vermont country inn all with a generous helping of Vermont hospitality as you trek through the picturesque Mad River Valley of Vermont on strong Icelandic horses. Summer is a beautiful time to visit Vermont, as is autumn when the air is crisp and the leaves burst with color.

This trek takes place in Central Vermont, making it accessible to many big Northeastern airports and major cities. The horses you’ll ride are from the Icelandic Horse Farm located near the historic village of Waitsfield in the heart of the Sugarbush resort area. The farm has been leading riders on treks since 1988. The Vermont Icelandic Horse Farm seeks to breed healthy Icelandic horses that are easy to maintain, and with exceptional temperaments and gaits.

Each day, you’ll experience the special, strong Icelandic horses as you ride along country lanes, over streams, through scenic meadows and into forests in the mountainous Mad River Valley. Lookout for birds and other wildlife along the trails and stop at a swimming hole and take a dip. In the fall, enjoy riding amid the colorful foliage of Vermont. Non-riders are welcome to explore the area while riders trek, dining with their companions during breakfast and dinner and spending days exploring the area on their own.

You’ll enjoy the hardy stamina of the Icelandic horses. They may be pony sized, but these horses pack some might! The Icelandic horses have special gaits or ways of moving, including the tölt, a four-beat running walk. The tölt is similar to gaits of the Tennessee Walking horse and other gaited breeds. It’s smooth, and has been said to give riders a feeling of floating or gliding. Icelanders describe it as "riding in an easy chair” and have been known to show off the smooth gait by riding while holding a full pint of beer and not spilling a drop! This is a great way to travel across the scenic Vermont countryside. Each of the tours is limited in size, usually ranging from 4 to 8 people and led by experienced horse people and guides with thorough knowledge of the area. 

Awards & Accolades
Featured in the Equitrekking Vermont episode as a part of Equitrekking’s first season. Karen Winhold, the owner of the Vermont Icelandic Horse Farm, is interviewed by Equitrekking host Darley Newman. Karen explains the history and temperament of the Icelandic breed. Darley rides the trails and through the woods and countryside to a quaint Vermont Inn and through the rain on Icelandic horses!

The Vermont Icelandic Horse Farm has been featured in The Boston Globe, New York TImes, USA Today, Outside Magazine, Horse Illustrated, Yankee magazine, and more.

Packing

Please see Equitrekking Travel's General Packing Suggestions.

Vermont is one of six New England states in the United States. There are four distinct seasons in Vermont. This riding vacation is available from May 1 to November 1st, taking you through beautiful spring and summer weather with warmer days and cool night and vibrant fall colors. As with any riding vacation, pack layers, especially for chillier Vermont nights and rain gear in case of inclement weather. The farm does have helmets, but if people can bring their own, it is always good.  The farm also provides rain gear and saddle bags.

About the Horses

You'll be riding Icelandic horses on this Vermont riding adventure. Their height varies from 12.2 hands high to 14.2 hands high. Yes, they are pony sized, but they can carry adults without a problem and do! The breed has been pure bred for over a thousand years on the isolated North Atlantic island of Iceland.

The Icelandic horse is special because it has five different gaits or ways of moving. Besides the walk, trot and canter/gallop, Icelandic horses may also tölt or pace. The tölt is a smooth four-beat gait. Once you are into this gait, you may feel like you are gliding, instead of bouncing up and down in the saddle. The flying pace is a two-beat racing gait in which both legs on the same side move together. 

Activities/Events

Non-riders may consider the following nearby adventures. Riders may also want to visit these destinations or add a few days on to their Vermont vacation to visit:

Morgan Horse Farm
University of Vermont Morgan Horse Farm in Middlebury. Tour the farm and visit the Morgan horses, Vermont’s state animal. (35.9 mi – about 1 hour and 7 mins)

Vermont Summer Horse Festival 
Fourteenth annual Vermont Summer Festival at The Harold Beebe Farm, a well equipped hunter/jumper facility just off scenic Route 7 North in East Dorset. The festival features top equestrian competitions for six weeks throughout July and August. See their website for more information. This might be a good thing to add onto your stay in Vermont, perhaps for the weekend before or after your stay at the Mountain Top Inn. (2 hours)

Woodstock, Vermont
Quaint, historic town. Shop boutiques and for specialty gifts. (1.5 hours)

Manchester, Vermont
Shop designer outlets and handmade crafts from local artisans. (approx. 2 hours and 15 min depending on the driving route)

Simon Pearce glassblowing 
Manufacturing facility and retail store in Quechee, Vermont (approx 1.5 hours )

Middlebury 
Classic New England College town with Robert Frost’s favorite bookstores, Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History, Vermont Folklife Center, local craft shops and restaurants  (35.9 mi – about 1 hour and 7 mins)

Shelburne Museum 
Museum with paintings, folk art, quilts and textiles, and New England history in Shelburne. (approx. 1 hour)

Burlington
Vermont’s capital City with Church Street Marketplace and its boutiques, restaurants, and performers. (approx. 1 hour )

Accommodations/Food

Spend nights in a comfortable Vermont inn in a rural setting. Lunches are enjoyed on the trail picnic style in a scenic spot at a select restaurant.  

The Ideal Traveler

The ideal traveler is looking for an active vacation in the Northeastern United States and may be particularly interested in riding the special Icelandic breed of horses and staying in a Vermont country inn.

2 to 6 Day Treks

Dates & Rates 2010
This riding vacation is available from May 1 to November 1.
 Fall Foliage season usually runs from mid-September to mid-October. Please call or email us for exact foliage dates. 
Intermediate riding experience is required for longer treks. Less experienced riders are accommodated on the Weekend Riding Adventures.

5 days/ 5 nights (Sun to Fri) $1495
Peak Fall Colors Price: $1595

4 days/ 4 nights (Sun.-Thurs.) $1175
Peak Fall Colors Price: $1275

3 days/ 4 nights (Sun- Thurs morning) $975
Peak Fall Colors Price: $1075

3 days/ 3 nights (Sun- Wed morning) $875
Peak Fall Colors Price: $975

2 days/2 nights (Wed evening – Fri) $600
Peak Fall Colors Price: $625

Weekend Rides:
A two-day relaxed trip. Some experience required.
2 days/ 2 nights (Fri- Sun) $600
Peak Fall Colors Price: $625

Single Supplement: $50 per day/ $60 for peak foliage season
Transfer service: $75 per car, one way
Non-rider price: $100 per day, includes breakfast and dinner

* Prices include each days guided ride and horses, all meals, lodging based on double occupancy, and taxes (but not gratuities).

Enjoy a comfortable Vermont country inn at night, all with a generous helping of Vermont hospitality as you trek through the picturesque Mad River Valley of Vermont on strong Icelandic horses. Summer is a beautiful time to visit Vermont, as is autumn when the air is crisp and the leaves burst with color.

This trek takes place in Central Vermont, making it accessible to many big Northeastern airports and major cities. The horses you’ll ride are from the Icelandic Horse Farm located near the historic village of Waitsfield in the heart of the Sugarbush resort area. The farm has been leading riders on treks since 1988. The Vermont Icelandic Horse Farm seeks to breed healthy Icelandic horses that are easy to maintain, and with exceptional temperaments and gaits.

Each day, you’ll experience the special, strong Icelandic horses as you ride along country lanes, over crisp streams, through scenic meadows and into forests in the mountainous Mad River Valley. Lookout for birds and other wildlife along the trails, stop at a swimming hole and take a dip and in the fall, enjoy riding amid the colorful foliage of Vermont. Non-riders are welcome to explore the area while riders trek, dining with their companions during breakfast and dinner and spending days exploring the area on their own.

For lunch, riders on the trail enjoy picnics in scenic outdoor locations or stops at local restaurants. To loosen up and avoid getting sore, the group may do some hiking while leading their horses at points along the trek.

You’ll enjoy the hardy stamina of the Icelandic horses. They may be pony sized, but these horses pack some might! The Icelandic horses have special gaits or ways of moving, including the tölt, a four-beat running walk. The tölt is similar to gaits of the Tennessee Walking horse and other gaited breeds. It’s smooth, and has been said to give riders a feeling of floating or gliding. Icelanders describe it as "riding in an easy chair” and have been known to show off the smooth gait by riding while holding a full pint of beer and not spilling a drop! This is a great way to travel across the scenic Vermont countryside. Each of the tours is limited in size, usually ranging from 4 to 8 people and led by experienced horse people and guides with thorough knowledge of the area. 

This is a great escape for those who appreciate comfort and fine dining but still want an active and unusual outdoor vacation. You'll return home fit and rested, with the memory of newly found friends and shared adventures.

Intermediate riding skills for longer trips are preferred, but custom trips can be arranged for beginners. Riders over the age of 10 are welcome on this trip, provided they have riding experience and are accompanied by an adult or guardian.

Related Blog Posts

Vermont Icelandic Inn to Inn Ride

  By Ed Machak Photos by Ed Machak and Chip Ward A novice dressage rider with no real trail riding experience, mounted on a strange horse, in the pouring rain, with water already trickling into my boots before we've left the paddock I began to question the wisdom of this… Read more »

Vermont Icelandic Inn Ride, Day One

We were troopers today, riding on our first day of the Icelandic inn-to-inn ride in buckets of rain. I rode Kristall, a well trained and super fun Icelandic. We had a lot of fun, even in the rain. The Icelandic Horse Farm is located in Fayston, Vermont, in the Mad… Read more »

Vermont Icelandic Inn Ride, Day Two

Thank goodness we had a beautiful day of sunshine today. I spent the day riding with the same group plus a few other riders who joined us in the morning and afternoon. I am now writing at the Mad River Inn, the inn owned by Karen Winhold, who runs the Icelandic… Read more »

Traveler Reviews

This breed is good for beginners because its "smaller stature makes them less intimidating to many riders," Newman says. "Icelandic horses have been bred over the centuries to conquer the elements and terrain in Iceland, so riding year-round in Vermont is not a problem for the horses." 

-- Feature in USA Today on April 30, 2010, in Equitrekking host Darley Newman's interview on "10 Great Places to go Horseback Riding" 

In a couple of miles, North Fayston Road takes you to the Vermont Icelandic Horse Farm, which offers gorgeous, stocky equines with flowing manes and tails.

--The Boston Globe

The small, shaggy, but energetic horses have spawned a cult following in the U.S., with particularly devout boosters in the Valley.

--Yankee Magazine, "Secrets of the Valley"

Don't miss: A trail ride on Icelandic ponies at the Vermont Icelandic Horse Farm in nearby Fayston.

-- USA Today "Try a Double Shot of Old New England"

The scenery was magnificent, and the ride was well organized, but the horses were the real trip.

--The New York Times, "Riding a rare breed of horse" 

The Winholds' sturdy Icelandic steeds make the trip especially kid-friendly. Bred by the Vikings 1,500 years ago, these horses are small, gentle, and surefooted, inspiring big-time confidence in even the younger riders. (Don't worry, burly folks; one of these strong animals can easily carry a 250-pound adult.) 

-- Outside Magazine "Ride Horseback Through Vermont"

Reading List

Guidebooks & Natural History

Moon Vermont (Moon Handbooks) (Paperback) by Michael Blanding and Alexandra Hall
Travel writers Michael Blanding and Alexandra Hall provide a unique look at the Green Mountain State, from sampling artisan cheddar at the Grafton Village Cheese Company to skiing at Killington Mountain Resort. Blanding and Hall include unique trip strategies for a variety of travelers, including Vermont Villages and Skiing Vermont. Packed with information on dining, transportation, and sights like Lake Champlain and the eccentric boutiques of Woodstock, Moon Vermont gives travelers the tools they need to create a more personal and memorable experience.

Vermont: An Explorer's Guide (Explorer's Guides) (Paperback) by Diane E. Foulds and Christina Tree
This completely revised, expanded, and updated twelfth edition covers all corners of the Green Mountain State from its vibrant arts scene to its quiet country roads, the austerity of the Northeast Kingdom, and all points in between.

The Nature of Vermont: Introduction and Guide to a New England Environment (Green Mountain Power Books) (Paperback) by Charles W. Johnson
An up-to-date overview of Vermont's geological, natural, and land use histories, in the context of past, present, and future human interactions with the landscape.

A Good Horse Has No Color by Nancy Marie Brown
After several visits to study Icelandic sagas, Nancy Brown returns to Iceland to search for the perfect Icelandic horse, one she can bring back to her Pennsylvania farm and make her own. To do so, she must become part of the country's tightly knit horse-breeding community, which can be wary of outsiders and extremely protective of the world-famous breed. In this clear-eyed, evocative account set against Iceland's austere and majestic landscape, she describes what makes Icelandic horses and their owners so distinctive. She also discovers her limitations as a horsewoman and learns much about what she is looking for-in a horse and in her life

DVD’s
Equitrekking: Season One DVD featuring Equitrekking Vermont with the Vermont Icelandic Inn to Inn Ride. Available at ShopDarley.com Get off the beaten path to see some of the world's most beautiful horses and classic riding destinations with host and equestrian travel expert Darley Newman on the second season of Equitrekking, the horseback riding travel series on Public Television. This seven episode two disc set includes half hour episodes from Iceland, Coastal Ireland, Hawaii's Big Island, Irish Countryside, Maui, Virginia Hunt Country and California Wine Country.

Equitrekking Travel Adventures on Horseback award winning book by Darley Newman with a chapter on Vermont. This companion to the PBS TV series, Equitrekking, proves that the world's most beautiful views are often best seen from atop a horse. This gorgeous book features dozens of scenic rides in the U.S. and around the globe. Hundreds of stunning photographs paired with Darley Newman's colorful travelogue bring to life a vibrant mix of landscape, history, culture, and horses. Readers will journey from the remarkable ruins of Ireland and charming colonial towns of Spain, to the lush rainforests of Hawaii. For armchair travelers and horse lovers alike, Equitrekking will inspire anyone who dreams of riding off into the sunset.

Good Books for Horse Lovers and Equestrians

Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior (Paperback) by Temple Grandin
Philosophers and scientists have long wondered what goes on in the minds of animals, and this fascinating study gives a wealth of illuminating insights into that mystery. ---Publishers Weekly

The Horse: A Miscellany of Equine Knowledge (Hardcover) by Julie Whitaker with Ian Whitelaw
The Horse is an informative gallop through everything to do with the horse:  evolution, history, biology, breeds, behavior, training, competition, health, and care—all gathered into an accessible gallery of solid information, essential facts, and fascinating trivia.                                                           

Hunter Seat Equitation (Hardcover) by George H. Morris
A classic by a world-renowned teacher and master equestrian--the definitive work on the art of teaching and riding the hunter seat, now updated to include refinements in Morris's insightful program of riding instruction.

The New Encyclopedia of the Horse (Hardcover) by Elwyn Hartley Edwards
Chronicling the history of the horse, this guide encompasses the early domestication of the horse, classical riding styles, as well as a survey of the great stud farms and current international sporting events.