The Icelandic horse is a breed of horse developed in Iceland. Developed from ponies brought to Iceland by Norse settlers in the 9th and 10th centuries, the breed is mentioned in Icelandic literature and historical records. They are long-lived, hardy, and have few diseases in their country. In addition to the gaits typical of other horse breeds, many Icelandic horses can also do the tölt (pictured) and the flying pace. The only breed of horse in Iceland, sizable populations exist in Europe and North America. They are used for sheepherding work in Iceland, leisure, showing, and racing. Selective breeding and natural selection with the Icelandic climate developed them into their current form. In the 1780s, much of the breed was killed after a volcanic eruption at Laki. The first breed society for the Icelandic horse was created in Iceland in 1904; the breed is now represented by organizations in 19 nations, under the auspices of the International Federation of Icelandic Horse Associations.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icelandic_horse> _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1631: Mumtaz Mahal, wife of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, died in childbirth; Jahan spent the next seventeen years constructing her mausoleum, the Taj Mahal. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taj_Mahal> 1919: Hundreds of Canadian soldiers rioted in Epsom, England, leading to the death of a British police officer. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epsom_riot> 1952: Guatemalan Revolution: The Guatemalan Congress passed Decree 900, redistributing unused land greater than 224 acres (0.91 km2) in area to local peasants. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decree_900> _____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day: fatwa: 1. (Islam) 2. A formal legal decree, opinion, or ruling issued by a mufti or other Islamic judicial authority. 3. (by extension, loosely, erroneous) A decree issued by a mufti or other Islamic judicial authority that a person should be put to death, usually as punishment for committing apostasy or blasphemy. 4. (religion, by extension) A formal decree or ruling, or statement, issued by an authority of a religion other than Islam. 5. (figurative, informal) An emphatic decree or opinion, especially one which condemns or criticizes. 6. (transitive, rare) To issue a fatwa (noun sense 1) against (someone); specifically (loosely, erroneous), a fatwa imposing a ban or a death sentence. <https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fatwa> ___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day: New weapons require new tactics. Never put new wine into old bottles. --Heinz Guderian <https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Heinz_Guderian> _______________________________________________ Wikipedia Daily Article mailing list. To unsubscribe write to: [email protected] Questions or comments? Contact [email protected]
