And you don't want him to go lame, but you do want him to live a long, long time. And when he does get fed, he's happy with a few salted herrings. Well, when one was 20 he was sold to an elderly man who used him to pull a milk wagon. When the horse was 50 years old, both he and the old man retired. When the horse was 58 years old, the old man died.
All Icelandic ponies walk, trot and canter.
Most will also pace-move both legs on the same side at the same time. They pace as a way of resting after a fast gallop. Some will even tolt. The tolt is a four-beat gait, with the footfall sequence the same as the walk, for example right rear, right fore, left rear, left fore. The Icelandic Pony can escalate the swiftness of the gait to great speed.