THERE'S a tiny corner of Worcestershire that will be forever Iceland thanks to a couple who are absolutely passionate about a particular breed of horse.

If you look closely in the gorse bushes of the Old Hills, Callow End, you will spy a small group of animals with long, well-muscled thighs and unusually thick flowing manes and tails.

They are definitely smaller and hairier than the average horse you see grazing in the countryside.

Get nearer and you will see the very beautiful fine head, thin ears, large alert eyes and flared nostrils that belong to Icelandic horses which are just as at home in a warm British summer as they are in the frozen wastes of the Arctic north.

This particular group belongs to Icelandic horse breeders Fi and Ian Pugh who spend as much time as they can promoting the breed.

Fi has just qualified for the British team for the World Championships for Icelandic Horses, together with Luan Sayle, who lives in Storridge.

This will be a special event for Luan as, two years ago, she was unable to compete using her own horse, Randver, due to foot-and-mouth restrictions.

The pair will sail for Denmark with their horses and the rest of the British team at the end of July.

"We want everyone to know how wonderful our favourite horses are," says Fi, who is secretary of the International Federation of Icelandic Horse Association. Her own chestnut mare, Katla, came from Denmark.

"Strong and fast, they make perfect riding horses and very enthusiastic hunters. They are similar to our own native breeds which means they are economic to keep.

"Although not particularly tall they are so strong that they can carry children and adults."

Icelandic horses are special because of their many gaits.

They can walk, trot, canter and gallop like every other horse, but they also have a special gait called "tolt".

In tolt, the legs are moved in the same order as in walk but the horses are actually running while they do it.

"There is always one foot on the ground at any time and no bumpy motion so the horses are extremely comfortable and great fun to ride," said Fi.

"Some Icelandic horses can pace, too. In spite of not being very tall, the horses are very strong and in Iceland they are ridden by adults and children."

Fi knows off by heart the romantic story associated with Icelandic horses.

"More than a thousand years ago, Vikings left their homes in Norway and travelled by boat with all their possessions including wives, children, horses and sheep to an island in the West," she explains.

"They called it Iceland and once they had been there a while, stopped the import of any more horses in order to prevent disease."

Even today, no horses may be imported to Iceland and the 70,000 that are there are the direct descendants of those that were imported so many centuries ago.

"Until recently, if you needed to travel in Iceland you had to use a horse." explained Fi.

Riding is still a very popular sport in Iceland and the horses have their own shows and competitions. These are held on a straight track to show pace and on an oval track to show other gaits.

In Scandinavia and in many other countries in Northern Europe these competitions are very popular and take place most weekends in the summer months, culminating in the world championships every two years.

Fi did her university degree in Scandinavian studies and spent months studying and working in Norway, Denmark, Iceland and the Faroe Islands.

Her parents bred Welsh Mountain ponies and Fi has always ridden. During her year at an agricultural college in Iceland she learnt how to train the horses with all the gaits.

"Although the different gaits stem from a natural ability in the horse, it needs to learn when to do which gait at a signal from the rider," said Fi, whose work for the Federation of Icelandic Horse Association keeps her very busy.

She has regular meetings in Denmark, runs training courses for sports judges in Iceland and organises the season's biggest competition at Easter.

She and her horse Kongur have been British Champions in Tolt and Four gait since 1999 and Fi has had a place in the British team at every world championship since 1991.

Her husband, Ian, is as passionate about the breed as his wife. He splits his time between running a business in Malvern and being chairman of the Icelandic Horse Society. They both organise the youth section which includes a special education and training programme.

The couple travel the world in support of their favourite breed and Fi manned a stand at the recent Equine Fair at the Three Counties Showground to promote them.

"We want to highlight the breed as an exciting sports horse - riders don't know what they are missing!"