Shepherding

They say there are more sheep in Iceland then people.  We did see a lot of sheep, but it seemed there were a lot of horses, too.  Either way, they are frequently grazed similarly.

When the weather is good and the grass greens up, the sheep are let out on the hillside to graze.  We saw them already grazing in the lava of Myvatn, but most of the others we saw were contained.  Around Myvatn, they spend the entire summer in the hills.  When it is time to round them up, at least one person from every farm is required to go on the round-up.  Riding the beautiful Icelandic horses and taking their sheep dogs with them, they ride around the area bringing the sheep in.

Hard to tell this is a separating area, but we love the rock walls

The farmers herd the sheep into one large ring, and then the separation begins.  In the early days, they would walk the sheep around and as one would come to the pen for the ranch to which it belonged, they would send the sheep into that pen.  The sheep pens at Myvatn were still the old ones used in the 1800's.  We loved the walls made of lava.

Toti told us horses are shepherded much the same way, though they are now microchipped for easier identification.  No branding anymore, which is much more humane.  We also saw newer separation pens made of metal bars, but we prefer the look of the old ones.