Let an Icelandic horse write your next out-of-office email

How many times have you felt the need to check your work email when on vacation? 

Even though you’re physically away from your desk, officially not required to reply to anyone or anything, there’s still this nagging feeling at the back of your head that makes you want to reach for your phone for ‘just a glance’.

The FOMO is real, I know. 

Visit Iceland has come up with an innovative solution that might just keep you from peeking at your emails while on a break — get a horse to write your email, or more specifically ‘OutHorse your email’. 

Yes, really. No, it’s not April so this – seems – not to be a prank. 

A study undertaken by Iceland’s tourism board found that about 55% of employees check their emails at least once a day, and 41% of employees around the world check their emails between one and four times a day while on a holiday. 

And that was just unacceptable to them. When you’re travelling around the Nordic country, Visit Iceland wants visitors to truly disconnect and experience the breathtaking views on offer. 

Though conceptualised primarily for individuals visiting Iceland, you can use this service no matter where you plan to spend your next holiday. 

How do you get a horse to write an email?

For the campaign, a gigantic keyboard has been designed for your chosen horse to walk, trot or gallop over to type the reply. Individuals are given the option of choosing from three different types of Icelandic horses. The website describes one of them to be a fast typist “but might take a nap”, another to be assertive and efficient with “shiny hair”, and the final one to be friendly and “trained in corporate buzzwords”. 

Once you choose your horse, you simply put in your name, your email, and the last date of your holiday and see the magic happen: 

Visit Iceland has also shared a complete video of the process – right from the making of the huge keyboard to the actual ‘typing’ by the horses.

While certainly an innovative and fun marketing campaign, it also highlights the difficulties employees face in mentally logging off from work. Whether it is the constant need to be connected and in the loop on an employee’s end, or an unreasonable request by a manager to reply even when on a holiday, the concept of work-life balance remains skewed and certainly a distant reality for many. 

According to a study by Budget Direct, 64% of Australian employees at the junior level could not switch off from work while on vacation. On average, 50% of employees at all levels were still logged into work in one way or another. 

But now that we know we can get a horse to reply for you, maybe – just maybe – we will put that phone down and enjoy the view.