This message is from: "Carole Cox" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Thanks Amy1
I really needed to hear this. I think we both need to win a lottery. In your favor, a lot of the Haflingers are going "Big " now. The one year old who lives with me is now officially bigger than the two year old. Perhaps not by weight but she will challenge the top end of the breed standard as an adult. My neighbor has a team of geldings that does the same at 60+++inchs @ two yo. The down side is that such Haflingers run in the Fjord price range -or more. I really need a Fjord (female) or a winning lottery ticket to fall out of the sky. A good job would work too! Thanks again for your input! Good luck!!! Carole BA, BS, EMT-B A+, Network+, CIW -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Amy Goodloe Sent: Thursday, March 10, 2005 12:39 AM To: fjordhorse@angus.mystery.com Subject: Re: Fjord vs Haflinger This message is from: Amy Goodloe <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I have two Haflingers and a Fjord, and I also used to work for a Haflinger breeder, many many years ago, starting young horses under saddle (an idea that baffles me today -- I'm quite sure I had no idea what I was doing, but I had fun!) I love both breeds, but there are some personalities within each breed that I like better than others. The Haflinger mare I ride the most is very safe and I feel like I could ride her anywhere, even though she's only three (coming four) and still fairly green. She's just so sensible. If something alarms her she may perk up her ears, but then she goes up to investigate it. Her response to new situations is to slow down and check everything out, which I much prefer to a variety of other possible responses. I've taken her on her first trail rides and to her first dressage shows and she was a star, often scoring higher than other horses because she was so obedient and just did her job (she's a pretty cute mover too). When I got her she was barely saddle broke and had no concept of the aids, but she caught on to the basics very quickly. She went from being stuck with the "parking brake" on, when I first got on, to moving freely forward and moving all body parts when asked about a month later. She's a very quick learner. She does, however, have some of that pony mischief in her, but I find it charming, mainly b/c she is so easy to work with. If she was always trying to get out of work or be a nuisance under saddle, it would get old. She definitely views the world with a twinkle in her eye and the equine equivalent of a smile. She's happy go lucky. She's also one of the heavier types of Haflinger, not the more modern sport pony type, which personally I don't see the point of. I'm 5'9" so I can't ride a sport pony. My Fjord mare is also sensible and feels safe to ride, but she worries about more things, and her response when she's worried is to go fast. She feels easy to control to me (with a strong half halt), but she's definitely not for a beginner rider, whereas a beginner could easily ride the Haflinger. The Fjord mare doesn't know how to spook, but she's a little herd bound and I think that worries her a bit (although she listens to me and behaves in the arena or out in the pasture even when we're alone). For a while after I bought her I thought she was kind of stubborn, b/c I tried to teach her about the aids (she also had no formal training when I got her) and it seemed to me that she wouldn't listen to me and learn the lessons. I finally figured out that she's the type who thinks that SHE knows what we're supposed to be doing and that the rider is the one who is clueless, so in her mind she probably thought she was teaching ME how she was supposed to be ridden. With time and patience I finally convinced her that doing things my way really was better and now she mostly goes along with the program, although at times she reverts to "motorcycle steering," maybe just for old times' sake. She does not have the same pony mischief in her that my Haflinger has (or that the Connemara ponies I used to own had), nor does she seem as amused by life, but she is charming in her own way. She's very pretty, more feminine and some might say refined than a lot of Fjords (although still plenty substantial for me to feel comfortable on), and she loves attention. She is always the first at the gate when I go out to the mare pasture, although she doesn't mind too much when I get another horse (whereas my Haflinger mare gets visibly jealous and will try to take the lead rope out of my hand if I don't catch her in time!) What I like best about both mares is how sensible they are in new situations. I recently rode my Fjord mare through our neighborhood for the first time, while several other people lead nervous, green horses behind us, and the Fjord mare was a star. Nothing fazed her, not the sheep, donkeys, dogs, chickens, cars, bikes, or other crazy neighborhood sights, and she just marched forward like a trooper. At one point one of the horses being led got pretty snorty and prancy at the sight of a white donkey and my Fjord mare casually looked around as if to say, "what is it? I don't see anything alarming." I am kind of sort of in the market for a new horse, and keep thinking about whether I'd want another Haflinger or another Fjord. It is a lot easier to find Haflingers and they tend to be quite a bit less expensive, but they also tend to be smaller than is ideal for someone my size (either too short or too slender). In fact I have another Haflinger mare for sale because she is only 13.2h and medium in build, so she just feels too small for me. It seems like it might be easier to find a Fjord that is a good size (over 14h and at least medium if not heavier in build), but the prices sometimes seem unrealistic to me, unless the horse already has dressage training and is a good mover. If I won the lottery and could set up a breeding farm, I think I'd probably want to breed both, b/c there are traits of each breed that appeal to different people for different reasons. I probably wouldn't like every Haflinger or Fjord I meet (in fact I know I wouldn't -- I once owned a very spooky, bolt-prone Haflinger gelding and I've heard stories about a few Fjords I wouldn't like), but it seems like I stand a better chance of finding the type of horse I like to ride in those two breeds than in any other breeds I've tried. Anyone want to trade a 13.2h Haflinger mare for a 14h+ Fjord?! (not likely, I know...) --Amy -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Camairyn Farm ~*~ Loveland, CO http://www.goodhorse.com/camairyn ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
