This message is from: "Carol Riviore" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Hello Everyone from Carol Rivoire at Beaver Dam Farm in Nova Scotia?
Fjords are ALL-PURPOSE HORSES! Most of them have the temperament and the strength to do draft work, but at the same time are not bred exclusively for draft work. Think about the kind of breeding that produces a good draft horse -- A single purpose horse that excels at his one thing. -- If I were breeding for a quality draft horse, I'd aim to breed horses with tremendous pulling power in their shoulders. Horses with a really heavy front end. Horses built to work with a lowered head and powerful front end, and a frontward placed center of gravity to dig into the ground. -- This is not the ideal build for a riding horse, or for a driving horse. --- A good riding horse is built "uphill", or if not built to that ideal, then at least built balanced front to rear. As any rider can tell you, it is not pleasant to ride a horse that is very heavy in the frontend. Now, there definitely are Fjords that are built like that. Heavier in the front. Those horses make good pulling horses, but not so good riding horses, or carriage driving horses. -- In fact, when we first started with Fjordds over 25 years ago, we often heard the breed criticized for being "all front end with undeveloped hindquarters". We don't see that anymore, and this is the result of breeding for the ALL PURPOSE fJORD. -- European breeders and many North American breeders are breeding today for better withers with a higher neck set. This allows the horse to be lighter in hand when ridden, and to shift his weight to his hindquarters. This is the kind of Fjord I believe in, and have been breeding for many years. -- However, I still expect this kind of Fjord to be capable of draft work. He should have enough bone and enough sense to do draft work when asked. -- But, he is not a specialist. -- He's a good riding horse, driving horse, and also capable of doing draft work. Sorry I don't have time to develop my thoughts further, but did want to comm ent on this subject. We're almost to the end of our Beginner Driving Vacations, and are having the best year yet with wonderful horses, a great staff, and some terrific guests --- who have bought some of those terrific horses. Two of our guests were Cindy and Mike Bickman from Atlanta, and Cindy purchased the "Gorgeous Gelding", Ronaldo. Cindy works with Betsy Steiner in dressage, and Ronaldo went first to Betsy's before continuing on to Atlanta. ---- Betsy Steiner loved this gelding and is very excited by im. -- And we're all so thrilled that this wonderful horse has gone to a home where his extensive training and talents will be further developed. Congratulation to Cindy for her good taste in horses. In the next two months, we have 12 horses leaving here for their new omes. -- We're really pleased to have been able to do so well for our consignment owners. -- However, now we're very low on horses to offer, so if any of you have a terrific horse you need to sell, give us a call. Best Regards, Carol Rivoire http://www.beaverdamfarm.com Beaver Dam Farm Fjords II R.R. 7 Pomquet, Nova Scotia B2G 2L4 Tel:(902) 386-2304 Fax:(902) 386-2149 Carole Rivoire, author of THE FJORDHORSE HANDBOOK, only book in English on the Fjord breed, available from Beaver Dam Farm, $36.95 US includes P&H http://www.beaverdamfarm.com/book.htm
