This message is from: Amy Goodloe <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
I just wanted to make a comment as an outsider to the breed (still shopping, haven't found one yet). Although I respect the right of breeders to make whatever decisions they think best suit the interests of the breed, I do hope that over the years some will continue to produce the "old style" of Fjord, with a lot of width through the body and a stout overall presence, but also with good movement and a reasonable amount of athleticism.
I've been involved in several small breeds that have been moving in the "sport pony" direction over the past few decades, and while I'm not necessarily criticizing that move, the result is that I can no longer ride the horses, as I am a tall adult who prefers to ride very wide horses. That's what drew me to these breeds in the first place, that I could find a short, stout horse with good movement and a good mind, and a reasonable amount of athleticism -- enough to do training level dressage and some low jumps, even if not at the most competitive levels. But as each breed becomes more refined, it becomes more narrow and I am no longer able to to ride that type of horse. If I wanted to ride a medium-width horse I'd get a QH! I prefer them wide to extra wide.
In the quest for a horse that would be a comfortable size for me to ride, I turned to drafts and draft crosses -- which I love -- but I find that I'm also most comfortable on a shorter horse of the same body type, and the Fjord is one of the only breeds that still fits that description. Among drafts there are two basic types: hitch-bred (refined, hotter) and farmwork bred (heavier, quieter), and I've found that a cross between the two types produces the type of large draft I like to work with, in terms of athletic ability and disposition. Perhaps there are also two similar types of Fjord, with the combination being the ideal "original" type?
--Amy -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Camairyn Farm ~*~ Loveland, CO http://www.goodhorse.com/camairyn ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
