This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
In a message dated 11/15/03 3:35:58 PM Pacific Standard Time,
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
<< I'll be anxious to hear any suggestions.
Susan Lawson >>
Hi List ! Hi Susan ! I know, I know.....Ive been AWOL for over a year
now, but been back on line for a week or so and just catching my breath on the
mail/lists ect. No real excuse for dropping off here, but we took this year
off much showing, got our ( big ) barn built, traveled 3 times back to MN. for
various family issues, and just decided that I did not have the spare time to
play on the computer.
I put a hold on Nursing for my first break in 15 years, and took in a
youth correction kid.....and am very happy to stay home being a barn goddess to
19
Fjords. We had 2 mares bred for this year, but one had a false pregnancy (
she checked in foal twice ultrasound at 30 and 45 days. so slipped it somewhere
early on ) but were very happy to get a beautiful filly out of a leased mare,
Kari, belonging to Catherine Lassessen. She is PF Gra Flicka, a grey girl, and
of course the queen of the place. We are buying her dam,Kari from Catherine,
and will be offering 2 beautiful mares, one bred, both riding and driving for
sale......another post.
Drove alot of singles and pairs for pleasure, but got the 4-in-hand out a
few times with a new group of " spares. " Our beloved Heljo's Kaiser is in
his late teens and will be retired from showing after this next year.....so
need
to bring on the other steady " teachers " to help start all these youngsters
in multiples.
I visited another Fjord person, a lurker on the list.... : ) Kathy
Johnson, in Minnesota, where I spent the most wonderful day with her and her
beautiful home and horse facility. She has a riding / driving program for
physically challenged kids, called " We Can Ride " and I was very impressed
with her
energy, unbelivable grounds, barn, home ect. Her Fjords were fit, happy and
well loved. I hope she can post here about her Fjords and what she does with
them, soon !
I also visited the Brandt's while in MN. and fell in love with a few of
their Fjords and beautiful farm in Stillwater. Fred and his wife share a great
vision for the future of these Fjords, and I was very impressed with their
knowledge of the current Fjord population and problems of marketing and
breeding
ect. I enjoyed the time spent with them, and would steer anyone towards their
breeding program.
First time in 8 years I did not attend the Blue Earth Fjord show, and have
to say that I missed all the friends from the midwest Fjord group ! We
planned on showing at the Libby Mt. show, but a last min. death of my birth
mother
( found 3 years ago ) had me flying back to MN. and we didnt get to go to
Libby. NEXT Sep. Brian, Ursula, Michele, Beth, Sandy, ect. ?????
Enough catching up.....I wanted to answer this last post from Susan. I
havnt changed much in sharing my ( always humble ) opinions here so here go's
nuthin.....
OK, Susan. Your Fjord mare sounds like a wonderful girl ! We need
to have lots more Fjords, esp. out West, showing up and making this breed look
good at CDE's and pleasure shows ! I look forward to seeing you next year at
a few events.
I did have some questions about some of your good post. The first thing
that caught my eye, was the comment of your girl being " trained to drive
before
she was two. " More on that in a second..... Then stated, "rode, worked at
therapy, shown out of state, traveled, slide stops, jumped, " ect. You did not
give a time frame for these disaplines, but shows for sure what a talented
girl you have !
The part about " hadnt driven in 7 years, " and " we just hooked her up
and drove her off " gave me my daily heart attack, and I said a quick prayer of
thanks that you did not suffer a wreck of some kind, like so many people do,
attempting to hook or re-hook a horse after a long spell without lots of
refreshing. We have covered this topic alot in the past on this list, so will
not
keep this alive, only to say that angels were riding beside you that day ! It
also speaks well to her trust in you, and previous training, but kiddies, DONT
TRY THIS AT HOME ! : /
Her reluctance to enter water is just a pretty normal issue of any equine,
who has not been brought along from youngsters on, to jump into water or any
obstical not normally seen or used to. Mine have seizures over other stupid
things, like painted blue handicap parking spots, manhole covers, elephants, (
dont ask ) and once a loose pot belly pig, even though we had our OWN piggy at
home who slept under their feeders, hoping for a spill of chow.
Her issues of water, her problems of " hard diagonals " in your dressage
tests, and your comment of " bullying her does not help ", no strengh can stop
her ???? " tells me that , IMHO of course, that she is competing at a level
beond her current ability. The whole reason of the levels of CDE's, is to stay
at the level of training for each of the 3 differant disaplines, till you " get
it ", then, move up and try another ( and harder ) one. The training level
dressage tests are designed for horses who are working on these exact
things.....suppleness on the bit.....bending properly ( without bullying or
having
stopping or bolting issues ) water hazzards, ect. ect. in the marathon section.
Starting in prelim. is simply passing up a nessessary stage of her ability to
compete and get improved scores at the next level. I hope that Vivian or Jerry
jumps in here, as they are out " doing it " and can better explane the
importance of this. If you move up to intermediate level with the training
level
TRAINING unresolved, then I believe that she will not be able to make good
scores
and show you another high-point year. There is no reason to push her into an
advanced stage of CDE's without mastering the begining stages.....sort of like
handing your kid the car keys without drivers ed. class, or jumping a horse
over
a 6' fence without ever trying a 3 foot one.
Im not sure of course, but her " pacing " and digging trench's in her
stall, is a signal that shes FEELING something.....pushed ? stressed ? and
allowing her to relax, and enjoy competing at the proper level for her current
abilitys will sure not hurt. Dont let anyone tell you that being in a stall or
anything but a 200 acre pasture is her problem.....I have about 50 / 50 in and
out
here, and I have no fewer confinement problems with either group. In fact, my
big bad brood, show string mares, all share a very large pasture, but at any
given time, cram themselves into a corner or shelter and snooze or share a hay
pile, while my barned horses get regular work and turnout, and are just as
happy to head back to their stalls.
So much for keeping short posts ! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ! Sorry if I bored
anyone, but I guess thats what the scroll button is for ! Hope to hear more
from other Fjord folks that show and do CDE's. More later on sale mares and
yearlings...
Lisa Pedersen / Cedar City, UTAH, where its in
the upper 40's and cloudy, snow on the mountian and we are ( always ) doing
rain dances.
