This message is from: "Mike May, Registrar NFHR" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
At 08:22 AM 12/2/98 -0800, you wrote: >I've been following the "yelling and screaming" (if I may) that has >been going on of late over Evaluations - how to do them, who should >judge, are they important, etc., etc. It seems to me that if >Evaluations are as important to the preservation of the breed as all >this would lead one to believe, then the number 10.2% of all horses >currently registered (and living) have been evaluated is a pretty >sorry average. If it is this important then we better get on with it, >or forget about it. It's time to put the "money where the mouth is". > Or maybe we should deduce that, since nearly 90% if the NFHR >registered horses are not evaluated, and I assume most have been used >for breeding, maybe it doesn't matter to most people. Where does that >leave us? More education of the Fjord-owning public? More >restrictions on which horses can be bred? Where do we go from here, >if Evaluations truly are important to the breed? I for one have seen >some mighty fine examples of Fjordhorses come from truly beautiful >parents, with or without premies, and also some truly horrible >examples of Fjords come from "premie" parents who were matched >unwisely. It still is all in what you do in the breeding shed. Some >people leave their brains outside in the feedlot when they go through >that door, others spend weeks deciding which mare to put to which stud >- always aiming at perfection. Well this is exactly why I don't like giving out these kind of numbers. People only read the numbers. You didn't notice the part that said the numbers included non breeding animals - geldings & mares that have never foaled. There are a lot of stallions registered that have never been bred too. Most of them probably are geldings but the owners haven't sent in a Change of Status form for them. You didn't notice or remember the first message I left with the 1.7% number. I said that it was how many horses had received medallions of quality. Not how many had been evaluated. Many more have been evaluated for conformation only. To get the medallion they have to also get at least a red ribbon in a performance test as well as a red or higher in conformation. I don't have the data available (short of pulling out files and counting pieces of paper) to tell you how many have been evaluated. Mike ======================================================= Norwegian Fjord Horse Registry Mike May, Registrar Voice 716-872-4114 FAX 716-787-0497 http://www.nfhr.com mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
