This message is from: "Jon A. Ofjord" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> In re Carol's comments:
You mentioned that Wayne Hipsley no longer wanted to do NFHR evaluations because he was concerned with the lack of education provided members of the NFHR. Exactly in what areas do we need this education and how can we acquire it? I also feel like Suzan Johnson did at the Blue Earth evaluations that we also had to "wing it". When I asked what we needed to do for the evaluation process, I was told by more than one member "Just get out there and show, just bring your horse." But watching video tapes and getting little if any advice from other people in regards to showmanship and how to present your horse just doesn't cut it with me. Experience is the best teacher in that respect, but we would have liked to be better informed. We are new to horse showing and need to gain experience from the people who have shown before. I'm sorry we didn't measure up to Mr. Hipsley's expectations as a whole. In regard to the promotion of the breed, what better opportunity to do so than to show the Fjords in open competition against other breeds. Most of us at the breed shows already know the attributes of the Fjords. Those people who find the regional breed shows to be less than their level of competition expertise need to compete in the higher rated shows. We all know how we like to hear that a Fjord beat out the Warmbloods at a dressage show, or how they placed high against other breeds in ADS shows. When mention was made regarding having advanced driving classes at the Blue Earth show, I believe most people who were present at the meeting were of the mind to keep these regional shows geared toward the novice performer. Those who wanted the advanced driving classes were for the most part, people who mostly showed their horses in the driving events. I would like to see these people compete in the other classes offered at the show, such as the under saddle events or draft classes. They talk about developing the horse to its fullest potential, but only show in one discipline. The term "professionalism" also came up in Carol's letter. And I agree that we all need education in that respect, but I find it hard to compete against the professionals. I cannot afford a full time trainer, or even a part time one. Nor can I afford to have a handler show my horses for me. Our entire years vacation time is our annual trip to the Blue Earth show. I purchased the best horse I could afford. And I just spent a lot of money to buy a saddle that fits my horse. But I can't afford to have a show saddle sitting in my basement only to be used one or two times during the year. I don't want the Fjords to go the way of the Quarter Horses. By that I mean I don't want to have to commit a fashion faux pas by showing my horse in the wrong color saddle, or wearing the wrong color shirt and vest in the ring. Yes, I think we should be nicely attired, but please don't take it to the extreme, especially in the regional shows. I, for one, don't want to see the regional shows overtaken by ONLY the large professionally staffed farms, or people that can afford to have their horses professionally trained. There has to be a place for the novices as well. And working towards excellence should be a fun and non- intimidating experience. Having a showmanship class or explaining what is looked for in driving or riding classes would be a great help to people like myself. I wasn't born with this knowledge and would be more than willing to learn. In regards to the promotional aspect of the Fjords, I do not see in ANY of my horse publications an advertisement or promotion for the Fjords. But every month I DO see the Icelandics, Miniatures, Pasos, Friesians, etc. promoted. I would like to see something on the Fjords, even once in a while. A decision would probably have to be made in regards to which publication we need to advertise. Many of you would like to see something in Driving Digest I'm sure, but we need to be seen in other publications as well. The only magazine I see Fjords regularly advertised is The Small Farmers Journal. Mainly I would like to see the Fjord people work towards uniting under only one registry in the United States. As I understand it now, there are two: the National Fjord Horse Registry and the Fjord Horse Breeders of America. But I guess that stems from a former split in ideas of whether we have horses or ponies. Someone could possibly enlighten me on this. Thanks, Carol, for opening up this discussion. I hope we can all benefit from the input and ideas that I'm sure will ensue. Mary Ofjord North Coast Fjords
