This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Arthur Rivoire)
Hello Everybody from Carol Rivoire at Beaver Dam Farm in Nova Scotia - Reading the List lately, I'm delighted so many breeders want Evaluations to happen on a regular basis around the country. This is a milestone in the maturation of North America Fjord breeders. I'm also pleased people are talking Conformation Evaluations in lieu of both Conformation & Performance. MOST IMPORTANT for young stock (weanlings, yearlings, two-year-olds). It's at these ages that breeders make decisions about their horses; therefore, they need those horses Evaluated by competent Fjord judges. Twenty years ago when we first started in N.H., Bob van Bon, Chief Inspector of Fjords for Holland, told a group of East Coast breeders that the most important thing they could do for the breed was to "EVALUATE & IDENTIFY THE YOUNG FJORDS." Today, Holland, Norway, Germany, Belgium, and I believe, Sweden & Denmark all hold Evaluations of youngstock. I can't speak for any other country except Holland, but there the youngsters who are Evaluated are also micro-chipped at the same time, and hair is taken for DNA testing as well. This does not mean that I think Performance Evaluations are not important. I thorougly agree with Nancy Hotovy's point regarding what has happened to some other breeds that became nothing but HALTER HORSES. In other words, horses that looked pretty in front of a judge, but couldn't do anything or stay sound. --- However, I think that rather than waiting until we're capable of putting on full-blown Evaluations all around the country, we should go ahead with the Conformations Evaluations in as many sites as possible. And again, it's important to remember that Conformation Evaluations are NOT HALTER CLASSES. It's not the prettiest Fjord that wins. It's not even a question of winning. It's a question of coming closest to the Approved Breed Standard. That means, it would be possible for every Fjord shown at an Evaluation to be a Blue Ribbon Fjord if every horse shown met the Breed Standard. --- I'll probably get called on that, but that's the way I understand Evaluations. To go back to the Dutch system - They evaluate their youngsters as "A Premie", "B Premie" or "C Premie". There's no "D" level, so it's understood that horses not good enough for the "C Premie" get nothing. Then all the horses in each group are graded one against the other, so you know which yearling in the "A Premie" group placed first, second, etc. Most likely, Evaluations will remain voluntary in North America (they are in Holland), and having an unevaluated Fjord does not mean that horse is inferior to an evaluated one. (It may not have been possible for that owner to get to an Evaluation). However, it's to his advantage to make every effort, as the owner of the Evaluated Fjord has WRITTEN PROOF POSITIVE of the quality of his horse, while the other owner has only his OPINION. Therefore, I would think most people who are serious about Fjord breeding would make every effort, if at all possible, to have their horses evaluated. The new NFHR ruling that Evaluations can be held on the farm goes a long way toward making them more available to everybody interested. As to individual breeders being capable of evaluating their own horses, there's a danger there. It's a natural tendency to look at a group of horses and pick out the best one. Everybody likes to do that. But, how many breeders have the experience, knowledge, guts and honesty to say, "None of them are any good!" Often, he'll end up choosing the "best of the worst", and honestly thinking he's got a quality Fjord. That's the danger as I see it. "Barn Blindness" can happen to all of us. A clear understanding of the Breed Standard is necessary. But there's more to it than just ticking off points on the Standard. Judging Fjordhorses requires a real feeling for the breed, and an exceptional eye for a good horse. These traits are both innate and acquired. Not everybody posseses them, but not having them doesn't mean you can't be a quality breeder of Fjords. You can be . . . With the aid of Evaluations. Best Regards, Carol Rivoire Carol and Arthur Rivoire Beaver Dam Farm Fjords II R.R. 7 Pomquet Antigonish County Nova Scotia B2G 2L4 902 386 2304 http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/beaverdf
