This message is from: Mary Thurman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Do Fjords recognize themselves? > Inquiring minds want to > > know. > > > > In my limited experience, Yes!! This is typical. > I've had my Fjords almost > instantly bond with strange Fjords. I've seen quite > a few "other" horses > that are actually scared of fjords.
We have also noticed this difference with Fjords. They seem to prefer each other over 'other' breeds. I even had one young Fjord gelding that was actually afraid of 'other' horses. Not fun on a trail when one meets(or is overtaken by) a bunch of people riding 'other' horses! A trainer(who has experience with Fjords) once mentioned to me - after seeing this happen regularly with my gelding - that he thought it was because Fjords have very subtle body language compared to other breeds. They communicate with very understated moves and gestures....so to them another horse coming down the trail behaving in a 'normal' way for the other breed, was actually "shouting at the top of his lungs" to the Fjord. All of which made the Fjord want to simply 'melt into the scenery' and avoid this 'loud and obnoxious' horse. I think maybe the idea has some merit, as my young Fjord was not spooky about other things - he just did not like 'other' horses. While our two Fjord geldings were at the training barn - the only two Fjords on the premises - they kept pretty much to themselves when let out for 'free time' with other geldings. We thought it was because they grew up together - but now that I think about it, they weren't even very interested in the other horses. Hmmmm. Maybe it IS the different smell, as Amy suggests. I must say I have noticed that Fjords don't smell like most other horses - especially the ulsdun Fjords smell different!! Line smells more like 'wet dog' than 'wet horse' after a good rain. Ughhh! It took a bit of getting used to for me - as I am one of those crazy people who likes the smell of horses. Mary ===== Mary Thurman Raintree Farms [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Movies - coverage of the 74th Academy Awards® http://movies.yahoo.com/
