This message is from: "Dagrun Aarsten" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Hi Melissa,
just a comment to whether fjords can get the "no-fat, just muscles" look. I have seen some that are fairly thin and "bony" but well muscled, and these have been used for endurance riding. But I guess they are the exception. When I was training my fjord friend Kneist, we were preparing him all year for the stallion show in Norway when he had to be re-evaluated at 8 years. And boy, did he build muscle! He was trained and competed at quite high level dressage, regulary competed in jumping (3 '), pulling heavy carriages, lots of trail work and conditioning, about 2 hour's work a day and one rest day a week. But his muscles still had the thin layer of fat on top of them, so he never looked "bony". But we were also feeding him well, the judges at the evaluation prefer the stallions to be nice and round (not fat!) rather than thin. At a certain point he was so fit he did not get tired whatever we did! One of the "rounds" I used to ride was on dirt road up in the woods, with lots of steep hills going up and down, usually a 2-hour ride. We were cantering in a nice, steady rythm, and he didn't want to stop, so I let him canter without pushing him. He amazed me! Kept going for about 40 minutes, up some really steep hills, too, after which he slowed down (in the canter) a little to catch his breath, then after 30 seconds he increased speed again. When we finally slowed down, I had to stop him, and he wasn't even breathing hard. Interestingly, the same year he started shedding his winter coat in January already, so this seems to be linked to the amount of exercise somehow? I remember a "serious" cross-country skier (!) coming up to us once, he knew nothing about horses, but was admiring the muscles. Then, with stars in his eyes, he asked if he could sit on him. I propped my helmet on his head and up he went, with ski boots and his ultra-modern, tight ski costume. Then I lead him around in walk and a little trot. He kept saying. Wow! What a power! Feel those muscles moving! That made my day! Usually, non-horsey people don't notice these things, but a sportsman knew that this was something special. Shame I didn't get his phone number...:-) Sorry, drifted off the subject a little:-) Dagrun in San Jose, Ca, going to Norway soon! -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of mhd/gcc Sent: Wednesday, November 07, 2001 1:22 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Fjord conditioning This message is from: "mhd/gcc" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Hi, I have some questions regarding Dr. Robert Beecher's comments summarized on page 30 of the Fall 2001 Fjord Herald. He states that because of the Fjord's body shape, dense coat, and amount of subcutaneous fat, heat dissipation is more difficult, which, in turn, makes it more difficult for a Fjord to perform at the upper levels. If there are any veterinarians on this list, I would appreciate it if they could provide some suggestions as to ways to help a Fjord more effectively dissipate heat. I live in Maryland and have a 5-year old gelding that is ridden at least 5 days a week. I have clipped him from under his jowl, through his front legs, under his belly, and over the lower shoulder and the girth area, which seems to help. I do not want to do a full body clip. With the warm days we've been having, he really sweats under his winter coat and his respiration rate sometimes is elevated, although returns to near normal fairly quickly. Are there certain diets that would help? Also, when do you know a Fjord is truly "in shape"? Do Fjords develop the same solid muscle of a well-conditioned horse of another breed, or do their muscles stay sort of soft? I also own a 9-year old Morgan gelding who doesn't have an ounce of fat on him and has well-defined muscles. His musculature never really looked like my Fjord's, even when he was younger. Just wondered if the Fjord breed is different in that regard also. Thank you in advance for your help. Best regards, Melissa
