This message is from: "Green Valley Farm" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
AN EVENING OF DANCING HORSESAN EVENING OF DANCING HORSES Sophie and I were fortunate to attend the Western National Stock Show in Denver and visit with Beth Beymer, Sandy North and their Fjord friends. The highlight was the two sold out performances of "An Evening of Dancing Horses" with the live music of Michael Martin Murphey and the Rio Grande Band. Michael Murphey talked and sang of the "Freedom to Be." The thread of freedom was evident in the program. Freedom to choose your breed from a Mini to a Shire; Freedom to design your presentation from an Oldenburg stallion doing an advanced level musical freestyle, two Quarter Horses doing a musical reining pattern, two Andalusian stallions mirroring each other, a World Equestrian Games participant doing vaulting on his Belgian, to the Favorite Fjords performing a quadrille and a very special second act. Each of the performances is an art of skilled horses and riders but none win the heart like the Fjords. Some of the other breeds' tails are wringing with the displeasure of their work while the Fjord tails are swinging to the beat of the music and showing how they love their work. Beth is a visionary to come up with the pattern sequences for 8 horse/riders and a single horse/carriage that make it interesting and flow well. Taffy Plaisted and groom, Sally Peterson, drove Solveig II in a canter serpentine pattern through four pairs of Fjords who stood like statues. Solveig did simple lead changes as she cantered between the Fjords. In another move Solveig did tiny canter circles (as close to canter pirouettes as you can get in a carriage) as the rest of the group did perfect canter circles around her. The double pinwheel was a crowd pleaser with Beth/BDF Obelisk and Laurie Prindle/BDF John Arthur taking turns as anchor and out person setting the pace. This act was appropriately named "The Real Horses and Girls that Won the West" What do you do with 5 horses, 2 gals and 1 saddle? "Ride Like an Eagle", performed by Beth riding her stallion BDF Obelisk while driving two geldings, BDF John Arthur and BDF Magnum, with Sami Poirier roman riding her two mares was an imaginative act incorporating a lot of skill and courage. Sami stood on the back of Hanne and Haylee (the Perfect Pony) while walking and trotting alongside of the driven pair and performing circle maneuvers with and around them. The five some were so perfectly behaved and the audience was in such awe that you could have heard a pin drop. The talent of these two gals is unbelievable. Someday we will see Beth doing FEI dressage on Obelisk and Sami at the World Equestrian Games or the Olympics with a Fjord. After the show the audience was invited to visit with the performers in the practice arena. Needless to say the Fjords stole the show once again. The audience asked a million questions and expressed their admiration of this wonderful horse that can do it all. A big thank you to these Colorado gals for promoting our fjord breed and showing the public the many talents they possess. Remember, the Fjord can be whatever you want him to be -- you are free to chose -- a best friend to feed and love, a steady trail or packing horse, an english, western or hunter horse, a work horse or a driving horse. The choice is yours and you are only limited by your imagination and skills. Howard & Sophie Fiedler Green Valley Farm