This message is from: "Arthur Rivoire" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Hello from Carol Rivoire at Beaver Dam Farm in Nova Scotia -
Responding to Andy's message . . . This message is from: "Andy Mayberry" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > One thing that I really like about the QH is that it's so accessible. > .. . . . . . isn't it great when the family with 3 girls > and one horse that cost $500 shows up with their old truck and used trailer > and tack and beats the pants off the family with 1 girl and 3 horses that > cost $25k each and brand new everything? > Andy, That story would have tears streaming down my face in the movies, but the reality of such a purchase for three little girls could be quite different. This $500 horse has to have been "bred" by somebody, and it's impossible that the producer of this horse did any of the myriad things a breeder should do to ensure a healthy, sound, trainable horse, therefore, I'd think twice before bringing that horse home. -- Such things as - #1 - A decent match between stallion and mare - No inbreeding, for example. Then, good feed for the mare - essential vitamins & minerals -- regular worming including wormed one month before foaling -- vaccinations one month before foaling to ensure the mare's colostrum has necesssary antibodies -- worming again two weeks after foaling to minimize parasite infection in the foal -- putting the foal on monthly worming schedule up to one year -- vaccination program at weaning -- handling at birth -- space to run and grow -- early training -- As to the essential worming . . . If this isn't done right, the horse can be fatally compromised from the start. I've heard of cases where the horse looked great, and then suddenly died of colic due to heavy parasites. Autopsies proved the horse was a "dead horse walking". -- How sad for the horse, and for the family that loves the horse. Another consideration is that people often buy very inexpensive horses that seem easy to handle. The surprise comes when the horse is fed and wormed and feeling good, and is no longer the dead quiet horse they thought they bought. A good breeder does all of the above, and doing things the right way costs money and a lot of work, and people taking care of horses this way can't afford to sell them cheap. . Fjord breeders should ALWAYS strive to breed the very best, because even with these good intentions, all the foals will not be champions. In a quality breeding program with good stock, and where things are done according to the book, the horses produced will be Good, Better, and Best, and should be priced accordingly, which hopefully will give people who don't need the very best the opportunity to own a well-bred Fjord, (a good Fjord), that will serve their family with safety and longevity. The key is for people to see the wisdom of paying a fair price for a carefully bred animal that's had a good start. As a seven-year-old, my family had an experience that illustrates what I've been talking about. -- I grew up reading Lassie Come Home and other such dog and horse stories, and I wanted a Collie dog more than anything. My parents had very little money, but one day, they brought home a wonderful little ball of buff colored fluff -- a Collie puppy, that we named Buff. He was quiet, sweet, and cuddly. Too quiet as it turned out because we soon discoverd he had distemper, and needed to go into the animal hospital where he stayed for several weeks, and then died. It was horrible and very expensive for my parents. They'd bought the puppy without papers, and trusted the "breeder" who told them that since they weren't going to show, they didn't need a papered dog. The puppy didn't cost much, and my parents never asked about shots. --- Not cost much? Ha! When the hospital bill arrived, that sick, paperless puppy cost a lot more than one from a good kennel, and of course, the whole family was devestated, and we'd lost our dog. 55 years later, I still remember the pain of Buff. The moral is obvious. As the philosopher John Ruskin (1819 - 1900) said - 'The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot . . . It can't be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run. And if you do that, you will have enough to pay for something better." -- However, when we're buying animals (pets), it's never only a question of money, so if you're shopping for a Fjordhorse, be sure to ask all the right questions, and if you don't get the right answers, go elsewhere. You don't have to pay a huge amount to get a good Fjordhorse, but you must be prepared to pay a fair price. Best Regards, Carol Rivoire http://www.beaverdamfarm.com Beaver Dam Farm Fjords II R.R. 7 Pomquet, Nova Scotia B2G 2L4 Tel:(902) 386-2304 Fax:(902) 386-2149 Carole Rivoire, author of THE FJORDHORSE HANDBOOK, only book in English on the Fjord breed, available from Beaver Dam Farm, $36.95 US includes P&H http://www.beaverdamfarm.com/book.htm
