This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In a message dated 9/13/2006 7:32:24 AM Pacific Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
> Hi All- > Could someone who was there post about Libby, please. > > Hi Everyone, I, too, had been waiting for someone to write about Libby, but guess everyone else has been busy unpacking, as I have, so I'll jump in. I brought 3 other gals from my barn with me, Sue Grantham, Mary Johnson and Deanna Haugen, all Fjord owners too. I sure needed the extra helping hands since I was showing 5 head throughout the Evaluation and show. The weather cooperated this year and the sun shone brightly the entire week. It was quite warm, sometimes over 100 degrees. I don't have an exact head count, but would estimate between 90 and 100 horses were there. Perhaps Sherrie Dayton could provide the exact numbers? It is always such fun to see so many Fjords all in one place and to reconnect with friends that you haven't seen for a while. Brian and Ursula came without horses, unfortunately. It seems that their horses had had a bout with a bug, coughs and runny noses so Jensen's had to make that tough decision not to bring them. That was a loss for all of us since it is always a thrill to watch Brian and Ursula work their horses. Brian did video much of the show for the benefit of the rest of us and Ursula provided moral support to everyone, although she looked a bit lost at times, not having her Raynor there! The PNFPG had invited Eike and Suse Schoen-Peterson, from Germany, to present a couple of very informative clinics. Eike and Suse are both vets. Eike is an FHI judge and evaluator and is currently Vice President of FHI as well as Vice President of the German Fjord Horse Association. Suse is also a Fjord evaluator and is President of the North Eastern Fjord Group in Germany. Both speak excellent English and both were very gratious and willing to answer questions from everyone. The clinics were well attended and they shared some really great information. Eike participated in the Conformation Evaluation as a guest evaluator and one thing that I noticed on his score sheets that I liked very much was that he strategically placed dots within the + and - columns and that gave you a better idea of how much he liked - or not - what he saw. Somewhat like A+, A-, B+, B-, etc. I liked that. One problem with showing horses oneself is that one does not have the chance to watch all of the other folks to see how they do since one is so busy just getting to the next class on time with the right horse in tow! However, it was such a treat to see the wonderful hitches and occassionally getting to watch a few of the exciting classes like the log skid. I presented a 5 year old mare, Dun Lookin' Inga, for her owner, Kimberly Kinney. She recieved her Red in Conformation and went on to earn her Silver Medallion for Intro. Western. I also showed Lakka for Catherine Lasessen (Lakka had previously received her Blue in Conformation) and she went on to earn her Silver Medallion for Intro. Western. I also showed TRR Thomas for Sue Grantham and he earned his Gold Medallion for Advanced Western. One of THE HIGHLIGHTS for me was - caution - BRAG ALERT - my gray stallion, Johan, won the Aged Stallions class and went on to receive GRAND CHAMPION STALLION! OH MY, I was absolutely thrilled and a bit NUMB as they presented us with that big, beautiful ribbon! Sherrie Dayton had worked for quite some time making a commemorative quilt in honor of Libby's 20th Anniversary. It had many pictures on it from the past 20 years, including some of our members who have passed away, Patty Peterson, Ron Davis and Lois Berge as well as photos of several Fjords that had made a real impact on the Fjord world. It was, indeed, a work of art and quite special for those of us who had 'been there' from the beginning. Raffle tickets were sold to PNFPG members only. LOW AND BEHOLD, Mary Johnson won that raffle and gave the quilt to me! Needless to say, I cried. It will grace a wall in my livingroom and will be a conversation piece for all who visit here - especially since there is a picture of Dusty and his sliding stop on it! Another special highlight for me was Brainne Orwick brought her 3 year old Dusty daughter, Brigetta Arvick. She won everything in sight including two Silver Medallions for Intro. English and Western. I could not keep track of all that she won, but did ask Brianne to email me the list. It was quite a thrill to see one of Dusty's 'children' do so well - a legacy for him. He is 20 years old now. My absolute favorite memory from this show will be the the performances that Dusty and I did with Anne and Wez. It was such an honor to be able to ride with them. It was a great tribute to two Fjords who have reached the top of their game in their perspective venues. As Anne and I were writing the script for our introduction, we calculated that between these two Fjords, we had devoted a total 40 years of training! OH MY, that makes me feel old! Wez is 23 and Dusty is 20. For our grand finale Wez did a levade while Dusty did a bow. The photographer got a spectacular shot of us that just gave me chills. A moment frozen in time that I will cherish forever. There were many great moments at the show and I am sure others will contribute when they find time. It was, again, a great show and a good time was had by all. Gayle Ware Field of Dreams Eugene, OR www.fjordhorse.com
