This message is from: "Douglas Knutsen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Hi all, Libby was wonderful and, as usual, added to our file of "adventure" stories. The first, worst, surprise was not being able to take our stallion, Erlend, to the Eval and Show. He seems to be recovering - good news. We appreciated the tons of support and concern from everyone at the show. Finally, I pinned a sign on my back that read, "Erlend is better, thank you for asking." We were hauling our friend Pat's gelding, Dan, and, since we had room in the trailer, we brought along Elvis, another gelding that Dagren Aarsten was hoping to sell for a client. Trying to get going on Thursday AM brought the usual comedy of errors. Dead battery. Lights on travel trailer not working. Heavy horse trailer window bonking Dagrun on the head and hand. [We will replace the latches] Once we got going the rest of the trip was uneventful. We set up next to the Watanabes where we had a good view of the arena. Solveig was pretty much over the moon after earning an 84 with OH Sadie in the Beginning Driving portion of the Eval. Good girls! I was delighted to see the large turnout - one of the biggest ever. An added pleasure was that so many new folks were showing. Our friend Pat [with the unpronounceable last name] won lots of ribbons with her boy Dan, in her first show ever. Dagrun also brought home many ribbons showing Elvis and Dan. Way cool! Reconnecting with Eike and his wife Suse was a real treat. Everyone loved his very informative clinic. Eike emphasized that Fjord people from other countries were very aware of and interested in what North American Fjord folks were doing and in what NFHR and separate breeders were aiming for in their programs. He also stressed the importance of developing a clear direction for what one wanted to accomplish with the breed. A particular highlight for me was seeing Greta Cook and Betsy Billeter winning first and second in Overall Equation. These women train and show their own horses with great success and deserve to be recognized for their accomplishments. You go girls! And then there was the Red Hat Stick Horse Drill Team. They sported Red and Purple hats and boas while executing complicated drills to thunderous applause! [Sorry not to have brought my red cowgirl hat, I wore red hair curlers instead.] I can hardly wait to see the video. Girls rule! Congratulations to all who took the time and effort to make this event big success. Bye, Peg Knutsen www.fairpoint.net/~kffjord
