This message is from: Genie Dethloff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Hi Kris,
When I bought my last fjord it was the first time that I didn't let
my heart get in the way and made a horse purchase of a horse that had
what I needed to progress as a rider. Yes, I ended up with a loving
fjord but I had started to look at other breeds just before I heard
she was for sale because I couldn't find the fjord that was right for
me. A clinician that I went to three times a year told me that if I
wanted my riding to progress, I shouldn't put breed, sex, color,
cuteness of head, etc. first but should evaluate the horse for its
ability to help me advance in my riding - the rest is icing on the
cake. Also everyone will tell you that there is no perfect horse,
all will have some issues and faults. If he has the calm steadiness
of a fjord and is safe with good gaits and good training then that is
a lot to have found in a horse.
Hopefully lots of turnout will help with the cribbing, but it might
not. The trakehnar mare I rode while I was horse shopping cribbed
and wore a cribbing strap at all except when on grass and it was
annoying but she had so much going for her and helped my riding so
much that I would have bought her even though I had said I would
never buy a horse that cribs.
I was so relieved that I found a fjord mare that fit my needs,
because that is what I really wanted in my heart, but the rest of the
things I needed for riding had to be there first. I have noticed
that now that grass is out and the mares are all cycling, my mare
seems less interested in me. Perhaps as others have said, he will be
come more affectionate with time - I have heard it said that it takes
about a year for a true bond between horse and rider to develop.
Good luck with your trial time; you are certainly going about it
the right way by having a month trial period. I hope he works out
for you.
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
I currently have a very talented seventeen year old gelding who is a Gjest
son on a thirty day trial. The seller has been generous enough to
allow me to
try the horse to ensure a good match.
On the plus side, he is a very tall, longbacked Fjord, among the biggest
that I have ever seen. Still drafty, but with a horselike body, if
that makes
sense. As someone who is 5'9", this is very important to me. He is also
beautifully trained--competed in eventing with beautiful movement and a very
willing "schoolmaster" temperament under saddle. Forgiving and
patient, he is
very left brained when he is unsure. He would definitely challenge me to
become a better rider. In the past two weeks, we have had him on the trails
several times, ridden him in our boarding barn's quarantine pasture
(until certain
vaccines clear) bareback and tacked, and free lunged him all without any red
flags. Okay, a little grass grabbing on the trails, but nothing any other
full bodied Fjord wouldn't try! When the tack comes out, he goes into work
mode for sure.
My main reservations with this horse are the fact that he cribs and he has
an extremely reserved, almost robotic personality thus far. The cribbing is
mild, 10-12 times after eating, he has never colicked, and based on my vet's
assessment of his teeth is very mild. I won't lie--it is extremely annoying,
but I know all of the standard pitfalls and am prepared to possibly go
forward in spite of this unsightly vice.
My primary concern is his aloofness. He is nothing like my two year old,
very in your pocket gelding. That curious, friendly, people loving
nature is a
big part of my love for this breed and I am just not sure how much he will
come around over time. There is the possibility that he has suffered some
unkindness due to circumstances beyond the seller's control, and he
probably has
a very good reason to remain a little guarded. He will join up with me when
I have a feed bucket, but aside from that, I have given him many
opportunities to approach me for a scratch fest, and he will
invariably mosey away. If
I approach him, he will tolerate my affection while looking straight ahead,
but sometimes flinch if I surprise him or bump me with his nose in a "get
away" kind of gesture.
I am just really struggling with this decision and would appreciate any
advice from long term Fjord owners/breeders or those who own Fjords
that might
fall into a more aloof category or have suffered mistreatment. Feel free to
e-mail me privately if you'd rather.
Thanks in advance,
Kris in NC
and Clyde ("Do I spy another Fjord in that pasture!?")
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--
Genie Dethloff
Ann Arbor, Michigan
The FjordHorse List archives can be found at:
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