This message is from: Linda Lottie <horselo...@hotmail.com> Phil.........wonderful photos.....and, gee wiz, you sure know how to have fun.
Love the presentation with Howard:) Handsome 4-some --- :) Thanks for sharing......Linda Linda Baker Lottie Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless. -Mother Teresa www.heartsandhoovesforever.blogspot.com > From: n...@norskwoodworks.com > To: fjordhorse@angus.mystery.com > Subject: Sunday Sleigh > Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2009 20:49:33 -0600 > > This message is from: PHILLIP Odden <n...@norskwoodworks.com> > > This message is from Phillip Odden. We had lots of snow on Sunday but > now it is melting. Here is a little story to introduce the sleigh I > finally was able to drive for the first time last Sunday. > > Norwegian Sunday Sleigh > > > Having spent lots of days in museums in Norway over the past thirty > five years I was always drawn to the ornately decorated sleighs > displayed there. Perhaps it was the era when these wonderful sleighs > were used that captured my imagination. Eventually I completed > carving school in Norway, married a fine Norwegian woman who shared my > love of folk art, carving, painting and the like, and set up shop in > America. After many years of building a business and moving back to a > farm we acquired some fjord horses, not just a few but several. > > When first I learned to drive horses I knew I needed a sleigh. > Eventually we ended up with several sleighs dont you know. About the > same time we got our first Fjord I wanted to make a Sunday sleigh like > those I had seen in Norway. Most of the other sleighs I have made were > carved and some were carved extensively, but not like this one. > Finally this winter I finished the sleigh I had been dreaming about > for many years and today I hitched one of my own home bred fjord > ponies to it for the first time for a photo shoot. My talented wife > Else directed the photo shoot and handled the cameras. > > The day was perfect with warming temperatures above freezing, lots of > sun and nice snow. Oddens Elinor Moegun, a five year old mare out of > highland Prairie Gunvor and sired by our stallion Smedsmo Gråen got > the nod to take the inaugural ride. We call the mare Sweet Pea. She is > doing very well though I have taken her training very slow. I wanted > her to develop well before I started her. She is a very quiet sensible > mare with tons of athletic ability. Sweat Pea is very well balanced > through the body with a well muscled hind quarter and fairly long > neck. She articulates her hocks very nicely allowing her to reach up > under and she has good reach with her front legs. This mare has a big > walk and a big trot. Sweet Pea is being trained single and in pairs > and she is fun to ride. I expect she will see some pleasure driving, > CDE, and sleigh rallies in her future. > > The sleighs I saw in the museums in Norway were used for special > occasions like going to church or important social events. There was > room for one to sit in the sleigh and one could ride the runners > holding on to the handles at the back. I suppose, if needed on the > steep mountain roads, the person on the runners could easily hop off > and even push a little to give the horse some relief. I used my > Norwegian harness with padded hames and carved saddle today as well. > > You can see pictures of the new sleigh, Sweet Pea and me on the snow > on our website > http://fjordhorses.norskwoodworks.com/horses/horsegallery.shtml > > Important FjordHorse List Links: > Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e > FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw > Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
