This message is from: Joan griffin <fjordjoc...@yahoo.com>
Just got back from Winona, MN and what a fun week-end! Is anyone else eager to go at their Felt Fjord with the felting needle? "Felting" is, I believe an old Scandinavian craft. Joan Waak and Bonnie Lierman did a great job of teaching us to create these whimsical little Fjordies. Next Carol Curry and her family helped us to do rosemaling on wooden horse ornaments. I've always wanted to try this and I think I am hooked! Before all this work, we were fed with some tasty pizza, salad and cookies so we could keep up our strength! On Sat. Janet MacNally started the day off with a demo of her wonderful horse, Gyda pulling a round bale. I missed most of this demo as I was getting my boy, Jock ready for the next demo, but I heard it was very informative. Up next was Bob Long sharing his many years of experience going packing with horses into wilderness areas. Bob told us about some "hair-raising" events like the grizzly bear that came to visit their camp, uninvited! And the time one of the pack horses fell off a 30ft drop and landed upside down. Incredibly, the horse righted himself and they were able to get him back on the trail and went on their way! Bob used my gelding, Jock for the demo. Jock has never had pack equipment on him, but he is as solid as they come, so I knew he would be fine, but by the time all the "stuff" was piled up, covered with canvas and tied down with alot of rope, I thought Jock's legs would buckle! He never moved, except to look back at Bob as if to say: "What in the world are you doing back there?" We also had instructors from a Therapeutic Program called Aspire show us the wonderful way they use horses to help those who are physically, emotionally and mentally challenged to gain confidence and physical strength. My horse, Jock who has been a therapy horse for many years, along with Patti Jo's horse, Voss, who is a real "steady Eddie" carried their precious cargo with great poise. Voss & Jock were also used in the Log skidding demo with Mike Sadlon and Tyler Schlickman. These guys really know their stuff and I know I learned some important things from them. Spectators were given the opportunity to try out some log skidding and they were thrilled. It was at one of these "hands on" clinics that me and my husband Raymond got "hooked" on log skidding and now we are helping others learn who want to try it. One of the neat things about our club is how we all reach out to help others to learn more about the many ways to work and play with our Fjords. On Sun. morning HeikeLewandowski set up a challenging obstacle course for her sweet little 3yr. old mare, along with: Jock, Voss and Patti Jo's Sebastian, oh and Janet McNally'sGyda to test their bravery. At first the horses were not too sure about some of the items, but with Heike's techniques, all the horses passed the course with flying colors! The clinic ended with me doing a clipping demo. I also showed how I do the "piano keys" trim on Jock's mane, which seems to just amaze most people. It's not as hard as it looks and hopefully I revealed that. Patti Jo followed with a blanketing demo which answered alot of questions people have on the subject. So, all in all, our week-end was a huge success and I encourage those who didn't make it, to not miss it next year! Oh, and we had a scrumptious prime rib dinner and hilarious fashion show to boot! I'll let someone else fill you in on what Carol McKosky did to win the award as "Best Model"! LOL!!!!! Sorry this was so long, but I am excited about what a great club we have. Joni Griffin Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
