This message is from: Birgit Mortensen <taasi...@mail.dk>
I have noticed that very recently there has been a discussion about Facebook versus the Digest. I admit that for a long time I have spent more time on Facebook than I have on the Digest. I agree with those of you saying that there is much more substance here. Facebook is fast and shallow and it is incredible how much nonsense and ignorance you expose yourself to. So why am I there? Not because of my own profile ? I seldom write anything there, but because the Danish Studbook for Fjord Horses has a handful of groups about Fjord Horses. We want these groups to be places where the members can learn about the breed and have fun at the same time. I am one of the monitors in these groups and it takes a lot of time, but things are improving, though too many group members still have very little sense for the importance of having respect for the breed?s history and the current breed standards. We have also created a Facebook site in English ? The Fjord Horse Studbook in Denmark - where we tell about the Fjord Horses in Denmark. Perhaps you know that you do not need to have a Facebook profile in order to view Facebook sites. I therefore invite you ?Facebook-haters? to take a look (maybe not the best time of the year because not much has been written in January, - we have been in hibernation mode). https://www.facebook.com/TheFjordHorseStudbookInDenmark?ref=hl [https://www.facebook.com/TheFjordHorseStudbookInDenmark?ref=hl] I have noticed that Brian Jensen (hello Brian) has recently written that most European countries ?have a mandatory requirement for all mares and stallions be Evaluated in Conformation, before being allowed to breed?. However that is not entirely true. Stallion evaluation is mandatory in the Nordic countries and in Continental Europe, but there is no such demand for mares and I don?t think there has ever been. Apart from that I don?t think that we could make such a decision in the national Studbooks, the European legislation would not allow it. Station tests are becoming less common in Europe. Norway had the last station test in 2013. Denmark has also abolished the 30 days test. Sweden has ? to my knowledge ? never had it, and the same can be said about the Netherlands. Germany still has the test, and probably the most demanding test there has ever been in Europe. It is true that there has been a decline in Fjord foaling numbers in Europe. The global crisis is partly guilty in that, but the European legislation has also given us many strange rules that makes life difficult for horse owners and many have downsized or given up. However in Denmark we experience a huge interest from the young people when it comes to riding Fjord Horses. 15 years ago it wasn?t nearly as trendy. We have had our own Fjord shows for many years but in the last 10 years our riders also compete in classes with representatives from most breeds in Denmark and they are doing very well. We arrange national championships for our riders and drivers, the studbooks in the Nordic countries invites to National championships every second year and till now we have seen three European championships for Fjord Horses and their riders and drivers. 2006 in Denmark, 2009 and 2012 in Germany. In Denmark we hope to be able to arrange the next European Championship in 2016, where we once again are celebrating a Studbook Jubilee. It could be 85 years or it could be 75 years. In 1931 it was decided to establish a national evaluation system in conformation and in 1941 the first printed studbook was printed with evaluated stallions and mares. In 2001 we incorporated geldings in our evaluation system. Many greetings from Denmark Birgit Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw FH_L Shirts: http://tinyurl.com/8yky94l
