Re: Introduction / Quest comment
This message is from: Alison Barr [EMAIL PROTECTED] Now folks, something you should enjoy talking up your wonderful breed (and who doesn't love to talk about their horses?). I want to hear it all! I don't know that much about Fjords. I've read they are very versatile. They are. Fj is my pony club horse, so he jumps, does dressage (his strong point), PPG games (a wide variety of ridden games involving picking things up, dropping them in buckets, popping balloons, hanging things up, lots of flags, and allot more) as well as driving as a passtime What is the Fjord's trot like? Is it mostly smooth and comfortable to ride? I find it verry nice. Especially bareback, noone can beat them. Are Fjords for the most part easy keepers? I think that they could probably live on air, but they lie allot and tell you their starving.TTFN!
Re: Fjord trots
This message is from: Alison Barr [EMAIL PROTECTED] This is a reply on a reply As you can see from the breeds I own, I'm used to gaited horses. What is the Fjord's trot like? Is it mostly smooth and comfortable to ride? My fat body doesn't like alot of jarring. It varies with the individual. My old mare has a glass-smooth trot that even I can sit. My husband's gelding is OK if he's relaxed, but his trot imitates a pogo stick when he's tense. My gelding is fine at the jog, but as he speeds up, it gets more bumpy. I find that they have a nice trot, but also they havs such large barrels (and are usually too fat) that if you do any bareback riding, they are heaven. On my fjord I can do almost anything bareback that I could do with a saddle, and actually prefer going bareback for fun. I call him my big comfy couch.
Re: Introduction / Quest comment
This message is from: the Sessoms' [EMAIL PROTECTED] Welcome to the list Jami! Jami writes ... I want to hear it all! I don't know that much about Fjords. I've read they are very versatile. All I do is pleasure/trail ride and baby my horses, something I'm sure the Fjord can excel at. As you can see from the breeds I own, I'm used to gaited horses. What is the Fjord's trot like? Is it mostly smooth and comfortable to ride? My fat body doesn't like a lot of jarring. Are Fjords for the most part easy keepers? I have a very limited experience with the Fjord horse but I believe my two are typical of the breed. They seem to have a slightly different sense of being than other horses, and they seem to look at me as one of them more than other horses do. I am very comfortable with them, although, like others on the list have mentioned, my yearling manages to intimidate me occasionally, so until I am more competent I try to avoid getting into situations where my standing will be questioned by her. I'm not crazy about lunging with Aagot because she wears me plumb out. She has me well trained to lunge in the natural horsemanship method; she won't let me stop until I lick my lips, bow my head three times while briskly trotting circles around her, and when she lets me come in I must follow her like a puppy after she rubs my forehead. Then she'll let me go munch chips and watch 'Days'! Seriously, I am such a rookie at lunging that she turns away, sets the rope against her neck and walks off; and she's learned several other tricks in a few sessions ... so ... anyhow, I did make a little progress with her before I decided to leave the training to someone better qualified, for now. At the very least I need to study some good videos and watch people training yearlings to lunge. I am with QH's, a QH/Morgan cross, an Appy, a Standardbred trotter and several grade horses when I go to riding lessons. Although I enjoy the handsome, well-bred QH's and a grade mare, it thrills me to be with my 'ladies'. I love to come home to my cobby, little, gentle-eyed, sweet-sweet Fjordings. They even feel and smell nicer to me. One thing I like about my Labradors is that they move my speed, they don't react ultra-fast like some dog breeds do; and my Fjords are like that too - they move my speed. They also seem to interact with me and appreciate my company more than other horses I have known. Young Aagot is always in my back pocket. Dorina has a very strong, smooth, easy to ride trot. And mine are easy-keepers. I would dearly love to be able to feed my 14 year old Dorina oats when I feed grain to growing Aagot, but she would get way too fat. The Fjord horse does excel as a trail horse and as a recipient of much babying! ttyl Meredith Sessoms Soddy-Daisy TN [EMAIL PROTECTED] - Dorina - NFR Aagot - - - Fjords - Caper - Carly - Crickett - - - Labradors
Easy keepers...
Hi Jami, Nice to meet you! You asked... Are Fjords for the most part easy keepers? I'm sure I have other questions, but I'm blank right now. So, I'll say by for now and thanks for having this list so I can learn from you all. Sincerely, Jami the zoo in GA BOY ARE THEY!!! My fjords get a good mix of timothy and alflafa hay, approx. 20#'s a day...that is it! This can be more or less, depending on the situation...bad winter weather, extra work, etc...and of course, when they are looking extra cute (which is most of the time)...with those big, soft, pleading brown eyes...a handful of grain and a ton of carrots!! You would love them...investigate further! As for their trot, well that depends on the horse. Mine have a very comfortable trot, due to excellent conformation. See you on the list! Happy Fjording, Ingrid
Fjord trots
This message is from: Marsha Jo Hannah [EMAIL PROTECTED] jami [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: As you can see from the breeds I own, I'm used to gaited horses. What is the Fjord's trot like? Is it mostly smooth and comfortable to ride? My fat body doesn't like alot of jarring. It varies with the individual. My old mare has a glass-smooth trot that even I can sit. My husband's gelding is OK if he's relaxed, but his trot imitates a pogo stick when he's tense. My gelding is fine at the jog, but as he speeds up, it gets more bumpy. Are Fjords for the most part easy keepers? Well, I suppose somewhere there's one that isn't, but I haven't met it yet. The biggest problem is convincing new owners that the animal really doesn't need to eat like a horse! Even on limited pasture time, restricted rations of the plainest hay I can find, and no grain, all 3 of mine stay plump. I have had to segregate my old mare---she can hold her weight on the same food as the others, but she eats more slowly, and they tend to clean up her leftovers for her if she goes off to get a drink or take a little nap. Marsha Jo HannahMurphy must have been a horseman-- [EMAIL PROTECTED] anything that can go wrong, will! 30 mi SSE of San Francisco, Calif. ---
Valea's Lars Intro
This message is from: FJORDING [EMAIL PROTECTED] Hello. My name is Merek Geiger, and the following is brief background of my Fjord, Lars. Lars is an 12-year-old Norwegian Fjord gelding, one of six residing on Long Island, New York. He lives at a large private stable in Deer Park, as I cannot keep a horse in North Merrick where I live. There are four other Fjords out east in suffolk County, and one in the Queens Zoo in New York City. His original home and place of birth is Valhalla Centre, Alberta, Canada. When this is combined with the last name of the family who bred him, the Lees, it gives his full paper name, Valea's Lars. He then was sent to British Columbia, Canada, for training, after which he came to New England and finally to his present home in Long Island about 6 years ago. His most noticeable feature is his six-inch-tall arched and erect mane. Since he is of the brown dun color pattern, he has a FULL dorsal stripe. His mane is three inches wide at the crest-an inch of white, one of brown, and another inch of white. After I form the arch with the clippers, I then use them to cut out pieces of the white hair along the length of the mane so that it has a black-white-black pattern resembling a zebra's mane. Most people think I dye it! He is 14 hands tall. His weight is 1260 pounds, according to our local truck scale. The rest of his features include a white muzzle, white around the eyes, and zebra striping on the knees and hocks. Here on L.I., I march him in parades around the area on many occasions during the year. He also carries me as a Roman soldier in the Westbury Good Friday pageant held each year by St. Brigid's Church. Then there are various appearances at horse shows and events to display the Fjord breed, which many horsepeople have never seen, except in a book. He will be at the Belmont Horse Fair this year .He is borrowed or rented from me for several street fairs and the Long Island Pet Expo in November at the Nassau Colliseum. One of the strangest affairs has to be the time he was used in a Bat Mitzvah in a catering hall. The 13-year-old girl, who had never been on a horse before, was put on him and led through the rear emerency exit of the hall. Wearing a long white dress, as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, she was led past all the guests at their tables and across the dance floor to her father. Luckily for the catering hall, Lars never wears horseshoes, as his large, very hard hooves do not need this protection. Finally, his longest event is his yearly stay at the Old Bethpage Restoration Village for their October Festival. He is on display for the entire 2-week event, and may be seen at the stable area or being ridden around the village. This Nassau County facility recreates an American community of the mid 1800's, using actual homes and shops of that period which have been moved from locations around Long island and situated on the grounds as they would have been over a hundred years ago. A cast of people dressed in period clothing performing labors that were common in those days completes the scene. They have various family participation events scheduled throughout most of the year, being closed only during the Winter after the Christmas festivities. After years of procrastination, this year I finally made the big move and bought a horse trailer. With this new freedom from dependence on others for transportation, I hope to have Lars at many more events in the coming years. A short time ago, I took him home to N.Merrick and rode him around the area of my home, causing so considerable surprise to the local residents, who could not believe that a horse could be walking down these residential streets. It will also make it much easier for me to go to the Westbury Street Fair, where I do pony rides each year, and allow me for the first time to begin doing some pony work at children's parties. . If you have any other questions you would like to ask, just send them to me here at:[EMAIL PROTECTED] or [EMAIL PROTECTED], which I use for public inquiries about his services. I will answer them as soon as possible. Thank you and goodbye. Merek
Reply about Fjord colors
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (BRIAN C JACOBSEN) Meredith, The following information about Fjord coloring is summarized from a paper by Tor Nestaas who is an official in the Norwegian Department of Agriculture (not exactly what they call it). Mr. Nestaas took his information from a thesis by the late Johs. Loen and from conversations with Kari Ann Indrebo, both in Norway. Fjord coloring is controlled by a number of factors, but three main genes are responsible: B - gene for black A - gene for limitation of black C - gene for color or dilution of color Any Fjord that has black coloring (brown dun, grey dun, and white dun) has a dominant copy of the gene B. Those without black (red and yellow duns) have a recessive copy of it. Brown duns and white duns also have a dominant copy of the gene A which limits the black, so most of these horses do not have as much black or smoky color as a grey does. Grey duns have a recessive copy of it, so their black or dark coloring is not as restricted. Some red and yellow duns have a dominant copy, and some have recessive, but it doesn't matter because they do not express black because of gene B. Brown duns, red duns, and some grey duns have only a dominant copy of the gene C, meaning there is no dilution of their color. Yellow duns, white duns, and some grey duns have the dilution factor present. Some practical results of these factors: (some things will be repeated, but it is presented this way to make it easy to find the results of breeding your own mare or stallion with the same or other colors): 1. Breeding a BROWN dun to either a BROWN, RED, or CERTAIN GREY duns: Theoretically, only brown dun, red dun, or grey dun offspring can result. The diluted colors, yellow dun and white dun, should not be possible. And any grey dun that resulted would have a dominant copy of the gene for dilution (C), meaning dilution is not expressed. (Usually a dominant copy of something means it IS expressed, but not with dilution). This means that, bred back to brown duns, red duns, or similar grey duns (no dilution) , those are still the only colors possible in the offspring (brown, red, and grey). How can you tell which greys are dominant for dilution (dilution is not expressed in offspring) and which are recessive (dilution is expressed in offspring)? Good question. You can't tell by looking. Comparing the colors and genetics of the greyhorse's parents and offspring is the only way short of DNA testing (not the DNA testing the Registry requires - this is much more involved) - Breeding BROWN dun to a YELLOW, WHITE, or GREY WHO HAS THE DILUTION FACTOR: Any color could result except albino. *NOTE* there is one genotype (combination of genes) of brown dun that, when bred with other brown dun or red duns, only results in brown dun. If you like brown dun and don't particularly care for red dun, having a horse like this would be a bonus. Note, however, that it would take many breedings to be sure this was the case with your horse; Having a brown dun foal 3 out of 3 times is not nearly enough, especially if the horse has never been bred to a red dun. 2.. Breeding RED dun to RED dun: Always results in a red dun. -Breeding RED dun to YELLOW dun: Results in either red or yellow dun only. -Breeding a RED to a BROWN or GRAY WITHOUT DILUTION FACTOR: Same as #1. -Breeding a RED to a WHITE OR GRAY WITH DILUTION FACTOR: Any color is possible. 3. Breeding a GRAY WITHOUT THE DILUTION FACTOR to a BROWN, RED, OR ANOTHER GRAY WITHOUT THE DILUTION FACTOR: Can give brown, red or grey (also without the dilution factor). -Breeding a GREY WITHOUT THE DILUTION FACTOR to a YELLOW OR WHITE DUN: Can result in any color. - Breeding a GREY WITH THE DILUTION FACTOR to ANY OTHER COLOR: Can result in any color. *NOTE* There is one genotype (combination of genes) of grey duns that, when bred with another grey, can only produce grey horses. If you are lucky enough to have a Fjord like that, we have some grey dun breeders in the Registry who would love to talk to you. Again, getting a grey twice out of two breedings, for example, is not good enough to say for sure that this is the case with your horse. 4. Breeding YELLOW or WHITE duns to BROWN, RED, AND GRAYS WITHOUT THE DILUTION FACTOR: Can result in any color, but not albino. -Breeding YELLOW or WHITE duns to YELLOW, WHITE, AND GRAYS WITH THE DILUTION FACTOR: Can produce any of the colors, including ALBINO. Note, however, this is not a true albino because they have blue eyes. They are instead, a very white horse. (Not recommended for areas of the world that get a lotof snow : ) Remember, there
Norway
This message is from: Julie Will [EMAIL PROTECTED] Hello everybody: My husband and I are going to Norway on May 2nd through the 9th to see the stallion show and look at Fjords. We also will be looking at yearling and two year fillies, possibly bringing some home. If anyone is serious about purchasing an imported filly, please contact us. mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] It would be a case of paying the purchase cost of the horse and sharing the importation fees equally. Julie @ Old Hickory Farm.
