Re: Age appropriate horse books for grandkids?
This message is from: Diana Calder I'm not sure about the 1993 reprint, but reviews on Amazon indicate that the 2012 reprints aren't the Wesley Dennis illustrations. Also, the Album of Horses isn't one of her stories, it's a collection of breed info, judging by the Amazon description and reviews. You can probably find an ex-library copy of the big, beautiful hard cover editions for a reasonable price. Amazon Marketplace or abebooks.com may be a better option to track them down. For the younger boy, you might want to search out the gorgeous C.W. Anderson books (especially the Billy and Blaze ones) or Walter Farley's Little Black, A Pony series. There's also Big Black Horse, the picture book version of The Black Stallion. Diana On Monday, March 3, 2014, Gail Russell wrote: > This message is from: Gail Russell > > > > Thank you Thank you! > > A question. Ebay has a 1993 reprint that is cheaper than the other Wesley > Dennis illustrated versions. I suspect they cut the number of > illustrations or the color saturation. I would prefer to get the > beautifully illustrated version. I suspect I need a vintage copy. Anyone > know? > > Here is the 1993 version on Ebay. > > http://www.ebay.com/itm/Album-of-Horses-by-Wesley-Dennis-and-Marguerite-Henry-1993-Paperback-Reprint-/271404869762?pt=US_Childrens_Books&hash=item3f30fda882 Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw FH_L Shirts: http://tinyurl.com/8yky94l
Re: bridles
This message is from: Diana Calder For saddle - we've had good luck with Australian saddles. One was an eBay purchase (maker unknown) that I pretty much got lucky with, fitwise. The other is a Down Under Longreach Endurance<http://www.downunderweb.com/store/Saddles_Aussie_DownUnder.html>. Down Under Saddlery http://www.downunderweb.com recommended a couple of options, based on the withers tracings that I faxed them. They will custom-fit but a standard fit turned out just fine for both my Fjords. We use both a breastcollar and a crupper, just in case, but I don't think either has ever actually had to "earn its keep". We use wool pads from Down Under with the saddles. We have Down Under's wool seat-savers on both saddles. The Longreach gets more use than the no-name because it's a bigger seat size and has been a better fit for both my dad and me in recent years but I could probably comfortably use the other one again. Both are leather but the Longreach is much lighter and easier to handle. The girth on it is different and buckles English-style. I love the security of Aussie saddles - I'm not a great rider by any means but I've never felt in any danger of coming out of the saddle during Donnie's ten-feet-sideways startle when a pheasant flies out of the fencerow into his face - if I'd been in a bareback pad during one of those, I'd have been on the ground. For bitless bridles - I've used a Nurtural Bitless Bridle with both of our Fjords a few times - one of our local carriage club members organized a demo and we bought one when we attended. Donnie went quite well in it during a time when he just wouldn't stop playing with (and getting his tongue over) a bit of any type. Once he got past that little phase, we didn't use the bitless again. We drive more than ride and it wasn't worth the hassle of getting permission to use it in driving classes and we didn't want to use something at home that we couldn't at a show. We just didn't see a big enough difference in bitless versus bitted to make it worthwhile. If you're interested, I'd be willing to sell it - it's basically like-new because it had so little usage (maybe 20-30 times?). On 16 June 2013 19:51, Rovena Kessinger wrote: > This message is from: Rovena Kessinger > > > I've been reading the saddle info. How about bridles? I want a bitless > one. > I have one of those cross-over ones that I converted to side-pull, but it > was > too small for my fjord's massive head. Does anybody use any kind of > bitless > bridles that works well and fits? I could just use a rope halter but I've > like to have a leather one. > > I'm not riding him yet. I have a treeless saddle that I think is going to > work. I have a bareback pad but the strap won't reach. > > Important FjordHorse List Links: > Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e > FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw > FH_L Shirts: http://tinyurl.com/8yky94l Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw FH_L Shirts: http://tinyurl.com/8yky94l
Interesting bike/carriage/riding safety light on Indiegogo
This message is from: Diana Calder These guys didn't quite make it with their Kickstarter campaign so they're trying again on Indiegogo. If this light is really capable of everything that they say it is, it would make a great safety item for riding/driving on the road - or even on trails in a group setting. A lightweight, easily removable deceleration/brake/general visibility light that can be attached almost anywhere (helmet, seatback, etc.) and doesn't require any wiring (just a couple of AA batteries)? Sounds great to me! I'm not associated in any way with the folks behind the campaign, I just think it's a great idea and maybe some other horse folks will think the same and help push the campaign relaunch over the top on the funding goal this time. Here's the link if anyone's interested: http://igg.me/p/lucidbrake-intelligent-bike-brake-light/x/3556680 Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw FH_L Shirts: http://tinyurl.com/8yky94l
Re: Fjord Feeding Now
This message is from: Diana Calder On 5 October 2010 19:13, Debbie Hunt wrote: > > I recently reverted to dry lot for my 6 yr. old gelding. He is overweight > and I board him. Muzzles did not work. He destroyed three. After good advice > from this forum, we started dry lot one week ago. He is not happy! He is dry > lot 17 hrs and in his stall 7 hrs. He has a major attitude problem now with > the new routine. I am hopeful this will get better soon. > > Have any of you had experience with Fjords getting agressive when you take > away grazing time or food? > > Debbie > One of our two has ended up losing his limited grazing time the last few times we've tried giving him some because he gets very pushy & aggressive when he *thinks* it's time for him to have some more grass. After we cut him off again, he'll stay a bit - well, cranky - for a while but then he'll let it go and start behaving himself again. If yours has been on grass for a long time, it could take quite a while for him to get used to the new routine. If his dry lot &/or stall is suitably set up for it, you could try giving him one of those food-dispensing toys with something like Equalizer or timothy cubes in it to keep him busy for a while. You could also try slowing him down by using a small-mesh haynet. We're using one when we go to horse shows - made a big difference in how fast they went through their hay. They weren't too happy with it at first but mostly got used to it, though they still occasionally get frustrated. I went for the 1.5" mesh size of the NibbleNet - in retrospect, the 2" might have been a better choice as it would still have slowed them down but possibly been a bit less frustrating. I see there's a new NibbleNet that has both size openings, which might make a happy medium. I have also used the Nibble-n-Go with our mare when she had to be kept shut in during the heat of summer days due to insect allergies. I'd hoped that it would keep her occupied & keep her mind off itching once she finished the rest of her hay. It was a mixed success - our stalls don't have tall/solid enough walls to prevent her from tossing it somewhere that she couldn't reach it when she got frustrated. It also took her about two seconds flat to figure out that she could plant one hoof on it to hold it still while eating, so the fact that it wasn't tied down didn't work to slow down her eating any more than the small mesh alone did. I'd definitely suggest trying to find some way to spread his eating time out more. Since he's boarded, it probably makes it much more difficult to have him fed small servings a few hours apart, so a small mesh haynet might be your most practical solution. And/or maybe you could get some several-year-old hay that has very little food value but lots of chewing value so that you can give him it in addition to his regular ration. Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
Busy Fjord-y weekends lately - & our Fjords on Windsorstar.com
This message is from: Diana Calder The past few weekends have been busy ones for the Calder family & our Fjords (Steinacker's Donnie & Deere Country Dawna). The Friday before Labour Day was the Harrow Fair Draft Horse & Pony Show (we showed single (Donnie only), team, and tandem). The weather was perfect, sunny but not too hot and with just enough breeze to keep the flies at a manageable level. We took home a nice assortment of ribbons. Along with his third place ribbon for single draft pony over 48", Donnie received what I consider the ultimate compliment from a judge - "He's just a nice little pony that does everything that's asked of him." Yep, that's just the kind of animal that I want in my barn! The folks with the flashy, high strung, ponies and horses that snagged the first & second place ribbons are welcome to them - I wouldn't trade for all the first place ribbons in the world! The Saturday of the following weekend was the Harrow Agricultural Research Station's Centennial. The local carriage club had been invited to bring a few horses out but, due to various scheduling conflicts, we were the only ones who made it. We hitched the team to the wagon briefly, did a couple of demos harrowing a plot of land, and spent the majority of the day supervising & answering questions while the Fjords ate, preened, ate, posed, ate, and soaked up all the oohs, aahs, scritches, and pats that they could possibly absorb in a day. Then, this past Sunday, we took our Fjords to the Cottam Horse Show, which this year was part of the Essex County Farm Hikers Tour. The Windsor Star had a reporter on site for a good portion of the morning and, Fjords being the photogenic crowd pleasers that they are, he spent a good chunk of time hanging out by our trailer. There's a short video feature about the horse show at: http://www.windsorstar.com/news/videos/index.html#i_OJtEqJHoYMvZConjudp1mTjOql_0Z1 as well as a small photo gallery: http://www.windsorstar.com/news/photos/Gallery+Cottam+Horse+Show/2014349/story.html Unfortunately, there's no photos of the hitch classes. We showed single (Donnie only), team, and tandem again, and ended up with a mix of seconds and thirds for the day - not bad at all, considering how huge the classes were. We didn't place in every class - the line classes were a total washout - but we did place in all but two of the driving classes (ladies' single, which was an *enormous* class that the judge dismissed about five of us from without even lining us up and that *still* left about ten in the ring, and a timed cones event). We even managed to snag a second (out of three entries) in tandem with me driving, finishing over a much more experienced tandem with a much more experienced driver (his ponies were having an off day). We'd previously landed a second in tandem at Harrow but we'd had an experienced driver handling the horses for that class while I rode along; at Cottam, he rode along with me and I drove, so that ribbon obviously means a lot more to me personally! We'd actually showed tandem a couple of times last year - sort of - my dad and I had each drove one horse since they were green at going in tandem and we were green at driving a tandem. This year, I'd had a chance to get a hands-on lesson from an experienced multiples driver (Kyle David, the same one who helped out at Harrow and Cottam) with our own horses at one of our carriage club's events earlier in the summer. That made a *huge* difference in understanding how to handle the lines. I actually drove the tandem at the Ridgetown Horse Show in August but we were the only entry in the class and, while we didn't have any real "thrills" or serious incidents, it was pretty obvious that we were all still pretty green. Part of the problem was Dawna's tendency to consistently drift to the left but an even bigger part of the problem was a lack of confidence on my part. So, my dad bolted an old bus seat on a stone boat and we hitched the tandem to that for me to practice. We put the everyday nylon work harness on them and I drove them on the hay field stubble. They had to actually *work* to pull the stone boat, unlike when hitched to the cart, and I knew that if something went wrong, I didn't have far to fall and they likely wouldn't go more than a few dozen feet before stopping to graze. It did wonders for my confidence and the fact that Dawna had to actually work to help pull helped to counteract her tendency to drift out of line. She still tends to drift left but not quite as badly as before. Of course, I'm now aware that she also tends to drift left as a single, so this is a bad habit that's obviously going to require considerably more work to "unlearn". This weekend, there are two events that we may, possibly, take part in - the Ruthven Apple Festival parade on Saturday (though
Re: Fjord mare in Windsor
This message is from: Diana Calder Wednesday, February 11, 2009, 12:30:28 AM, Karen Keith wrote: KK> There's a Fjord mare for sale in Windsor, Ontario, which is apparently close KK> to Detroit. Right across the Detroit River - and therefore the Canada/US border - from Detroit, actually. KK> She's owned by a therapy program but she's not working out as a KK> therapy horse. They're asking $2,000 for her and need to find her KK> a new home soon. She might be registered, but the program didn't KK> get her promised papers. I posted about this mare back in early January, inquiring to the list about the possibility of an alternate way for them to get the registration papers. I passed the info on checking for a microchip on to them but I guess that they either haven't managed to track down a scanner or they couldn't find the chip, since they're still not listing any info regarding her pedigree in the Horsetopia ad. Note that while they were told that she was purebred and registered, they've never actually seen the papers, nor were they ever given her registration number. They call her Trina but I think that's just a barn name and probably bears no relation to her registered name. KK> She looks cute in her two pictures, sweet KK> face and looks a nice enough type. I just thought someone who is KK> closer to that area might be interested. We live less than an hour away, so we went up and took a look at her ourselves, right after I'd posted here about her. She's fine on the crossties, lifts her feet nicely for cleaning, and leads pretty well, though they do use a chain over her nose when leading her outdoors as she's been known to "set" her neck and use that drafty Fjord build to just drag her handler (keep in mind that these are volunteers, with varying levels of horse experience) in whichever direction she wants to go. Trina looks quite drafty in the photos but she's *extremely* flexible. I took a trial ride on her in the arena, and one of the things that I asked her for under saddle was a nice bend to touch her nose to my toe while standing still. She easily bent to do so in both directions. At a walk, she has a wonderful, stop-on-a-dime "whoa". However... She's a handful and a half when she decides to "go". After 5-10 minutes of quiet walking around the arena with only a few minor spooks and skittishness (she's not too thrilled about the mirrors, for one thing), she seemed to have settled quite nicely. I was sitting on her back, with her feeling quite calm and relaxed under me, and talking to several of the people from the facility when, without any warning whatsoever - no ear twitches, no tightening up, nothing - she abruptly did a 180 and launched straight into a dead run, like a roping horse taking off out of the chute after a calf. I'm not the greatest rider by any means, but I managed to stay on through the initial turn and launch. She headed straight across the width of the arena and didn't respond at all to my attempt to stop or at least turn her. I thought that she was going to go straight into the boards but at the last second, she made a sharp 90-degree turn and missed them. I, unfortunately, did neither - the first sharp left had already over-balanced me to the right and the second sent me back-first into the boards. By the time I managed to pick myself up, she'd stopped halfway down the length of the arena and was standing quite calmly, head lowered and relaxed. She let me limp my way down to her and take hold of the reins without any fuss. Was it a spook? Maybe. I'm not sure what would have spooked her - I didn't notice anything and neither did anyone from the facility, though my dad (who's hard of hearing) *did* think that maybe he'd heard something - but I wouldn't entirely rule out the possibility. Fjords do tend to calm fairly quickly after a spook - but, at least with ours, usually the head stays up and there's a little snorting going on for the next few minutes till they decide that the "danger" is truly gone. Was it a test? Again, maybe. Some horses just seem to feel the need for a rider to prove their right to be up there. Was it a miscue? Maybe. The previous owner's kids had supposedly ridden her - maybe one of them thought it would be cool to teach her a move like that. It's hard to guess. Or, maybe, like the Icelandic that I briefly owned, her training had been rushed and she was resistant to actual *work*, whether due to lack of confidence or whatever else might be the case. (Sidenote: The Icelandic just plain didn't think that, after five years of the easy life (good barn manners expected but no work, not even ground-driving, until her owner started her under saddle at five, selling her to me as "going nicely" - hah! sure, as long as you didn't expect
Re: Secret Santa
This message is from: Diana Calder Tuesday, January 6, 2009, 12:35:04 PM, Valerie wrote: > My secret Santa came through! Thank you Diana for such a great box of > goodies. Sydney will especially like the purple grooming tools! I'm glad to hear that everything arrived safely. I'd hoped that the grooming tools would come in handy; those thick Fjord manes and tails tend to be rather hard on grooming equipment. > How are those neat ornaments done? It looks like photos in color on > slag glass, very neat. The fused glass ornaments are made using a special type of printer paper. I convert photos to black-&-white, then print them out with a laser printer (one that has a high percentage of ferrous material in the toner; mine's a cheap HP LaserJet). Then I trim the photos down and soak them briefly in water until the layers of the paper begin to separate. Next, I carefully slide the transparent layer with the photo on it off of the other layer and onto a piece of fusing glass (one or more layers) that I've cut to the desired size and shape. The whole thing then goes in the kiln for fusing, which takes about 8-9 hours in total, including the controlled cool-down from the peak temperature of around 1300 degrees Fahrenheit. During the firing process, the paper and non-ferrous toner components burn away, leaving behind the ferrous content, which oxides and fuses with the glass to create the sepia-toned image. It's a neat technique, though it took some trial & error to get it right. My first attempt using a Samsung printer was a total loss - Samsung toner apparently contains *no* ferrous content and the photos vanished completely during firing! The other, non-photo, ornament (or cabochon to use on a necklace; it can be used for either purpose) is also fused glass, only in that case, the Fjord head is sheet copper which I hand embossed, using another photo of my Fjord as the template. > And lots of videos of Fjords and driving to watch! Tomorrow is > supposed to ice and snow and rain here so I think I'll start my > winter tack cleaning and pop one in. I hope the DVDs make the task pass enjoyably. > The photos of your Fjord in Xmas garb are priceless. They're both pretty good sports about letting me do silly things to them. Dawna tolerates it; Donnie loves it because, hey, it's attention! And if anyone else is curious about the Xmas Fjord photos, there's a few of them here: http://calder.fjording.net/gallery/v/Diana/2008/?g2_page=2 http://calder.fjording.net/gallery/v/Diana/2008/?g2_page=3 > Thank you very much, > Valerie > Columbia, CT You're welcome! Glad you liked the gifts. Diana -- Best regards, Dianamailto:dcal...@gmail.com Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
Trying to trace registration of a Fjord mare in Ontario
This message is from: Diana Calder I'm trying to track down the registration info of a Fjord mare in Ontario. The therapeutic riding facility that currently has her doesn't have the papers and have so far been unable to obtain them from the previous owner (divorce, change of phone numbers, etc., etc.). The name that they know her by is Trina. She's a brown dun, 14.2hh, 7 years old, drafty type, and was purchased from the area of Jarvis, Ontario. They were told that she'd been used for walk-trot-canter and dressage but say that she's proven to be very, *very* green (definitions of "green" can vary, so I'm withholding judgement till I see for myself). Does this mare sound familiar to anyone? I'm going to take a look at her tomorrow and hopefully will be able to find out some more details at that time; the woman that I spoke to was at home today and didn't have access to the mare's file. If they're able to figure out who this mare is (maybe through the microchip - anyone know which side/where in the neck it should be located on what's most likely a CFHA registered Fjord?), is there any way to get her registration papers transferred to her current owner (either the facility or a new owner, as they don't think that she's going to work out for their needs) without going through the previous (apparently uncooperative) owner? Any suggestions on tracking down this mare's registration and getting it properly transferred would be greatly appreciated. -- Best regards, Diana mailto:dcal...@gmail.com Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
Thanks to my Secret Santa, Beth Beymer!
This message is from: Diana Calder The handpainted blown glass ornament arrived today. It's gorgeous! Thank you so much! I especially appreciate it because I have a real "thing" for glass - I do stained glass and hot glass work (fusing) myself. Diana Calder -- Best regards, Diana mailto:dcal...@gmail.com Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
Re: Secret Santa Thank you!
This message is from: Diana Calder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sunday, December 23, 2007, 7:50:11 PM: CM> This message is from: "Cynthia Madden" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> CM> My Secret Santa, CM> I received my Secret Santa gift today. The gift is wonderful and most CM> certainly can be used all year long. Wishing you and yours a joyous CM> Christmas with family and Fjord friends. I also wish you a prosperous New CM> Year. Again thank you very much. CM> Kelly M. Hoem Kelly, If but one package has arrived, another is yet to come. Hope you enjoy the contents of both parcels. Diana Calder and Steinacker's Donnie & Deere Country Dawna, Santa's fuzzy reindeer-stand-ins on the card! ;) -- Best regards, Dianamailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] The FjordHorse List archives can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw
Re: [fjordlist] icelandic saddles
This message is from: Diana Calder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Thursday, November 8, 2007, 11:35:09 AM, Uli wrote: spc> This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] spc> I currently use a Trecker treeless saddle that I am quite happy with, spc> except when it comes to distance riding.I feel that it doesn't spc> supply enough support for the horse or the rider. spc> Another disadvantage is that one can't pack a lot on a treeless spc> saddle and I like to go on pack in overnight camping trips. spc> I also use an Abetta endurance saddle,which is overall a little too spc> flat a saddle in my opinion. I've found that Aussie saddles in general seem to fit Fjords quite well. I have no idea who made the used Aussie that my dad uses with our Fjord gelding, but it fits wonderfully (and was the reason that I became so sold on Aussies in the first place). It has a wide tree and long bars - a little too much so for our mare - but has always worked great for the gelding. Aussie saddles are extremely comfortable - including for trail or distance riding. I'd suggest checking out Down Under Saddle Supply at http://www.downunderweb.com/ - I recently bought an Aussie saddle (a hornless endurance model) from them and they did an *excellent* job of recommending the right saddle for me and my Fjord mare. As well as Aussie saddles, they have Western, English, and, a number of Endurance models (including an Exmoor Endurance that reminds me a lot of an Icelandic saddle). Between the withers tracing, horse's weight & breed, my own measurements, and the saddle's intended purpose (plus special consideration for my osteoarthritic knees and hips) they came up with a list of several saddle models that were suitable. I chose the mid-priced Longreach Endurance from that list. I was *extremely* happy with the service and even more delighted with the quality and fit of the saddle. Down Under Saddle has monthly specials and also often has great clearance deals on "seconds" (saddles with cosmetic flaws, such as unevenly coloured leather), sample-runs, and customer returns. If you're prepared to watch and wait, you may get a great deal (I did). Diana -- Best regards, Dianamailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] The FjordHorse List archives can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw
Re: [fjordlist] Durango and Ram 1500
This message is from: Diana Calder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Thursday, March 22, 2007, 4:37:52 PM, Vanessa wrote: VNW> This message is from: "Vanessa N. Weber" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> VNW> Hi, VNW> Has anyone on this list had experienced pulling a two horse trailer with VNW> either the Durango or Ram 1500? If so, could you give me your appraisal? I actually pull a two horse (no dressing room but definitely *not* a light-weight aluminum trailer) with a 4WD quad cab 2004 Dodge Dakota - not a Ram, a *Dakota* (the so-called "light truck" that's easily as big and probably as powerful as the Ram was back in the 80s). The Dakota is rated on paper to handle the trailer and, in reality, it handles the load beautifully - no problems whatsoever, whether it be starting, towing, or stopping. I have the towing package but not the hemi engine. This is actually the second Dakota I've had for hauling the trailer; the first one didn't have 4WD but also did the job quite well. However, I would note that we're on pretty flat land around here, we don't make very frequent trips with the trailer, and by far the longest haul to a show that we make is around 3 hours each way (though that is a hilly trip and the truck has had no problems). I haul two adult Fjords in the trailer and the truck bed is usually full of Rubbermaid bins containing harness, water, etc. We do not, however, haul the wagon in the truck - my parents tow that on a separate trailer with their minivan. Unless you regularly haul through the mountains or for long distances, drive at Autobahn speeds, habitually throw your horses off their feet with last-second stops, or have a two-horse trailer with living quarters the size of a small apartment (like the ones we saw at the CanAm Equine last week - good grief!), I doubt that a Ram 1500 would have any problems. While the "ideal" trailer-hauling truck may be an overpowered monster, I think that it's important to take into consideration the hauling conditions and usage pattern for the truck and for the truck-with-trailer. In my case, a Ram - especially one of the more powerful ones - would be serious overkill for the amount and type of usage that it would get. The Dakota suffices for my needs; the Ram 1500 may well suffice for yours. -- Best regards, Dianamailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] The FjordHorse List archives can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw
Re: [fjordlist] Fjord Herald
This message is from: Diana Calder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Wednesday, March 21, 2007, 3:04:25 PM, Mike May wrote: MM> This message is from: Mike May <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> MM> Just checking up on the Winter issue of the Fjord Herald that was MM> sent out over a month ago. Did anyone in Canada receive their copy of it yet? Our copy arrived yesterday. We're in southwestern Ontario. The postal service in general has been exceptionally slow for the past six months or so; especially between Canada and the U.S. -- Best regards, Dianamailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] The FjordHorse List archives can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw
Re[2]: SS wrap up
This message is from: Diana Calder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Oh darn it. *sigh* I can't believe I forgot to check the address after hitting the reply button. Oh well, so much for the "secret" part of Secret Santa. *waves* Amy, your gift is on its way - sorry about the delay. Diana Monday, December 26, 2005, 11:40:37 PM, you wrote: DC> This message is from: Diana Calder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> DC> Hello Cynthia, DC> My SS gift for Amy Evers was shipped late due to delays in getting DC> part of it finished. Because of how much the post office is closed DC> over the holidays, I'm not sure just how long it will take to get to DC> her, but I think it should be there sometime next week. If not, I do DC> have a tracking number to make sure that it hasn't gone totally DC> astray. -- Best regards, Dianamailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: SS wrap up
This message is from: Diana Calder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Hello Cynthia, My SS gift for Amy Evers was shipped late due to delays in getting part of it finished. Because of how much the post office is closed over the holidays, I'm not sure just how long it will take to get to her, but I think it should be there sometime next week. If not, I do have a tracking number to make sure that it hasn't gone totally astray. -- Best regards, Dianamailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: easy entry carts?
This message is from: Diana Calder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Hello Merilee, Thursday, November 3, 2005, 1:41:06 AM, you wrote: MM> This message is from: "Mighty Mouse" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> MM> Hello,this is Merrilee from WI. I am trying to get some ideas MM> about what to buy for my mare to pull. I've been looking at the MM> easy entry carts but I am just curious what works best for the MM> Fjords. I am just learning to drive and just would like some MM> pointers from more experienced folks (with fjords). We have a Frontier Easy Entry cart, horse size, and love it. We're always getting asked where we got it when we go to local fairs, by competitors and judges (yes, judges too!). The folks with the fancy Meadowbrooks all want one of these for home use and/or for starting young horses, because that stupid rear-entry nonsense is a pain-in-the-you-know-where! The true easy-entry carts (meaning you get in from the side, *without* having to step over the shafts) are great for getting people with limited mobility in and out, and they're terrific for working with green horses, since the passenger can jump out in a split second and be at the horse's head. Plus, they're light and easy to handle alone. And two people can easily lift one into the back of a pickup for transport. Some people will try to tell scare stories about how terribly dangerous spoked bicycle-tire wheels (and possibly easy-entry carts in general) are, but unless you're driving over incredibly rough terrain, I can't imagine an issue. We've only replaced one tire, and that was because when we were cleaning the cart before a show, I noticed a slight bulge (not surprising in a five-year-old bicycle tire that's seen lots of miles). A little routine maintenance and some common sense is all that's necessary. We drive through the fields and on the pavement regularly without any issues. You do, however, have to watch how much weight you put in the cart with the standard tires. There are replacement wheels available from various sources; some are just heavier-duty bicycle-type tires (I've been looking into these, since two adults is a little borderline for our cart's tires) while others are actual wood or metal wheels (though in that case, you'll sacrifice some of the smoothness of the ride). Frontier Easy Entry Carts http://www.easyentrycart.com/ American Cart & Harness (offer easy entry carts and also offer the heavier duty tires, no more flats inner tubes, and wooden wheels with an axel as parts or options) http://www.horsecart.com/ If you want to see some pictures of our easy entry cart, I have a bunch of pictures of our Fjords up at http://calder.fjording.net/gallery/v/Diana/Horses/Fjords/ - you'll just have to browse through them to find the ones with the cart, but there's quite a few. MM> Do they usually require the horse size? My mare is 14.3 and MM> slightly drafty. Any advice would be appricated...thanks!! The horse's measurements are usually only requested if you're getting something custom-built. However, it doesn't hurt to check even when ordering something from in stock. Height, girth, and body length are all important for getting a cart to fit and balance properly. Plus, there's considerable variation in the definition of "horse" or "cob" sizes, and Fjords tend to fall somewhere in between anyway. Our cart fit our gelding extremely well until he was four, at which point we had to get our shafts bent out a bit. He's drafty and, even on nothing but timothy hay, he's a little heavier than he probably should be; the horse shafts were just too narrow and rubbed his belly. But once the shafts were bent out, it was fine, and it's fit him quite well ever since. Even with the shafts bent out, it fits our two-year-old filly perfectly as well - she just has a little more belly-clearance than the gelding does. A lot of people will advocate a Meadowbrook, but I personally hate those carts - and a lot of people who show at the fairs around here will freely admit to disliking them as well. They just show in one because someone else told them that was the "right" cart to get way back when they first got started. I find Meadowbrooks a rough ride compared to our cart and I hate how awkward it is to get in and out of them. If there's a problem with the horse, I want to be able to get out *now*, not have to flip up the seat or climb out over the shafts. There are some manufacturers of wood, or partially wood, carts that have the same design as the easy entry pipe carts from the manufacturers above. If you're planning to show, and don't expect to have a lot of money available to get a second cart just for showing, you may want to look into those wooden easy entries more thoroughly, as they will look a little more similar to the traditional Meadowbrooks
Re: [FOR SALE] Russet leather pleasure harness and 3 bits
This message is from: Diana Calder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I have several interested parties lined up for the harness, so it's as good as gone. The three bits listed below are still available, however. Diana Friday, August 26, 2005, 6:22:43 PM, I wrote: DC> Also available: 1 lightly used mullen mouth Pelham bit and 2 brand new DC> Liverpool bits. All three bits are stainless steel and measure 5" from DC> cheek to cheek. Asking $25 US each plus shipping. DC> Located in southwestern Ontario; will ship internationally. DC> Payment via money order (must be cashable in Canada), cheque (shipping DC> will be delayed until the cheque clears the bank, which takes DC> approximately four weeks), or Paypal (shipping must be to your Paypal DC> Confirmed Address). -- Best regards, Dianamailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[FOR SALE] Russet leather pleasure harness and 3 bits
This message is from: Diana Calder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Since we've purchased a nice new combo does-everything granite harness (converts for single, double, tandem, draft, pleasure), I've decided to sell the leather pleasure harness that I purchased late last summer. It was used maybe half a dozen times in total. It's a nice enough harness for small shows (we used it at one fair last year) or parades (used it for one or two of those as well), but it's probably not fancy enough for serious competition at big shows. It's a fairly dark russet, with brass hardware. Sliding gig backband, nylon-reinforced leather tugs, removable check, square blinders. Harness is complete, with the exception of a bit which is *not* included. The harness was used on a drafty 14~14.5 hand Norwegian Fjord; it fit him, with plenty of adjustment room left for a larger horse. Photos available on request. Asking $140 US plus shipping. Also available: 1 lightly used mullen mouth Pelham bit and 2 brand new Liverpool bits. All three bits are stainless steel and measure 5" from cheek to cheek. Asking $25 US each plus shipping. Located in southwestern Ontario; will ship internationally. Payment via money order (must be cashable in Canada), cheque (shipping will be delayed until the cheque clears the bank, which takes approximately four weeks), or Paypal (shipping must be to your Paypal Confirmed Address). -- Best regards, Diana mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Ontario Fjord show?
This message is from: Diana Calder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Does anyone know whether there's going to be an Ontario Fjord show this year? If so, when and where? I need to get busy and book vacation time if I want to be certain of getting the days I ask for, so if I want to go to the Ontario show, I need to know when it's going to take place ASAP. I would imagine that I'm not the only one who needs to know several months in advance, so an announcement would probably be a very good thing for all interested parties. Diana -- Best regards, Diana mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Thank you SS Cindy V.
This message is from: Diana Calder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> A big "Thank You" to our Secret Santa Cindy from me and my two fjords for the lovely new pair of mane-trimming scissors, the beautiful Fjord earrings, and the box of treats! Donnie and Dawna will definitely enjoy the goodies, I love the earrings, and we'll all benefit from the new pair of scissors. Thanks! Diana (and Donnie and Dawna) -- Best regards, Diana mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[OT] Gmail account invitations
This message is from: Diana Calder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> A while ago there was some discussion of problems with list messages not reaching folks with Hotmail/Yahoo addresses. If anyone's sick of dealing with Hotmail &/or Yahoo mail accounts and would like a Gmail account, send me an email at [EMAIL PROTECTED] and I'll send you an invitation. Check http://gmail.google.com/gmail/help/about.html for details on exactly what Gmail *is* if you don't already know. So far, I've been pretty happy with my Gmail account though I've only had it for a couple of months now. The spam filter was a bit overzealous initially but I only had to correct it a couple of times for mailing lists before it "learned" the difference between legitimate bulk mail and unsolicited. -- Best regards, Diana mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Passing on another message: Looking for a Western gaming/barrel prospect
This message is from: Diana Calder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> And another message from the show yesterday... Joan is looking for a Fjord to train for Western gaming/barrel racing and general riding. She wants one that is at least green broke, anywhere from 2-7 years old, mare or gelding. Obviously a bit older (maybe up to 10 at most) would be okay if the horse already has some training in those disciplines. She's competed in the past but hasn't for a few years and wants to get back into it. She has plenty of horse experience - she and her dad were at the show yesterday with his gorgeous pair of Haflingers who are about as sweet and even-tempered as my Fjord. Please contact me off-list for her phone number (she doesn't have Internet) if you have a suitable horse and would like to talk to her. She's in southwestern Ontario, near the Windsor/Detroit border. -- Best regards, Diana mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Passing on a message: 8 year old gelding for sale in SW Ontario
This message is from: Diana Calder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Hi listers, We had our two Fjords at a draft show yesterday and someone was handing out flyers advertising a Fjord for sale. I haven't seen him myself so all I know is what she told me and what the flyer says but I promised to pass on the word for her. Here's the flyer's wording: "Norwegian Fjord. 8 year old gelding. Registered. Rides and drives. Gentle as a lamb, yet powerful. 13.1 hands. Very easy keeper. $2800, includes harness. 519-738-4866" Note that the $2800 would be Canadian dollars. She did mention that he was overweight but then that doesn't seem to be unusual for a Fjord bought by someone who's used to feeding other breeds. She said she bought him to use as a school pony late last fall but he's too strong for the kids she's put on him (at least using the basic snaffle that she prefers for lesson use). I gathered from what she said that he's the more drafty type. The horse is in southwestern Ontario (near the Windsor/Detroit border). -- Best regards, Diana mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Tender-footed Fjords - suggestions?
This message is from: Diana Calder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Hi, I was just wondering whether anyone had any suggestions what to do to help toughen up tender feet on a Fjord? Donnie's hooves are fine - no problems with cracking or chipping. He's never been shod but he has *always* had very tender feet. Gravel makes him limp like crazy and he'll head straight for the nearest patch of grass given the chance. No problems on asphalt. He got a stone bruise last fall when we took him to a parade (the staging area was a transport company's parking lot and was all large crushed stone - most of the other horses there, shod or barefoot, had a little trouble but none as noticeably as he did). We didn't realize he'd been bruised right away but he went lame before the next parade we intended to go to and I figured that's what it was. The farrier came and confirmed my guess and took care of it, we soaked it for a week or so, and it finally cleared up. But Donnie's still more ouchy on that foot. I ordered Old Macs for him and he goes fine in those (even if only worn on front) but I'm not sure whether they'll be allowed at the fairs we're going to again this year (some of those have gravel that we have to cross to get in the ring). Plus my dad doesn't like the way they look. He thinks we should shoe Donnie for the summer. I *really* do not want to. The shoe would have to have a pad to do any good at all and since Donnie likes to paw, I'm sure he'll get junk up under it and then we'll have trouble with *that*. He'll paw his Old Macs undone if we leave him tied up with them on for more than a short time. Suggestions?? -- Best regards, Diana mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re[2]: PMU Fjord Crosses
This message is from: Diana Calder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Tuesday, January 08, 2002, 9:09:18 PM, Jennifer wrote: JK> This message is from: "Jennifer Kroll" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> JK> none of the ones I have seen were labeled as belgianxFjord mares. I didnt JK> find foalquest till late August though. Maybe they were up but were taken JK> down? This is the farm I am talking about. JK> http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=293591&uid=128924 There were some pictures on another site as well (Photopoint, I think?). Some farms were split between the two sites, but the other site had the photos of the paint stallion and the most paint & paint-cross (including paint X Fjord) foals. That site also had several photos that labelled mares as Belgian x Fjord, with paint-sired foals. JK> Perhaps some of them are crosses, but it does not say anything to that JK> effect. Who knows though! :) I am by no means an expert. I just try to learn JK> as much as possible. What do you think? There are only two mares there that I would think could even MAYBE be purebred Fjord, the others are all definitely crosses (IMHO). The mares in ALF#FJ13 and #13 might be purebred but the others are all much too dark just for starters. It also looks like the mane on those two mares has been trimmed in the traditional Fjord arch (?!) while all the others have longer manes. I could certainly be wrong, but that's my reaction to the pictures. -- Best regards, Dianamailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: PMU Fjord Crosses
This message is from: Diana Calder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Tuesday, January 08, 2002, 3:21:34 PM, Steve wrote: SM> This message is from: Steve McIlree <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> SM> The lady with the .5 Fjords from the PMU farm will be joining us here SM> shortly. I asked when I invited her to join the list and her little SM> one's DAM was a Fjord. So there are Fjord mares on the PMU farms! Actually, I looked at some of the PMU Foalquest foal photos earlier this year and I believe that all of the part-Fjord foals that were shown were out of Fjord-Belgian cross mares, not purebred Fjord mares. Perhaps there were some other mares that weren't shown, but the ones that I looked at were in some cases labelled as Fjord-Belgian crosses and those that weren't labelled looked identical. There were a couple of Fjord-paint cross foals that looked almost exactly like the "skjevet" (sp?) Fjord photo that was mentioned on the list before. The fillies in particular were very pretty! -- Best regards, Dianamailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Holiday Greetings
This message is from: Diana Calder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> A happy holiday e-greeting from me and the rest of the Calder family: http://users.mnsi.net/~dcalder/card/card.html -- Diana mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Australian Saddles
This message is from: Diana Calder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Tuesday, November 20, 2001, 2:54:32 PM, Deb wrote: DT> This message is from: "D T" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> DT> Does anyone here ride with an Aussie saddle? If so I have got to DT> ask you some questions. I think I must be missing a very important DT> piece to mine :-) I use an Aussie saddle - and boy, do I ever love it after the Western ones I used growing up! If you think you're missing a piece, I'm guessing that you only have one girth instead of the two, right? If so, that (the overgirth) is a REALLY important piece! Feel free to e-mail me directly with your questions - I'm not an expert, but I did a lot of research before I bought my used saddle. -- Best regards, Dianamailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: FJORD SHOW IN ONTARIO!!
This message is from: Diana Calder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I haven't heard anything lately about the Middleville Fjord Show - does anyone know whether it is still taking place this weekend? I would imagine that attendance will be negatively affected by the current border situation, but I'm assuming that the show is still on... I live in the Windsor, Ontario area, so I know that traffic here is backed up literally miles from the bridge and tunnel to the U.S. - yesterday they had to send out the Fire Department with water trucks to hose down livestock trucks that were stuck sitting for hours in the heat, so I'm guessing that U.S. horse owners aren't going to want to risk hauling their horses over for a show. We aren't bringing any horses, but we are planning to drive up to see the fair and Fjord show, so I just wondered whether anyone knew for sure what was going on with the show (it's a LONG drive from here to Middleville, not one I want to make for nothing...). Diana Thursday, May 24, 2001, 9:44:53 PM, Pat wrote: PW> This message is from: Pat Wolfe <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> PW> Come to our FJORD HORSE SHOW Sunday, September 16th in Ontario. The PW> First Middleville Fjord Horse Show will be held in the village of PW> Middleville. We are very accessible to the New England States. PW> Middleville is one hour west of Ottawa and one and a half hours north of PW> the New York State line. Syracuse is a mere three and a half hours PW> south of our show grounds. Crossing the Canadian border is no problem. PW> See your vet for a Federal Vet Health Certificate. PW> The Middleville Show will be judged under NFHR show rules. Karen Cabic PW> is our judge. PW> There will be line classes; English/Western pleasure and equitation; PW> driving, pleasure and reinsmanship; a log pull; cones, driven and PW> ridden; and sit a buck ($10.00). PW> For those who want to make a weekend of it, there will be Fjord classes PW> and Open classes on Saturday at part of the historic 150th anniversary PW> of our Middleville Fair. PW> There are lovely and inexpensive B&B's in the area. Come and enjoy PW> Ottawa Valley hospitality. PW> For more information and a prize list contact Show Manager Pat Wolfe at PW> the above e-mail address or at 613-256-0631. -- Best regards, Dianamailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
Re[2]: fjord horse web site
This message is from: Diana Calder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Hello Marsha, Monday, July 09, 2001, 11:37:51 AM, you wrote: MJH> This message is from: Marsha Jo Hannah <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> "Mike May, Registrar NFHR" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> >> Please go to the NFHR website & click on "Joining NFHR" Then print the >> page & send it in to the address on the form. The web site is at: >> >> www.nfhr.com MJH> Is anyone else having trouble getting into the NFHR web site? My MJH> browser says, MJH> Connect: Looking up host: www.nfhr.com MJH> sits there twiddling its thumbs for a minute or so, then pops up an MJH> error window that says, MJH> Netscape is unable to locate the server www.nfhr.com . MJH> Please check the server name and try again. MJH> The problem is consistent for this site, although I can get into most MJH> other sites. (But, there are a few of my bookmarks that fail in the MJH> same way; and there are some that fail sometimes, connect others.) MJH> Any insights would be appreciated. (My ISP is adamant that it's not MJH> their problem; I don't believe them, but don't know how to "motivate" MJH> them to fix things!) MJH> Since this rapidly veers off topic, replies should probably come to me MJH> directly. I used to work as tech support for an ISP, so I can make a few suggestions here. The DNS (Domain Name Service) turns the site's name-address into its number-address (IP address), which is how you actually get to a site. The problem COULD lie with your ISP's DNS server, but it could also be caused by your own computer. First, you can try using the NFHR's IP address instead of its name to get there. Instead of typing www.nfhr.com in Netscape's address bar, type 64.177.183.215 which is the site's IP address, then hit enter. If the site comes up OK, then that confirms that there's a DNS problem - either your ISP's DNS server has an incorrect address or your own computer isn't looking the address up the way it should. Assuming you're using Windows 95 or 98, click "Start" then "Programs" then "MS-DOS Command Prompt" (might just say "Command Prompt"). When the command prompt window opens up, type ping www.nfhr.com and see what happens. If you get something like Reply from 64.177.183.215: bytes=32 time=140ms TTL=239 (repeated four times, the numbers of bytes, etc. may vary) then your ISP's DNS is OK and the problem is on your computer. If you have another browser like Internet Explorer or Opera installed, you might want to try going to the NFHR site and some of the other ones that you have problems with using the other browser - if it works OK, then Netscape is the problem. In any case, you can try clearing out Netscape's cache and see if that solves the problem (in Netscape 4.7, click "Edit", then "Preferences", click the "+" sign beside "Advanced" (on the left under "Category"), then click the "Clear Memory Cache" button, then click the "Clear Disk Cache" button (you'll have to click "OK" when it asks you to confirm), then click "OK" to close the preferences. Close Netscape (to be SURE that the change takes effect), then go back in and try going to the site again. If it works, great - if not - well, e-mail me back and I'll try to take you through a few more possibilities. Hope this helps. -- Best regards, Dianamailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
Re[2]: Bit & Breyer Silver Wolfe 2000 Spring Show Special Fjord for sale
This message is from: Diana Calder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> The Silver Wolfe model is now sold, but I still have the Dewsbury Waterford Baucher bit for sale. DC> Here's links to info on the Dewsbury Waterford Baucher that I have DC> for sale: DC> http://www.horsebit.com/questions2.htm DC> http://www.kangaroobits.com/baucher.htm DC>> The Dewsbury bits are supposed to have a life-long warranty, and DC>> I've still got the box and everything for the bit so it should be DC>> covered the same as if it was new. It has a manufacturer's flaw DC>> on one link, but it's smooth and seems only to be cosmetic so I DC>> didn't bother returning it. If anyone's interested, I'd like $80 DC>> (plus shipping to wherever it needs to go) for the bit. If no DC>> one's interested, I'll probably offer it on the CD-L, before DC>> trying eBay (the selling fees there are getting nasty). -- Best regards, Dianamailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Bit & Breyer Silver Wolfe 2000 Spring Show Special Fjord for sale
This message is from: Diana Calder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> PW> This message is from: Pat Wilson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> PW> PW> What does your Breyer model look like, I may be interested. PW> pat wilson PW> ttfn The batteries in my digicam are dead, so I'll just give a link to the Silver Wolfe photo for now - it's the same mold as the Breyer Henry the Norwegian Fjord except in a gray dun (they call it silver dun). They made one screw-up in the markings, however - they gave Silver Wolfe four white stockings below his dark leg markings! I haven't gotten around to repainting the legs on my own model yet, but I will eventually. Here's a few links with pictures of Silver Wolfe: http://petgearmfg.safeshopper.com/108/816.htm?152 http://www.modelhorseweb.com/srs/2000.html http://www.sr-outdoors.com/~breyer/silver_wolfe.htm And while I'm busy finding links, here's links to info on the Dewsbury Waterford Baucher that I have for sale: http://www.horsebit.com/questions2.htm http://www.kangaroobits.com/baucher.htm I can take some pictures of the actual model once I get the digicam's batteries charged back up if anyone wants pics of it. Thanks, Diana Thursday, June 28, 2001, 8:00:11 PM, you wrote: DC> This message is from: Diana Calder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> DC> I've got a 6" John Dewsbury Waterford Baucher bit for sale. I paid DC> $111.60 US (before taxes and shipping) for it back in March this year, DC> used it for about a month, then gave up on it - I'm not sure if it was DC> a little bit thick for Donnie's palate or not, but he definitely DC> couldn't handle all the joints in it - I never did try it on the DC> driving bridle, only on the one we use to ground-drive him with the DC> stoneboat, and not only would he never stop playing with it, but he DC> also managed to pull it plus the rein right through his mouth on DC> several occasions. Waterford bits are supposed to be bought longer DC> than others, so the 6" is about equivalent to a 5.5" French link DC> (which I bought a Smuckers' butterfly version of at the same time, and DC> which Donnie does seem to like, but not as well as the copper-roller DC> D-ring snaffle we started him out with). The Dewsbury bits are DC> supposed to have a life-long warranty, and I've still got the box and DC> everything for the bit so it should be covered the same as if it was DC> new. It has a manufacturer's flaw on one link, but it's smooth and DC> seems only to be cosmetic so I didn't bother returning it. If DC> anyone's interested, I'd like $80 (plus shipping to wherever it needs DC> to go) for the bit. If no one's interested, I'll probably offer it on DC> the CD-L, before trying eBay (the selling fees there are getting DC> nasty). One question - any recommendations on sterilizing the bit DC> before shipping it? I was thinking in terms of rubbing alcohol, but DC> wasn't sure if that was strong enough... DC> I've also got a New in Box Breyer Silver Wolfe 2000 Spring Show DC> Special Fjord for sale. I accidentally wound up with two (bid on a lot DC> including one on eBay, got outbid, ordered one from an online store, DC> then the high bidder backed out on the eBay lot and since I wanted the DC> rest of the lot anyway, I accepted the win on that one as well). I'm DC> asking $30 plus shipping for the Silver Wolfe. DC> First come, first serve on both of these items. -- Best regards, Dianamailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Website up and a cautionary tale...
This message is from: Diana Calder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I've put up a website with pictures of my Fjord, Steinacker's Donnie. It's at http://users.mnsi.net/~dcalder/fjord.html and has quite a few pictures on it. The "cautionary tale" has to do with something that happened when I was driving Donnie at our church picnic this past Sunday. He turned his head very, very short (right back to his shoulder, basically) when turning around while hitched and he slipped the "snaffle" hole of the butterfly bit *around* the end of the shaft. He snorted and jerked his head, but fortunately he jerked away from the shaft as well as up, so he slid the ring back off the end of the shaft (taking the white plastic shaft tip cover with it). I think I was more upset than Donnie was (my dad was standing at his head as he started to move out and he couldn't figure out what I was yelling at him to fix till after Donnie had fixed the problem himself). This was undoubtedly just a "freak accident" (specifically, I blame the fact that Donnie started to turn BEFORE any forward motion took place, meaning that there was some slack in the traces and he was not quite as far forward in the shafts as he would be when in motion), but I can imagine it being a very, very dangerous situation, (if Donnie had pulled straight up, for instance, and yanked his mouth harder - or for that matter, if it had been a less flexible bit rather than the French link). Just thought I'd mention it as one more thing for people to be aware of as potentially getting caught on a shaft (a caught line is bad enough!). By the way, is there anyone out there that makes replacement shafts for Frontier EZ-Entry carts? Maybe even wood ones? Mine are horse-size but still seem to fit pretty close to Donnie's sides (seem okay for width further back and in front, but might be a bit long as well, though that would be easily corrected if they didn't come in as narrow since the traces could just be lengthened). I mention wood since the paint on the existing metal shafts is terribly marked up already, after only having the cart for about 9 months (four of which it spent disassembled and packed away for the winter). -- Best regards, Diana mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Bit & Breyer Silver Wolfe 2000 Spring Show Special Fjord for sale
This message is from: Diana Calder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I've got a 6" John Dewsbury Waterford Baucher bit for sale. I paid $111.60 US (before taxes and shipping) for it back in March this year, used it for about a month, then gave up on it - I'm not sure if it was a little bit thick for Donnie's palate or not, but he definitely couldn't handle all the joints in it - I never did try it on the driving bridle, only on the one we use to ground-drive him with the stoneboat, and not only would he never stop playing with it, but he also managed to pull it plus the rein right through his mouth on several occasions. Waterford bits are supposed to be bought longer than others, so the 6" is about equivalent to a 5.5" French link (which I bought a Smuckers' butterfly version of at the same time, and which Donnie does seem to like, but not as well as the copper-roller D-ring snaffle we started him out with). The Dewsbury bits are supposed to have a life-long warranty, and I've still got the box and everything for the bit so it should be covered the same as if it was new. It has a manufacturer's flaw on one link, but it's smooth and seems only to be cosmetic so I didn't bother returning it. If anyone's interested, I'd like $80 (plus shipping to wherever it needs to go) for the bit. If no one's interested, I'll probably offer it on the CD-L, before trying eBay (the selling fees there are getting nasty). One question - any recommendations on sterilizing the bit before shipping it? I was thinking in terms of rubbing alcohol, but wasn't sure if that was strong enough... I've also got a New in Box Breyer Silver Wolfe 2000 Spring Show Special Fjord for sale. I accidentally wound up with two (bid on a lot including one on eBay, got outbid, ordered one from an online store, then the high bidder backed out on the eBay lot and since I wanted the rest of the lot anyway, I accepted the win on that one as well). I'm asking $30 plus shipping for the Silver Wolfe. First come, first serve on both of these items. -- Best regards, Diana mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: fjord sculptures
This message is from: Diana Calder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Monday, April 30, 2001, 5:13:01 PM, Carol M. wrote: cjm> I sure would like to see a better likeness of the Fjord than what Breyer cjm> had put out. There is also a rather nice Fjord resin put out by North Light. The colour names are a bit confusing (their mouse dun looks like it's probably what should be called a gray dun and the yellow dun looks like it's actually brown dun and I have no idea what an "apricot dun" is supposed to be), but I like the mold itself far better than the Breyer Henry mold. They also will do custom colours, including custom based on photos - obviously custom jobs cost more than a standard colour, though... They've got some pretty nice dog figurines too, and their other horse molds are nice too (I like their Shetland better than the Breyer traditional-sized one). The only dealer-page I have for them (which also has LOTS of photos of the various models, as well as up-front pricing) is here: http://www.lonewolfstar.com/north.htm Here's the page where the equine molds start (also talks about colours and pricing): http://www.lonewolfstar.com/equines.htm And you can skip straight to the Fjord model here: http://www.lonewolfstar.com/norwegia.htm There's more photos (including the "apricot dun") at the Model Horse Manufacturers' Encyclopedia: http://gallery.modelhorseweb.com/Model-Manufactures/N/MHCs_NLpnfj.html I want to get a Fjord and a Shetland, but I haven't got around to it yet - soon though! -- Best regards, Dianamailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re[2]: Intro. from a Lurker (Long)
This message is from: Diana Calder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Monday, February 05, 2001, 12:59:31 PM, Jean Gayle wrote:
JG> Hello Diana and welcome. Sounds like you did a great job of
JG> finding the right horse for you. or is it for your Dad? You may
JG> have some problems there and that is why you can not stop with
JG> just one fjord! Jean
I've already figured that one out! The Fjord-fund is slowly growing
again, though the cart & harness last fall set it back again. It'll
probably be a year or two before I start looking for another fjord,
but I do eventually want at least a team! At the moment, though, it's
just as well that we just have one since it gives us more time and
attention to spend on him - and he sure does soak it all up! The time
that we've spent with Donnie definitely shows - he'll follow either my
dad or myself just about anywhere ("You want me to climb that gravel
pile and stand on top?!? Sure, if you do first! - Want me to go
through that narrow doorway and make a right-angle turn halfway
through? Sure, if you go first! - Want to pony me beside the bike
you're riding? Sure! - Want me to stick my head in the
house's door and tell Diana to come out and play? Sure!").
(And yes, my dad does actually bring Donnie right up the sidewalk,
open the door, and let Donnie stand with his head inside so he can
look up the stairs to the kitchen and nicker for me to come see him!
The only catch is that he has to keep a good grip on Donnie so that he
doesn't decide to come right on in!)
--
Best regards,
Dianamailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Intro. from a Lurker (Long)
This message is from: Diana Calder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Well, I've been lurking on the list since way back around June 2000, so I guess now's as good a time as any to finally introduce myself. My name's Diana Calder, I'm from southwestern Ontario, I'm 31, and I have one Fjord gelding, Donnie. I bought Steinacker's Donnie from the Bosomworth's at Deere Country Fjords as a yearling in May of 2000, after spending a LOT of time researching several breeds and even more time saving up money (one doesn't tend to have much to spare when repaying student loans :P ). It had been (quite) a few years since I last had a horse, and neither of the two I'd had were trained to drive. The Shetland pony that I'd had before those was, however, and I'd had more fun with her than with either of the two horses. I considered getting a Shetland again, but Shetlands like the one I had (sturdy, stubborn, clever, but sweet when they want to be) are very hard to find. Most Shetlands now seem to be of the fine-boned, high-strung variety. I'd loved the Morgan that I had as well, but again he was the quiet, calm type and any that I looked at were much more high-strung. Well, that is, he was calm and quiet after we'd had him for a year or so - the 14-year-old horse that got loose and took 8 people, including his former owner, nearly two hours to catch on the day that he was delivered (if I hadn't already handed over the cheque, he probably would have gone straight back in the trailer when we DID finally catch him!) ended up a big sook who, if you dropped the reins on his neck, would walk up the sidewalk to bang on the door with his nose till my mom would bring him a cookie. He had definitely had some less-than-gentle handling in the past, but once he figured out that he could trust us, he was a great horse (but unfortunately one with a number of health problems, also unknown when we purchased him). The 16-year-old 3/4 Arab mare that I had after him cured me of any romantic teenage notions about an Arab being the perfect horse for me (she'd work up a sweat before you even got in the saddle, and she didn't have a "walk", only a bone-jarring jog that led straight into an even more bone-jarring trot). I've never been a better than mediocre rider, and as the only rider in the family, riding alone wasn't much fun, so I was more interested in a driving horse/pony this time around, though one that would be large enough for me to ride as well would be kind of nice. I didn't want anything too tall - 15 hands was the absolute limit for height (this ruled out one other breed I'd considered, Canadians, since in spite of what the breed standard says (14 - 16 hands), I couldn't seem to find any under 15.2 or 16 hands, and many were over 16 hands!), since I didn't want to need a step-stool to mount. Kind, gentle, good-natured - all these were traits that appealed to me. I had also had enough of older horses - I didn't want to inherit someone else's problems, either health- or behaviour-related, this time around. So I researched three breeds that I'd heard good things about (Bashkirs, Icelandics, and Fjords). All three were quite expensive compared to other horse prices in my area, particularly since most of them seemed to be priced in U.S. funds, and it quickly became obvious that I wasn't just looking for a "younger" animal, I would be looking at a weanling or yearling, or else saving up for three or four more years. I narrowed my choices down to Icelandic or Fjord, then finally - and mostly based on geography (I couldn't find ANY Icelandics listed in Ontario) and price - just Fjord. Some of the breeders on the list may even recall me e-mailing them early in 2000 to inquire about horses available and pricing. Just as an aside, a couple of things that I observed while Fjord-shopping: first, everyone would be much better served by listing at least ballpark prices on their sites when they list stock for sale, as it quickly became obvious to me that my definition of "reasonable" prices and the definition that others used were vastly different - I could have a TEAM of registered, fully-trained Haflingers, or Welshes, or a mixed-breed team plus harness locally for less than the price of a single Fjord - I don't want to open up a can of worms over what a "reasonable" price is or isn't, just state that I would have been far more prepared for the prices if people had indicated them up front, and certainly it would have saved some time for everyone involved if I'd known how far out of the range of possibility most of these horses were for me; second, that it looks like, as is the case with some other breeds such as the Canadian horse, the Fjords are being bred increasingly taller (it would be interesting to see the average height over the years, but I was originally l
