Re: Back to goats
This message is from: Emma Bicknell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I also recommend goats - our two Fjord ponies share their paddock with two anglo-nubian cross female goats and they have a great relationship, playing games, sharing their feed and water, etc etc. Our older mare hates being left alone and having the goats with her seems to soothe some of the pain when we take the young mare out. The only thing I sometimes worry about is the fact that our goats have retained their horns - I suppose there is potential for damage there and that might be something that a potential goat keeper would need to think about. I have heard some ghastly stories about goats chewing horse tails but haven't seen any of that with our ponies. Finally, our goats are pretty amazing at getting out of paddocks - they can jump heights I'd have sworn they wouldn't even attempt and can squeeze through the tiniest holes in the fence, so that also might be something to consider. Ours seem content to spend their days on our property so long as they are with the ponies, but shut them away from the ponies and they will work pretty hard to get back to them! M Korose wrote: This message is from: M Korose <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Hi List A goat might be just dandy as a companion, but the Fjords protect him! In reference to the discussion, I would like to say that we have a goat (small, pygmy I think) that ADOPTED our Fjords (ran away from a neighbors place with 4 "other" horses/ponies) and we kept him (don't ask). He was injured by the neighbor's small dog (who nearly escaped being killed by one of the Fjords when he attacked the goat) and he can't travel very straight or fast. We have visitor horses and keep about 8-10 of our own Fjords with him in a big pasture. The Fjords are very protective of this goat and all the visitors have quickly taken to him. I figure his job is herd coordinator!We have a large donkey visiting for 2 months (don't ask again) and she is very shy of the Fjords, of course the first animal she would share hay with is this goat. He doesn't eat much (hates goat chow, eats horse chow), lives outside, doesn't like people, and REALLY loves all the horses (Arab, Icelandic,Quarte! r! ) that live and pass thru here. I don't plan to raise or have other goats, but I would highly recommend them as an inexpensive other companion. Marsha ion VA
Re: Brigid's life update & winter riding
This message is from: Emma Bicknell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I cracked up when I read the bit about the percheron - reminds me of a girl who used to keep her horse on the same property I did, who also had what I would call "a couple of small problems" with her horse, namely: after about six months of riding lessons she ignored all advice about purchasing a sensible aged schoolmaster horse and purchased, for her first horse, a four year old pure bred Arab mare who had only just been broken in and was the definitive example of Arab skittishness. She was a very beautiful horse, to be sure, but not quite the animal I would have chosen as a pleasure mount for a beginner. To complete this picture the horse was rarely worked and somewhat unwisely fed a not overly calming diet of oats, barley, high protein pellets etc...When this girl attempted to ride both horse and rider spent 99% of the time airborne while a crowd of watchers gasped and shuddered with a kind of fascinated horror. It was a mighty relief all round when eventually the horse was sold on to a capable breeder! [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Hi Everyone- So in case you're hanging on to the edge of your seats waiting for the next episode of "The Perils of Brigid" as Marsha Jo Hannah dubbed my life, here it is. During the summer, I thought the ranch where I live and work was hell. I was wrong, because it was heaven compared to how it is in winter. It's like a live version of a how not to manage your horse property pamphlet. The horses are standing knee deep in a slurry of mud, manure, and urine in overcrowded paddocks (up to 6 horses in each). The smell is unbearable, because mucking is a rare event. The horses, even the Fjords, have visibly lost weight and are low energy. Some of them look downright sick, and our vet is concerned about the possibility of salmonella. I've had a lingering cough which I'm sure was caused/aggravated by the filth and fumes. The good news is, I made good friends with one of the boarders and she wants me and my many animals to be her roommates. She is shopping for a horse property, so this could take a while, but at least it's a plan. In the meantime, I've scoped out a place in Livermore which isn't exactly convenient (we live probably 40 miles away) but is clean and well managed by knowledgeable people. AND, very important for crazy horse ladies, they give a substantial multi-horse discount. So my question about winter riding is: how common is it for horses to be tender footed at this time? My situation is extreme, as the horses' feet are wet all the time and when you want to ride the road is sharp gravel. If the horses are kept in better conditions, will their feet stay tough? If horses have iron shoes (mine are barefoot) does this enable them to walk on rough surfaces, or do the rocks still get them in the frog and sole area? Fjord Knute is pretty tough, even now, but Rafael has to wear boots which is a bit of a challenge in the mud. Oh yes, I almost forgot the best part of my story... Drivers, hang on to your hats. The ranch manager who knows nothing about horses and is uninterested in learning recently purchased a Percheron. The horse seems nice, but I have no idea what he plans to do with him as he has seven others he neglects. Today I found out, and just about fell over. The ranch hand said he plans to "get a wagon and give hay rides!" Jus a couple small problems, like, the horse isn't trained to drive, and his owner has never driven. *Covering eyes with hands while shaking head* Keep cheering for me, Brigid Wasson SF Bay Area, CA
Re: Eating Pine Needles
This message is from: Emma Bicknell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Our girls will do anything for a bite of pine tree - they think its the most wonderful treat! Every morning when I leave for work they are standing by the gate, eyes fixed on the tree (which stands just far enough outside of the paddock that they can't get to it). Perhaps it is something that Fjords have evolved to love - I assume there must be lots of them in Norway! In a message dated 8/18/2004 10:07:03 AM Pacific Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: my Fjords like to eat pine needles off of trees like giraffes...
Re: Lurking in Tasmania
This message is from: Emma Bicknell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Hi, I'm from Victoria, Aust - the CDE competitor is, I think, Jenny O'Bree with her young Fjord gelding Seaview Park Volsung. Joy Van Raalte is the original importer of Fjords to Australia - it is all down to Joy that we have Fjords here at all and I think just about every stud in Australia now has at least one of the original mares imported by Joy. I have emailed Andrea privately with details of a couple of Fjord breeders in Vic - there is one in QLD as well. I have never heard of anyone breeding Fjord crosses here but am most interested - I would love to know who it is! At the moment I am aware of two stallions in Victoria (Palana Ulysses and the young colt Tambo River Yahzoo, bred with semen from MVF Erlend) and one in QLD (Palana Tyson). Emma Karen Keith wrote: This message is from: "Karen Keith" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Hi Andrea. I know there are some Fjords in Victoria. Someone in Vic is competing in CDE's. I was told by a friend in Pakenham that she knows someone with a Fjord stallion in the area (and is producing Fjord crosses :^O ). There are also some Fjordies in NSW as well as SA. A year ago, while visiting Oz, I ran into a woman named Joy (I think) who used to breed Fjords, but she is no longer in the breeding biz. She was from SA. She said she had produced/imported 60 Fjords over the years. Enjoy your US visit. If you're going to be in the Denver area, contact me. Cheers! Karen Keith I've heard that there are 62 Fjords in Australia but I haven't found any owners/breeders yet, at least ones who respond to email. I believe there are some in New Zealand, too, but can't track down a breeder. Shipping a horse from the US is Very Expensive. I'm visiting in the US right now, and plan to see some Fjords in Redmond, OR. I'm currently in the San Francisco area, so if any of you are nearby, let me know. Thanks. Andrea Harris _ Get a Credit Card - 60 sec online response: http://ad.au.doubleclick.net/clk;8097459;9106288;b?http://www.anz.com/aus/promo/qantas5000ninemsn [AU only]
Re: foal birth/death
This message is from: Emma Bicknell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Dear Aimee, I was so sorry to read your email, especially when I read about your mare looking for her baby, and I'm very glad to hear that your mare is now coping well. I hope you have much better luck next year and wish you luck with your other foals.. Emma [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Helo everyone, I wanted to thank everyone that wrote to me. I appreciated your thoughts and kind wishes. My mare is doing wonderful. She's looking great, feeling great, and doens't seem concerned to be without a foal. The foal in the pasture with her is very interested in HER, but she doesn't want anything to do with the foal. She certainly has bounced back quicker then I have :) I'm doing OK now thoughlife carries on, at least I still have my mare. I've got a busy month ahead, and little time to wallow in what could have beens. Again, thank you all for being here to share with. Aimee Day Garland, ME.
Re: White Hooves
This message is from: Emma Bicknell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I was always told as a child that white hooves were weaker and harder to care for and have accepted that, but it could well have been erroneous. I used to have a chestnut mare with white feet and stockings, but as I think about it now I can't remember there being any particular problem with her feet over any other horse's. Then again, she was an Arab which might complicate things! My older Fjord mare's feet are a bit dry and fragile at the moment and we are treating them regularly...I suppose its a combination of factors. [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In a message dated 4/9/2004 4:09:01 PM Pacific Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I would beg to differ with you on this. We just finished a farrier course and every time we got out a new set of hooves we all went for the white ones. They were softer and much easier to work with. My two cents worth. The relative softness probably had more to do with the animal's breed, health, and living conditions than color. Stalled horses have weaker feet, as do shod horses. Breeds like Arabs and Fjords are known for their granite-like feet, especially when kept barefoot. Too many factors. / )_~ /L/L Brigid Wasson SF Bay Area, CA www.Brigid.Clickryder.com
Re: Brag alert - Quinn's debut at Novice Level eventing
This message is from: Emma Bicknell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Dagrun, That sounds fantastic, big hugs for Quinn. Stories like that really inspire me to get out there and do things with my ponies! Congratulations! Em Dagrun Aarsten wrote: This message is from: "Dagrun Aarsten" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Hello everybody, I haven't kept up with the list lately but hope horses and people are all doing well. This Saturday Quinn and I made our debut at Novice level eventing at Travis Air Force Base equestrian center near Sacramento. Last week, Quinn and I seemed a little out of sync, and we somehow couldn't agree on simple things like canter transitions, so my expectations for the dressage were just to keep him as light and responsive as possible without going for perfection. I was very relieved when everything suddenly seemed to come together during the warm-up. We had a few moments where he was tempted to jump the rail again, and as all the other riders, we struggled with the serpentine pattern (two loops only, and the arena was more 15x40 than 20x40, which makes that almost impossible), and had a hint of a canter stride on a trot diagonal, plus a little sideways step in the last halt, but scored a respectable 64.5 % (35.5 penalty points). Then off to walking the cross-country course. Novice Level is 2'6" to 2'9". Somehow, at Travis, the jumps always seem a little smaller than the maximum, so I was expecting a nice little course similar to the things we practised in the clinic two weeks earlier. Not so! Jump number 3 was a wide table, just "hanging in the air" (no groundline at all) about 2'9" tall and probably as wide(deep). I looked at it and realized we have never seen anything that tricky before. Jump 5 a-b-c was a coffin-type combination. with a log jump, then a short down slope to a ditch with water, then a short up-slope to a plank wall. And so it went. One solid oxer that was also close to maximum height and width, again no ground line, on a pretty heavy uphill slope. All in all, a total of 18 jumps over a long course, most around the maximum height we've ever schooled and 2-3 past what we've ever practiced. Oh well, I decided to give it a try and then retire if Quinn lost heart or got really tired. So off we went, Quinn was rather slow over the first 2 jumps, so I made sure to wake him up before the scary table number 3 - he was quite surprised, and we had a conversation more or less like this: Dagrun: "please jump this terrifying table here in front of us" Quinn: "OK, OK, WHAT! That one???" (smaller jump to the side of it) Dagrun: "YES" Quinn: "Do you think I can do that?" Dagrun: "I know you can!" Quinn: "OK ma'am. Jumping. Hang on!" After that I knew this could be good. We cleared the coffin without faults as the FIRST HORSE that day, almost all horses stopped at the water, except Quinn plus the last rider of the day (just behind us), I was already getting tired but very excited, off to a combination of two enormous cross-rails made with fat logs, big but very inviting. Then up the hill to the BIG oxer - a tap of the whip at the approach to tell him that we needed some extra impulsion for that one, and he flew over, and so it went. Every time he wasn't too sure about a jump he slowed down to have a look and then hopped over, so it wasn't always nice and fluid but WHAT A HORSE! After the "fake" water complex (no water in it, only sand), Quinn threw in a huge buck for fun, and I heard one of the fence judges shouting something to me (I should have listened) before we galloped on. From there it just went better and better. Towards the end I slowed him down to a trot coming downhill, for safety AND to let him catch his breath a little before the last couple of jumps. When I pointed him to the next jump, he picked up a balanced canter and sailed over. I was in ecstacy as we galloped over the finish line and everyone was cheering. Quinn has always been a favorite at Travis but last time he did baby jumps and never showed them that he can actually jump like that. Stadium jumping was another story. Quinn knows a little too well that these thin striped poles knock down pretty easily. The more substantial a jump is, the better he will jump it. So I knew this would be interesting when most of the jumps were single poles(!) hanging alone in the air at 2'6" or so. Add to that a horse that is still breathing after cross-country... and a rider that has finished most of her focus energy supplies... It wasn't too pretty, but we came around with only 3 knockdowns, although we touched at least 6 of the 11 jumps. Quinn took it all like a Sunday walk in the park, which is not necessarily good when the goal is jumping, and he happily knocked down pole after pole! The pole from jump number 10 was balancing on top of his knees for 2-
feeding baby Fjords
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Hi everyone, I have recently joined this list, consequent on my having recently purchased a six month old Fjord. I am about to wean her (fun and games...) I am used to feeding thoroughbreds and would dearly love some advice on feeding baby Fjords - my plan was to feed her some lucerne hay, plus Hygain Grotorque (foal mix) mixed with lucerne chaff (I am in Australia, if you've never heard of Grotorque!) daily. She will be on grass throughout the day (I'm not stabling her). How does that sound to the more experienced people on the list? Emma _ This email contains confidential information intended only for the person named above and may be subject to legal privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, any disclosure, copying or use of this information is prohibited. The Department provides no guarantee that this communication is free of virus or that it has not been intercepted or interfered with. If you have received this email in error or have any other concerns regarding its transmission, please notify [EMAIL PROTECTED] _
