Re: story books
This message is from: Niki May [EMAIL PROTECTED] There is a book called the Gift Horse that has a grey Fjord in it named Loki, I think it's written by Betty Levin. You can get it from Amazon.com. It's not real young children's book though, probably at least age 10? Has some cute drawings in it but is mostly text. Niki - Original Message - From: Martha Martin [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: fjordhorse@angus.mystery.com Sent: Saturday, November 11, 2000 4:54 PM Subject: story books This message is from: Martha Martin [EMAIL PROTECTED] Does anyone know of any children's books that have fjords in them? How about ANY fictional works?? Thanks, Martha Martin in southern Wisconsin. (I'd like a good snowfall too! and it may be on the way)
Combined driving
This message is from: Niki May [EMAIL PROTECTED] Denise, Combined driving events (CDEs) are 3 phase driving competitions. The phases are: 1) A driven dressage test, 2)The marathon, which includes the hazards (which is where any water hazards may be, along with othet types of hazards which must be driven in a specific order), and the third phase is a cones course. Since you ride,,, if you are familiar with eventing at all, it's kind of the same idea- dressage is obviously the same, with the cross country part being like the marathon in a CDE (jumps for hazards) and the cones course being a CDE type of the stadium jumping. Hope that helps! Niki- I navigated for Laura last year at Gladstone- what fun!! I'm hooked! .
Re:
This message is from: Niki May [EMAIL PROTECTED] For Fjord showing, there are definite dos and don't that are different depending on whether you show in only Fjord classes or in open competitions. The mane can be kept in one of two ways, either the arched with both black and white the same length or the bi-level you've seen with the black about a half inch higher. I like the bi level, only because it shows off the black better, though either is perfectly acceptable. Some people roach manes, especially in the winter because then you don't have to reim so often- but make sure there's time before show season for it to grow out because it's not a good look for showing. I usually show my horse with hoof polish, especially if I am in a showmanship class where it's required. The fetlock issue can go either way. I keep my horse's fetlocks long, though I do neaten them up so they aren't super shaggy. Many people trim the fetlocks off, especially for showing in open competition where it's much more acceptable without fetlocks. I always clip under the face and her ears (not the inside to keep bugs out), I also trim the shaggy extras over her hooves to neaten things up. For whiskers, if you're showing in open, they'll need to be all the way off. But in a Fjord class it's ok to keep them natural, though good to trim them all evenly. Hope that helps! Niki a question for you show-horse people out there: i've noticed all kinds of haircuts for fjords. in the national and international arenas and in front of those judges, what is the grooming style for forelocks, fetlocks, manes and tails? i've seen roached, arched, bi-level and saw-toothed manes. what's the scoop? also are these guys shown with hoof polish or au naturel? what about clipped fetlocks? cool or unkept and shaggy? please send info for people with the need to know.
Re: I'm Shopping
This message is from: Niki May [EMAIL PROTECTED] Jeri- One of my own personal pet peeves is people showing with incorrect attire. In some circles it really doesn't matter, but in the hunter circuit where I have spent quite a lot of time, it makes a big difference. To some it may seem snobbish or superficial, but as far as I'm concerned, if you look the part, all the judge can have left to critique is the horse and rider, not the attire so that having been said, here's what I suggest from the many shows I've been to both with my Fjord Malla, my old Thoroughbred mare and showing with my intercollegiate equestrian team. It is a good idea to always try to match your saddle and bridle color- as to black and brown. I personally prefer brown tack because that's what is seen in the hunter/jumping ring. People there just don't use black, and you'd be hard pressed to even find a black close contact saddle. Many dressage riders like black but brown is also accepted in that area so if you plan to do both, brown's my vote. As for the saddle pad, are you looking for a square pad or a contour pad to fit the saddle shape? I prefer the plain white contour pads for showing but like to use square qulited pads or navajo rug type pads for everyday. But it all depends again on what you're competing or riding in. You mention Pony Club so if your daughter plans to do any cross country type events, the tendency there is for more brightly colored clothing, saddle pads,etc. In hunters the game is conservative, blend in. If there's ever doubt, I'd say going with subtle is always a safe bet. I happen to be somewhat of an attire Nazi according to my friends who rode with me on my college equestrian team:) So this is just my opinion. I'm picky about every single detail of horse and rider clothing. But I figure to play the part, looking the part is the first important step! The Fjords certainly stand out enough on their own, without any help from loud or incorrect tack (not saying that your's is of course!) Niki Also, please be sure to keep soft hands with that Kimberwicke bit, they can be harsh in the wrong hands. I'm a big fan of plain old snaffles, like the eggbutt you were using. A bit is not going to solve problems anyway and a harsher bit can become a quick, temporary fix that may lead to bigger problems!
Re: Fjords at NYS Fair?
This message is from: Niki May [EMAIL PROTECTED] There aren't any Fjord classes at the NYS Fair. So unless there are Fjords showing in the open classes, which I don't think there are since I know most of them in NY, there won't be any there. There is one that may be in some 4H classes if they qualified and decided to go. This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Does anyone know when Fjords will be shown at the New York State Fair? I would watch any event just to see some other Fjords.
Shorties
This message is from: Niki May [EMAIL PROTECTED] We had a small Fjord mare for a while at my barn which my friends were training. She was about 13 or 13'1 hands. Her name was actually Silijia but nobody called her that- she was always Midge to us! A real sweetie- would do anything and loved to jump. She went to horse camp with us, many 4-H shows and picked up a reserve champion in the VT junior division before she was sold. Short horses are every bit as good as big ones! I know I miss our little Midgie! Niki
Re: Hackamores
This message is from: Niki May [EMAIL PROTECTED] Regarding hackamores- There is an article on them in this month's Equus magazine. Haven't read it so I don't know how useful it is, but usually info out of there is pretty good. I may still have the article around if you want it.. Niki
Re: Round pen work + other stuff
This message is from: Niki May [EMAIL PROTECTED] Regarding lungeing: I never lunge my Fjord- she hates it and as I'm usually trying to get her to go faster (she can be pretty lazy!), certainly don't need the extra energy release before I ride. And, I'd rather spend the time riding! But, from riding mostly hunters and jumpers for many years, the tendency is to lunge these Thoroughbred hot type horses often. So I am familiar with it. A few thoughts on how to attach a lunge line to halter/bridle/cavesson... the best way to lunge a horse is with a lungeing caveson if you want to get any serious work done. These look a lot like a halter but have various rings attached to snap the lunge line onto, the rings all being on the top of the muzzle, leading me to believe anything under the nose is not a good idea. I prefer a lunge line without a chain, a plain cotton one- the nylon can really do a number on your hands if the horse gets away from you at all. The chains are usually too long and can swing up and hit the horse in the face or get too loose and move around on their face, becoming an annoyance. If you do lunge your horse with a plain halter or with a bridle on, to make it easier to hop on when you're done, care should be taken to attach the line. It is probably not a good idea to connect the snap directly to the bit ring. Especially with a chain-less line, a more correct way would be to run the line through the bit ring of the side closest to the middle of the circle, and then run the line over the horses head where the crownpiece of the bridle sets (right behind their ears) and snap the line to the bit ring on the opposite side. This makes the pressure more even so you are not constantly pulling on the bit on only one side of the horses mouth, and actually pulling him off the circle and into you which is the opposite of what you're trying to accomplish. If you are using a chain line, I would not put the chain under the nose. I would run it again through the halter ring closest to you and then over the nose, through the ring on the other side and snap it to the ring closer to their ears on the off side. It is also a good idea to put a twist of chain under the halter on the nose, not for leverage but so it won't slip off their nose so easily. Oh- and if you lunge with a bridle and reins- be sure to unbuckle the reins, twist them a bunch of times, stick them through the throatlatch and rebuckle so they are not flapping or shifting around near the ground within breaking distance. This wasn't supposed to be so long!! Hope it helped out some- I may have not been cleaar about some of the descriptions- let me know if some of it doesn't make sense and I'll try to explain better. Happy lunging Niki May
Re: Peyton Place
This message is from: Niki May [EMAIL PROTECTED] Merek (spelled correctly)- It is not clear why you are trying to upset and get a rise out of the people on this list but I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels you are being ridiculous, and just plain mean, to people on this list for no particular reason. If you dislike the subjects of the conversations so much and don't read 90% anyway, why are you even still a subscriber? It is your own choice to participate or not. Niki May By the way, I own a mare and could care less what gender she is since I am never planning to breed her anyway. A gelding would be fine with me and I know plenty of wonderful geldings, that are well appreciated.
Re: Stallion Temperament
This message is from: Niki May [EMAIL PROTECTED] Just a note about the American Evaluations for those who do not know- all conformation tests are judged individually with only one horse in the ring at a time, so the stallion problem is not related to other horses in the arena with him. The stallions (or mares, geldings) are not brought together until the end of the class when judging is basically over just for another quick look and to award the placings. Niki May
Re: niki
This message is from: Niki May [EMAIL PROTECTED] Hello! Now that I have had an official call to get me out of hiding, I guess I had better reply:) I guess I am supposed to introduce myself since I have not done that yet. I am 22 years old and currently a college student at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York, USA. The end of school is finally near- I will graduate in May with a bachelor's degree in environmental management. I have been riding horses since I was about 7 years old and got my first horse, a Thoroughbred mare when I was around 11 or 12. We started to have problems with her and I fell in love with the Fjords so we leased a 4 year old untrained Fjord mare named Malla. The rest is history since the lease plan worked like a charm- her owner knew we could never have the heart to send her back, and my parents bought her for me a year or so later on Valentine's Day. So I have had her for 8 years, since I was 14 and she was 4, she will be 12 in June this year. We have done everything imaginable together and she certainly proves the point of versatile Fjords! Our main focus, and what I like best is riding English and jumping. She is also trained to drive and I ride her western here and there , which she is good at since she tends to be lazy and likes to go slow! She is a perfect trail horse and will go anywhere, and my friends and I have ridden her on millions of trails. I have also done a lot of showing with her. We did many 4-H shows when I was younger and competed in everything we could possibly qualify for. We now stick more to Fjord shows and such. Anyway, to answer your real question, about jumping... I had been ridden hunters for the entire time before I got Malla and thought of no reason why she shouldn't be able to jump too. So I started, and she took naturally to it. To start, I would begin trotting over poles on the ground to get the horse used to the idea of going over something. The most important thing about jumping is to make sure the horse trusts you, if you are insecure in the saddle and get left behind over the fence, thereby yanking the horse in the mouth or coming down on their back, they will not be willing to jump for very long. You best bet, if you haven't jumped before, and maybe you have, I don't know, is to ride a horse that knows how to jump so you get the feeling of it yourself. I have found Fjords to be good jumpers, Malla and I have done many many jumping classes at all kinds of shows, and she is not spooky so she will jump anything in front of her. The picture of us jumping that log is probably a jump of somewhere between 3 and a half and four feet, and she cleared it easily. And about the questions regarding getting a Fjord to canter, Malla was not perfect when I started cantering her either. She liked to go very fast, in an attempt to feel more balanced, and she threw in a buck here and there. But she wasn't misbehaving, she simply didn't know. My advice, especially if there are people who may be a bit startled by a buck or a quick pace, is to get your Fjord cantering on a lunge line first. Get them so they know what the word canter means and they feel more comfortable doing it. It is not good to do tons of work on a lunge since the circle is so small, especially with a young horse, but it helps to get the idea across. ANd the best thing is to just keep trying, be satisfied with a few strides at first and gradually work up. But always end on a good note, just like anything else with your horse. If you are trying to canter and your horse breaks and trots, be sure to get a few strides more of the canter and end when it is your idea, not theirs. Malla will canter around the ring for as long as I like, and can easily pick it up from a walk, trot, or halt, from either lead, either way of the ring. It just takes practice and consistency. Well I guess I have written enough for my debut! Nice to meet you all! Niki May saskia wrote: This message is from: saskia [EMAIL PROTECTED] Niki May, are you already on the list? I am so impatient to meet you after seeing the photos of you and Malla! If you read this (maybe you're just not on the list yet - is she, Mike?) can you please explain how you started jumping with Malla... I would like to jump with Kitty and I would really appreciate your advise how to begin, as would other people (there was a thread about jumping Fjords last week). hope to hear from you, Saskia
