Black Fjords and white markings
This message is from: Phillip Odden n...@centurytel.net This message is from Phil Odden in Northwestern Wisconsin where we still have good snow cover and winter is holding strong. The recent discussions on white markings and now black fjords is interesting. Colors and shades of color are characteristics all of us can easily see. One of the reasons it is difficult to track white markings is that people tend not to report them. I think Robin Holland ran up against that obstacle when she was doing her preliminary studies of white markings in Fjords. I think the lack of reporting white markings has been the case in other registries as well. In the end if we don’t try to suppress white markings, which are a recessive trait, we could end up with pinto Fjords. Our breed standard does not allow for individuals with large white markings. Some stallions throw white markings when bred to mares that carry white more often than others and some throw white markings in places other than a small star on the forehead such as white socks. Breeders and buyers should take note of that if we want to keep with our breed standard. The past days I have been reading and rereading the books and material in my library in preparation for my presentation at the NFHR Annual meeting in Norco, California and my presentation for the Midwest Fjord Horse Club winter meeting in Decorah, Iowa. Else and I have been searching out historical photos of Fjord horses on the internet for possible use in these presentations. In these historical photos it is clear that there was much more diversity in coat color in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. And it does look like there were Fjords with black coat color. When questioned, experts from Norway have always answered that these were not Fjords. But they sure look like Fjords. The most recent book, that I am aware of, on Fjords published in Norway was written by Hans Kolbein Dahle with the title Fjordhesten i Noreg. It was published by Landbruksforlaget in 2006 and was commissioned by Norges Fjordhestlag or Norwegian Fjord Horse Association. It turns out that there is more to the story of Rimfakse and crossing the heavier dark colored Norwegian Dole horse with Fjords. Rimfakse was not the only dark colored stallions used on Fjord mares. But that explanation would take up more space on this forum than is appropriate. Whereas coat color is fairly easy for us to see, the reason for the confrontation over the stallion Rimfakse seems to have had more to do with temperament and poor leg quality. Temperament and trainability can only be assessed when the horse is asked to do something other than eat hay and carrots. Assessing the qualities of the horses legs takes trained eyes. Faults in a horse’s legs manifest themselves as legs break down over time. Those with big faults break down sooner in the horses life. If you breed horses with poor temperaments and poor legs pretty quick you have horses that are not much good to use even though they may have a nice coat color and can still eat hay and carrots. Just as with Rimfakse, where does that leave the Fjords of our future in north America? Phil Odden Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw FH_L Shirts: http://tinyurl.com/8yky94l
Fjords at La Crosse
This message is from: Phillip Odden n...@centurytel.net This message is from Phillip Odden in Northwestern Wisconsin where the days are now sunny, cool and everything is green and growing. Else and I spent five days last week at the La Crosse county fair grounds at West Salem, Wisconsin showing our Fjords together with many other proud Fjord owners. In the past we have had evaluations at La Crosse but its been a few years. This is the first time the Midwest Fjord Horse Club has used the facility for one of its summer Fjord shows. There will be another Fjord show at Blue Earth next week. I am not sure exactly how many Fjords were at La Crosse but it seems there were around 25-27 signed up for the evaluation and maybe a few more for the MWFHC show. The evaluation went very well. Bob Long and his helpers did a fine job. Pat Wolfe and Karen Cabic were the evaluators and Malissa Boyd was a learner evaluator. Ms Boyd was the MWFHC show judge. There were a number of NFHR Board members at the evaluation offering support and monitoring the process. I am sure the NFHR board members were thinking of how they plan to show case the evaluation program at the membership's annual meeting to be held in Southern California next February. I have attended, shown, and shadow evaluated at many evaluation over the years. When the dust settled on the evaluation it proved to be one of the highest quality groups of Fjords at an evaluation that I can recall seeing. I believe the evaluation scores were pretty much grouped between 77 and 82 with several at 79. The dark brown dun gelding owned by Kathy Johnson and sired by the Green Valley stallion Hershey walked away with the highest score given at 84. Hershey was at the Kentucky Horse Park during the weekend involved in the Breyer celebration as the official Breyer Fjord. It is very gratifying to see the improved and higher quality of our Fjords in the Midwest. I feel the NFHR evaluation program has something to do with the improvement of our horses. With the information owners received from the evaluation process they chose better stallions and better mares for their breeding programs. Some traveled to Norway, Denmark, Germany, and Holland to import modern Fjords with quality that may have been difficult to find in our limited gene pool here in North America. The result is Fjords with improved conformation and better movement. Since the Fjords at the evaluation were scored against the Fjord Breed Standard rather than being scored against each other in the conformation and performance tests, there was a very supportive atmosphere during the evaluation. This supportive cooperative atmosphere seemed to continue through the Fjord show. Ms Boyd chose to offer constructive comments to participants during the horse show giving us advice on how to improve. Often during a horse show one has very little idea why one places higher or lower in the lineup. Ms Boyd’s constructive comments punctuated with light humor were enlightening to say the least. It seemed that people who attended the evaluation and show were pleased with the facility. There was ample room for stalls, warm up and camping. The indoor arena provided shelter from the sun and rain. Thanks for all the hard work by the MWFHC show committee which resulted in a first class show. respectively, Phil Odden Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw FH_L Shirts: http://tinyurl.com/8yky94l
Minnesota Horse Expo Family Fjords
This message is from: Phillip Odden n...@centurytel.net The Minnesota Horse Expo takes place on April 25, 26 and 27 at the Minnesota State Fair Grounds in North St. Paul. The Midwest Fjord Horse Club has planned its winter meeting to take place during the Minnesota Horse Expo this year. Kristin Lee has arranged and supervised the Fjord Horse presence and demonstrations at the Mn Horse Expo for several years. This year she and her staff of helpers are ready to welcome a large group of MWFHC members to share in the early spring celebration. We will have a hospitality stall on Fjord Aisle in the Horse barn. - Phil Odden has been invited by the Minnesota Horse Expo staff to present two one hour long clinics in the Agstar arena during the 2014 Minnesota Horse Expo. The clinics titled Ole and Lenas Family Fjords will take place on Friday and Saturday April 25 and 26. Phil plans to use the Norwegian Fjord Horse Registry Family Fjord evaluation program as a basis for his presentations. He will talk about form and function with regard to Fjord conformation. Elements of the NFHR Family Fjord tests will be explained and demonstrated during the clinics on Friday and Saturday. On Sunday April 27 , Phil will present an historical overview of the Fjord horse from its function in its native country of Norway to North America. Phil Odden from Barronett, Wisconsin together with his wife Else have made their living as artists for 35 years specializing in traditional Norwegian woodcarving and furniture making. They breed, raise, train and sell quality Fjord horses on their rural Wisconsin farm. Phil uses his versatile Fjord Horses for light draft work, trail riding, packing, hunting, and pleasure driving. Specializing in pair driving, they show their horses at American Driving Society sponsored Pleasure Driving shows and Combined Driving Events in several states each year. In 2010 Phil demonstrated with the ADS at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games at Lexington, Kentucky. Phil learned from and contributed to the Norwegian Fjord Horse Registry evaluation program in America and Fjord Horse International in Europe. Given their extensive contacts and experience in Scandinavia, Phil and Else lead Oddens Rural Life Tours to Norway, Sweden and Iceland each summer. For clinic and demonstration times and locations, check out the Minnesota Horse Expo website at: www.mnhorseexpo.org A block of rooms has been set aside at: BEST WESTERN Bandana Square 1010 Bandana Blvd W St Paul, MN, 55108 651-647-1637 Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw FH_L Shirts: http://tinyurl.com/8yky94l
Smedsmo
This message is from: Phillip Odden n...@centurytel.net This message is from Phil Odden in Wisconsin where we are facing another week of temps to cold ( for me ) to sleigh. So anyone know what unusual prefix Smedsmo means or stands for? As Kay mentioned Smedsmo is the last name of the Fjord Horse breeder and the name of the farm in Norway where my Gray Stallion Smedsmo Gråen was born and initially trained. So Smeds refers to Smith and mo refers to field. Smith-field. Gråen means ‘ the gray ‘. Ronnie Smedsmo and his wife Lill Bente Lian have bred trained and shown several outstanding Stallions and mares during the last couple decades in Norway. As I recall Ronnie earned perhaps the only perfect driving score with 50 out of 50 possible points at a Norwegian evaluation for their entry level driving test in Norway. Smedsmo Gråen received a very high performance score in several categories when evaluated in Norway. Ronnie showed him as a three year old when he first received his breeding license but as a five year old in the five week stallion station test he was ridden and driven by two professional horseman; this to even the playing field for all the stallions in the station test for that year-class. I imported him in 2002 just in time for my 50th birthday celebration. At the time he had about 43 offspring in Norway. Currently he has 69 offspring registered in the NFHR. I continue to breed a mare or two with him here each year. He is in good health and always a perfect gentleman. In the years after I imported him I showed him quite a lot at Fjord events and at ADS shows where we did quite well. These days I am more focused on competing Fjords that I have bred and trained here on my farm sired by Smedsmo Gråen in open shows sponsored by the American Driving Society and having them evaluated through the NFHR evaluation program. Phil Odden Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw FH_L Shirts: http://tinyurl.com/8yky94l
Breaking sleigh trail
This message is from: Phillip Odden n...@centurytel.net This message is from Phillip Odden in Northwestern Wisconsin where we are experiencing an old fashion winter with all the trimmings. The talk around here, in our rural neighborhood, is about winter. It hasn’t let up. If its not snowing its cold. We have a weather pattern referred to as Alberta clippers. The wind blows hard from the east and then south, it warms up a bit, snows and the wind turns to the west and northwest and it gets down right cold. Then again the wind blows from the east to the south and more snow drifting and then cold. My 2 1/2 mile sleigh trails were in pretty good shape before Christmas. Over the past couple weeks they have been drifting over. My personal cutoff for comfortable sleighing is 10 degrees fahrenheit. Well today at 3:00 pm it was 12. So I decided to give my pair of grays a go at grooming the sleigh trails. Odden’s Idar is a 6 year old gelding and Odden’s Josephine is a 5 year old mare. Both in good shape. They are a matched pair in color, stride and size. In summer time they are a dark steel gray but in their winter coats are a ghostly silver gray with dark black points. They stand about 14.1, are well muscled, calm and have adequate experience so one can feel fairly relaxed handling them. I hitched them to my light red bob sled with metal runners and gear. Behind the sleigh I drag two 4x4s and an oak 2x6 chained together. These are to drag and groom the trail. As we left the farm yard I knew the going would be heavy. There were sizable drifts from the Alberta clippers on the trail. We left home at a walk and only once went to a trot to make the steepest hill. They worked with their heads down low and not much contact on the bits. On the way over the edge of the fields the snow drifts almost reached their bellies. Here it was most important that they work together both leaning into the collars on their draft harness. The sleigh runners didn’t have much float in them with the soft snow and the three gang drag picked up a lot of snow. It was work in every step making the sleigh lurch with each forward impulsion from their hind quarters. I was thinking how good this exercise would be for building muscle in those hind quarters. Not sure what they were thinking oth! er than it seemed like hard work. Penny my red Irish Setter Penny was riding the sleigh with me, sniffing the cold crisp breeze as her partner Tia the tricolored English Setter was our forward scout, as usual. I had so many layers of shirts, under ware, over ware, over shoes, mittens, hats and other assorted clothing that it was hard to bend. Sitting on the sleigh like the michelin man is much less work than pulling it. I stopped them after the first long pull once we reached the woods. They were panting hard. The gelding panting harder than the mare. I always keep an eye on this. It may be from my CDE experience. I want to make sure they are able to recover in a few minutes rest. After the second pull of about a half mile I could see that the gelding was quivering a bit at his shoulders, a sign that we should take it a little easier. So after their respirations caught up we stopped a little sooner for the next rest. One thing about heavy work is that they learn to stand and catch their breath when they have an opportunity. This pair has always been willing to stand but the gelding would be the first to try to move, though the mare is the more forward thinker of the two. After about an hour and a half we made it back home. The hill coming into the yard on the field’s edge was easier because they had already groomed it going out. The snow had already set up with the falling temps and the sle! igh runners rode on top rather than under the snow and the drags had less snow to move. On the last rest stop clouds of vapor drifted from their sweating bodies into the fresh crisp winter air. Their neck yoke frosted over from their heavy moisture laden breath. The rich deep smell of healthy horse everywhere filtering through our soft fluffy but oh so cold snowy woods. The woods were quiet with few fresh tracks. The hard winter's deep snow and cold has already limited the movement of the deer. The squirrels are holed up and sleeping I suspect as are many of the other animals in the woods, living off last fall’s well placed fat. Not a bad strategy for those who can. For us it was nice to get the sleigh trails open and groomed again. Next time I will take another pair out for exercise and one day it will start to melt and the trails will get icy fast. What fun that will be. Then we will trot and clumps of snow will be flying from their hooves. It was good to get the trails opened again and I think the horses felt a measure of accomplishment getting it done. Meaningful work is one of life's greatest pleasures even if it is cold. Now 6 degrees and falling. All the best, Phil Odden Important FjordHorse
Rose Parade
This message is from: Phillip Odden n...@centurytel.net This message is from Phillip Odden in Northwestern Wisconsin where the temps are again above zero and approaching 32 today but with freezing drizzle. In my book Parades are the most unnerving and potentially dangerous horse activity I can think of. In the end there has to be a mighty good trust and respect bond between the horses and handlers. The riders have a little more control than the drivers and the damage from a ridden horse out of control is probably less than a horse drawn carriage out of control. There is always a lot of hurry up and wait in Parades in my experience. So with all the hoopla the horses move for a while and then must stand with tons of excitement and stimulation in the air. If you need to hold them back with the bit constantly they don’t get bit relief and often their anxiety can build. Driving four horses down the parade route with little more than trust and a prayer for the lead pair takes a lot of courage. The whole deal took a lot of courage, careful planning, hard work and a real “ get her done attitude” I am sure. Certainly our NFHR Fjord team had great leadership with competent riders and drivers and first class horses. It seems a little disclaimer might be in order for those who might now plan to do a local parade at home inspired by the Rose Parade. Best be prepared. They made it look easy but it wasn’t. So again, Hats Off to those who made it happen. You made us all proud. Phil Odden Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw FH_L Shirts: http://tinyurl.com/8yky94l
Fjords and cold
This message is from: Phillip Odden n...@centurytel.net Hello from Phillip Odden in Northwestern Wisconsin whereas everyone has hear it has been cold. When the weather service starts talking of -20 to -30 F cold along with brisk winds it kind of gets your attention. There have been wind chill reading around 40 to 55 below for the past two days and nights. Its been a few years since we have experienced this degree of cold. There has been a good deal of cold and snow already this winter season since mid November, so you might say we have had a chance to warm up to the idea of sever cold. Having the opportunity to view our Fjords at the Rose parade gave us all as a nice warm feeling. Thanks to all involved for your vision, hard work, and experience showmanship to get it done. But back to reality for us in the Northern climes. And not only us. The cold extends far south through many states. Temperatures with regard to our Fjord horses are more relative to what us as humans and caretakers feel than to what the Fjords feel ultimately. We know that there are several Fjords living further North in Canada and Alaska where temperature like those we have experienced are far more common. Still people and horses living further south are not used to these sever temps. As the weather service prepared us for the cold coming our way with such dire predictions I considered various plans for my 15 Fjords. They are in groups of from 2 to 5 head in paddocks located close to the barn, arena and hay shed. I have plenty of room to tie them in stalls or let them run in the indoor arena. My horses are outside 24/7 all year unless I bring them in to be tied or worked in the unheated indoor arena. There are 5 outdoor water fountains and each group has free choice salt with minerals and selenium. I feed hay that we grow and put up here on our farm. I grow mostly grass hay made up of timothy, orchard grass, brome and some legumes like red and white clover and a bit of alfalfa. My hay tests around 12% protein. I put it up after it has headed out so its rather coarse and stemy. Good alfalfa would test around 20% protein. Horse nutritionists say 12% protein hay is optimal for our horses. The added protein does more harm than good. This year I put up 50 dry round bales and about 450 small square bales. I place the round bales close to the fence and unwrap the bales with a fork and shove the hay under the fence to the horses morning and early evening. The horses can go out to the snow covered pastures and paw for what they can find as well. It gives them something to do but there isn’t much to find. At least they deposit the manure in a good place. I feed about 20 pounds of hay per horse per day during the winter. Those who know my horses know that they aren’t fat. I work hard to keep them in good condition but not fat. I feel it is more work to keep a Fjord trim than to let it get fat. On a regular basis I feel their sides to determine how much cover they have on their ribs. I want to be able to feel each rib through the fat layer but I certainly do want some cover on their ribs. I like more cover as they approach winter time and I like less cover as spring approaches so they can enjoy the new green grass without danger of founder. My horses generally only get grain as a welcoming gesture when I bring them in to be tied before a workout. Non of my horses are older than 17 nor younger than 4. So far I have not experienced any of the metabolic diseases horses can get from over feeding. I have had close to 50 different Fjords over the years. I rarely use blankets. Even after a workout in midwinter I just turn them out where they will roll in the snow and shake the snow out of their pelts leaving the pelt fluffy and full and soon dry. If they are fully sweated up I will put a wool blanket over them for an hour or so to soak up some of the moisture before turning them out to roll. I have never had a Fjord get sick or show discomfort with this routine. Their pelts a full, fluffy, thick, dry and warm. Just as they should be. So with the dire weather predictions I decided to leave them outside. All of them were able to get out of the wind and roll in the snow and if need be run to stay warm. I can tell when they are getting cold because they start to move or play and tussle with each other. With the sever cold I kept hay in front of them night and day rather than the 20 pound ration. They never showed any discomfort the past two days. In fact they were wondering what had gotten into me with providing so much hay. Their coats were fluffy and full. Some chose to stand with their butts to the wind during the day. Today I found them sleeping on their feet in the cold sunshine completely oblivious to the frigid weather. As horses have become pets more than muscle power for work or travel as they once were, we humans tend to treat them more like we would like to treat ourselves
Stallions and mares
This message is from: Phillip Odden n...@centurytel.net Hello from Phillip Odden in Northwestern Wisconsin where it has come time to fire the kitchen wood burner as fall moves closer to winter. The NFHR evaluation program is not meant only to select stallions. It seems that it takes two to tango. Mare selection is perhaps more important than stallion selection. I have heard many experienced horseman say that the mare contributes 60%. That would be 50% genetics and an added percentage in nurturing the foal. Ruthie wrote; I agree that it is an effective way to choose particular bloodlines-- but therein lies the detriment for the breed as a whole in the long term. Consistently selecting the same bloodlines for their phenotype will eventually screw up their genotype, to put it simply. Ruthie has a good point here especially since there are fewer and fewer foals being born each year in North America as well as Norway and other countries. Since horses are not culled these days like beef or dairy cattle for conformation defects and natural predators and harsh weather does not cull weak individuals these days, it is up to people who breed Fjord horses to attempt to breed individuals that conform to breed standards with regard to breed characteristics, leg, bone and muscle quality and not least of all temperament and trainability. Since there are no perfect horses ( unless one is unable to evaluate strengths and faults ) we are forced to choose the faults or strengths that one can live with in a horse. The NFHR evaluation system offers a tool, that is is to say a group of trained evaluators and a set of tests that will help to identify how well an individual Fjord conforms to breed standards. With the knowledge you receive through the evaluation process you are free do just as you please. In North America we are free to improve or ruin a breed on our own - one breeding at a time. Whereas in most European countries Stallions must be licensed and mares need to be evaluated in order that the foals can be registered. My goal is to improve the Fjord horse- human relationship through education. I am not pushing my stallion. Having bred outside mares for several years, I no longer invite outside mares. I don't have time to breed outside mares now that we are leading our Rural Life tours to Norway, Sweden and Iceland. And I am breeding very few of my own mares. I have selected a stallion and mares with considerations to form and function. When we are not traveling overseas we enjoy competing our Fjords in open shows through American Driving Society sponsored Combined Driving Events and Pleasure Driving. We use our Fjords for light draft work on our farm and for trail riding and hunting. In short we are putting our selection process, breeding program and training program to the test through use. Form and function. If horses are well bred they should remain sound and be trainable. If people learn more about form and function together with good handling and training methods both the horse and the horse handler will be happier. That is what the NFHR evaluation program has to offer. Horses aren't perfect, people aren't perfect and the evaluation program isn't perfect. We just keep working to improve. The more you learn, the more you find there is to learn. All the best, Phillip Odden Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw FH_L Shirts: http://tinyurl.com/8yky94l
Fjord Harold
This message is from: Phillip Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com This message is from Phil Odden in Northwestern Wisconsin where it has been a little too cold for me to do any horsing this past week. But now as the snow is falling and the temperatures are on the rise and will be above zero F it will again be fun to get the sleighs and bob sleds out on the trails. I agree that the articles in the Fjord Harold were fun to read. I enjoyed contributing the article about our son's wedding and there were a number of good photos to choose from to illustrate the article. I must say that the editors and the person who assembles the articles do a very nice job. The other articles were nicely done as well. If people are interested in seeing and experiencing the wonderful and rich colors, tastes and sounds of Norway up close with knowledgeable guides Else and I will again be leading our Rural Life Traditions Tour to Norway in August 2013. You can find information and itinerary on our tour on our Norsk Wood Works web site. The Midsummer tour to Sweden and Norway in June is full but the August tour through the Fjord country of Norway where the Norwegian Fjord Horse is found and continues to be bred still has seats available. If there are enough riders who want to travel with us I can arrange for a spectacular once- in -a -lifetime mountain ride with Fjord Horses. Take care, Phil odden 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: fjordhorse-digest V2012 #226
This message is from: Phillip Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com Jan, I do not recall what I said or did to disappoint you and cause you to move away from using your Fjord. I have always tried to encourage people who work with their Fjords and respectfully promote Fjords when I compete at CDE and pleasure driving shows. I admit to being a strong competitor but I have always tried to compete respectfully and encourage my fellow competitors. Over the years I have shared a lot of what I have learned regarding conformational issues, form and function, training methods and driven dressage skills. My wish is to help others understand their horses better and find activities to enjoy with their horses. Combined driving events and pleasure driving as well as trail riding and draft work interest me and I work to pass on the knowledge and skills I have learned. I am sad to hear that I have disparaged you in some way and I would offer my apology. Please don't let anything I said get in the way of you enjoying your Fjord Horse. Phil Odden On Sep 26, 2012, at 2:59 AM, fjordhorse-digest wrote: Hope you are well and hope our paths cross someday soon. I backed away from the Fjord scene after Phil Oden's response to me ( my mistake to reply and sent it to everyone, oops) went out to everyone on the list. I think Phil is very talented and sometimes uses his mouth to put others beneath himself. I refuse to play his or that game. Know you get it. Take care! Jan in AR 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: fjordhorse-digest V2012 #159
This message is from: Phillip Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com This message is from Phillip Odden. I am speaking for myself though I am a member of the NFHR evaluation committee. Over my years with Fjords I have worked hard to understand issues of conformation and performance in Fjords. I can feel Karen and Lourie's frustration over their problems with ring bone in their favorite Fjords. I believe the evaluation program offered by the NFHR is a good tool to learn about conformation, form and function, as well as performance issues in Fjord horses. Generally Fjords are known to have pretty good legs, but it is difficult to find Fjords with very good legs, especially very good front legs. Fjords have been evaluated in Norway since the 1800's. So it is safe to say that the ancestors of our stock were evaluated in Norway. You can see their premium ratings on your papers. All other European Countries also evaluate their Fjords because it is mandated under law. In America we do as we please. Our evaluation system is voluntary. Often our members think it may seem be too expensive. And if their horse gets low scores they are unhappy. Many are unwilling to accept low scores. But these horses, Alycia and Idell, earned good scores. Our conformation evaluation process is based on a 100 point system with 9 categories. A horse can score rather low in any one place but have that score offset with high scores in other areas and end up with a good overall score. So it is important to look at the individual scores for front legs, back legs, head or neck to understand the different parts of a horse. It looks like Alycia and Idell both received 7.5 for front leg scores. 7.5 is a pretty good score. Since the evaluator's comments are not part of the public record as they are in Norway we do not know if the evaluators made any comments on the front legs. The NFHR system takes into account only the animal being evaluated at the time it is standing before the evaluators to be evaluated according to the written breed standard. In Norway they take into account the animals ancestors so the judges follow blood lines and tend to know where problems as well as impressive traits tend to exist. The horses are required to stand before the evaluators more than once and often twice before they can be bred. I can tell you that in recent years the Norwegian evaluators have come down very hard on poor legs and hooves. They feel there is a need to breed Fjords with better legs. And they have tossed several very nice animals out of the breeding program to accomplish this goal much to the disappointment of individual owners. In our country it is up to the individual to make decisions as to how Fjords should be paired. I noticed that there were several generations of Fjords behind these animals that were not evaluated. Early on there was a limited gene pool in North America so it would be easy to accentuate poor traits. There are no guarantees when breeding horses and there are no perfect horses. In our system it is up to the individual Fjord owner to make breeding decisions as well as purchasing decisions. If we mandated x-rays who would read them? And what about all the other joints and bones in the horse, would they be x-rayed too? In America it is the buyer's and breeders responsibility to choose which animals will be paired and which animals they wish to buy. The NFHR evaluation system is a very good tool in these regards and I encourage people to use it. The NFHR evaluation system has taught me a whole lot about Fjord Horses. And one thing I have learned is that the further your horses get from original Norwegian stock the greater the possibility you have for deviation from the Norwegian Fjord Breed Standard. That is not to say that there are not quality Fjords from other countries or quality Fjords being bred here but you better know what to look for or work with a Fjord Breeder with a reputation for quality. In this way you can increase your chances of getting a quality Fjord that will be sound, easily trainable and able to do the job you would ask it to do. Sad to hear of these issues of soundness and wishing you luck in finding a new Fjord if that is your wish, Phil Odden On Jul 2, 2012, at 2:59 AM, fjordhorse-digest wrote: I have tossed this out there before, and I will repeat it here now: let's start X-raying some front legs at our Evals! Don't they require this in some of the dog breeds that have a significant problem w/ hip displaysia? Good grief at Evals much time is spent looking at jaw alignment and checking scrotums on stallions. Let's take a good look at LEGS.Please do NOT give me the arguement that it is too expensive. If someone is already spending $350-$450 per horse (plus maybe paying a big training bill) to get a horse evaluated, what is an extra $100 to pay a vet w/ a digital
Growing old and Norway
This message is from: Phillip Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com Hello folks from Phillip Odden in Northwestern Wisconsin where spring has sprung, most of my horses are out to pasture ( except the ones who are too fat and shouldn't be eating lush green grass ) and training for show season is in full swing. So as it turns out I too am getting a little age on me. Got to face the fact that I will be turning 60 in a few days. But I have been planning for that and for the years to come. The plan was always to get the best mares and stallion I could find and breed the best Fjords possible for my purposes. I like to do a little of everything here on our farm from trail riding to light draft work and especially Pleasure driving and Combined Driving Events. And I like to take my horses Elk hunting in the high mountains from time to time. We live on a farm where we are able to keep several horses quite easily. The plan was always to breed some good horses and learn to train them to accomplish my passions with horses. Part of the deal was to have some young horses at this stage of my life to carry me through the rest of my life. Now I have 5 or 6 wonderful young horses bred just the way I want them, or at least I think I do. So now I plan to prove to myself if they are as I think they are and compete them and ride them and ask them to do all the things I like to do with my ponies here on the farm. The math works out pretty good so that with me at age 60 and my youngsters from age 2 to 7 I should have more horse than I can handle in the next 20 years. Eventually I will probably just sit and watch and hopefully listen to them eat if everything works out. But I expect they will help to keep me going too. The sad part is that I feel I should sell my better trained veteran horses and probably my breeding stock sinse that is what the game plan calls for. It isn't easy letting go but I am selling a few horses steadily now. As for growing old, one shouldn't get too old without visiting the homeland of the Norwegian Fjord Horse, Norway. Just so happens that our 2012 Odden's Rural Life Traditions to Norway has two more seats left with 26 travelers on board and a max of 28. The itinerary for our tour along with prices and our horse sales list can be found on our website Norskwoodworks.comNext year we will be offering a tour to a different part of Norway and Sweden combined. All the Best, Phil Odden PS. Just as I am pushing the send button Else informs me that our red dun mare Eirosa has given birth to a healthy brown dun filly sired by our gray stallion Smedsmo. This combination Eirose X Smedsmo has produced some very good offspring. 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: fjordhorse-digest V2012 #57
This message is from: Phillip Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com This message is from Phillip Odden in Northwest Wisconsin where old man winter came alive and deposited 16 inches of heavy white snow on the ground. Uff! When a skilled dressage rider gets on my horse, she moves into good form pretty quickly with her back rounded, head down, etc. When I am on her, I usually feel as if I'm holding 200 lbs of head with the reins. I've had people give me lots of good reasons for these approaches, many of which have to do with collection, balance, and development of muscles for safe riding. It is taking much longer than I expected to get her to be supple with me. Take it easy on yourself Alice. This is a very common experience for all learners. And we are all learners. When I take lessons from driving instructers that I respect the same thing happens to me. They handle my horse and make it look easy. That is what I am paying them for. I pay them to show me how it should be done and instruct me on how to do it. Now, after lots of years struggling to understand I too can make some things look easy while driving but certainly not all skills horse related. Learning horsemanship and dressage skills takes lots of time and practice under good teachers. So many have tried to do things with their horses, have found it difficult or maybe even scary and have quit leaving their horse to be a pasture pet, which is alright if that is what you want. Horsemanship has to do with life long learning and solving one piece of the puzzel at a time. Eventually you solve enough of the puzzel so it becomes a pretty picture and looks easy. But it isn't. Hang in there. Choose your horse teacher like you would choose a physician, insurance man, banker or preacher. Do some research and find a good fit. There are no gimicks or short cuts but the rewards in satisfaction for you and your horse are well worth the struggle and time. Courage, Phil Odden Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw FH-L Shirts: http://tinyurl.com/8yky94l
Travel Plans, clinics
This message is from: Phillip Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com This message is from Phil Odden in Northwestern Wisconsin. It is fun to hear from the collective knowledge of Fjord owners and trainers on this list. Fortunately or unfortunately if you have a Fjord you are either a Fjord trainer or you are being trained by a Fjord. That is the way it works. There are good people to help you around the country several who offer clinics or private lessons on a daily basis or in a weekend or week long format. I too offer opportunities to learn my methods from me at my farm or I can come to your place. I am considering offering a pleasure driving and CDE clinic over the memorial Day weekend at my farm. It would be open to all breeds. Let me know if you are interested. I am planning a trip that will take me to Colorado, Northern California then Southern California and back home in the first half of April. If need be I can pull my big horse trailer with lots of room for horses and carriages. So if there are horses or carriages to be hauled along that route I might be able to help. My focus with horses is changing. For the past several years I have worked hard to understand form and function and choose good athletic trainable breeding stock. The NFHR evaluation program along with competition in open ADS classes around the country have helped me in that regard. I now have a talented group of young horses bred on my farm, from breeding animals I have chosen, that I intend to train to higher levels and compete with for the coming years. So I will be selling my well trained veteran horses and some of the younger horses that do not fit my criteria but are still very good horses. My oldest horse is 16 so they all still have plenty of good years. I have about 20 Fjords and I want to cut back to around 8 or 10. Nearly all of them both ride and drive. These animals have lived in small herds, are well socialized, have very good ground manners and are nice and easy to handle. They are exposed to lots of different places and situation. The last announcement I have is regarding our 2012 Rural Life Traditions Tour to Norway in August. Please check it out on our website www.Norskwoodworks.comThis is the third tour to Norway that I have guided. Because of our personal contacts in Norway you have an opportunity to visit places and meet people that would not be possible on your own or with other tours. We will travel through the Heart of Fjord Horse country and I will explain the rural culture of Norway as we experience the magnificent scenery of this beautiful country. You will tour several private farms and homes and eat traditional Norwegian food ( but probably not Lutefisk ). We have a limit of 28 people and just about half the seats are booked. My wife Else is from Norway and we both speak the language fluently. Please consider joining us. Take care, Phil Odden Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw FH-L Shirts: http://tinyurl.com/8yky94l
Driving bits
This message is from: Phillip Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com Hello from Phillip Odden wondering where that wonderful globally warmed winter went? Bonnie said, After going through vast numbers of riding bits for my other two Fjords before ending up with HS bits for them, I figured I would start with one nice bit for Milo's driving career to avoid spending tons of money searching for the right one. The bit I ordered arrived and I am hesitant to use it in case I have to return it. It is a Herm Sprenger aurigan 16mm arch mouth butterfly. It has an smooth side and a bumpy side. The bumpy side concerns me.. Like anything else horse related there are lots of ways to look at biting for a driving Fjord horse. I expect your choice is a good one. Fjords are said to have generally thicker tongues and need an arch mouth for tongue relief. I like Glory bits. They have an arch set at a forward angle with no rough side. This rough side can get people into trouble if they put the bit in the bridle so the rough side comes into play when the reins are tightened. And sometimes they think they have the bit right side forward when they don't because it is a little tricky. You almost have to get rather personal with your pony and put your fingers in its mouth to feel what is happening when you engage the bit. This goes for the curb chain too. Curb chains can and should be adjusted depending on what you want to happen when you tighten the lines. Not something you should leave to happenstance. Butterfly bits are reversible so they swivel. Some say it is possible to pinch the corners of the horse's lips in the swivel. Can,'t say that it has happened to me with my horses but then I don't know for sure. I expect the bit you have is finely made and the swivel is tight. The butterfly probably has two settings. A liverpool has several more settings including the one I use nearly all the time, with nearly all my horses, rough cheek. The rough cheek setting is just above the first slot just under the mouth piece. Because the liverpool has more settings I prefer them over butterfly driving bits. In the end it is the driver's responsibility to know and at least to try to understand what will happen when she or he tightens the lines on the driving bit. That is an important aspect of horsemanship. So I expect there will be many different answers depending on which driving discipline and tradition you are involved in. But a very good question Bonnie. respectfully, Phillip Odden Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw FH-L Shirts: http://tinyurl.com/8yky94l
contact and supplness
This message is from: Phillip Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com Hello from Phil Odden in Northwestern Wisconsin where the even though the snow is melting there is still enough snow to float my bobsled to haul some firewood home from the woods yesterday with my less experienced driving horses. I think we have come around to an important subject here regarding bit, rein contact and suppleness. Earlier this winter I attended a clinic with Janet Foy and Stephan Peters regarding dressage through the levels. Stephan Peters said the three most important aspects of ridden dressage were suppleness, suppleness and suppleness. And he said it more than once during the clinic. Suppleness has been a focus that has risen to the top of my training list the past couple years so I welcomed the message from such an accomplished horseman. After the Peters/Foy clinic I was moved to write a three page essay on the subject covering my path to suppleness in the riding and driving horse. It's a little too long to post here I expect. I might send it to the NFHR site where my other blogs are posted. For years I struggled with having horses pulling on my arms, hands and shoulders as I rode or drove them. Eventually due to my work as a wood carver and training lots of horses each week my shoulders and forearms got to hurting so bad that I was in constant pain. There came a point when I knew that if I couldn't find a way to ride and drive with light contact while keeping my horse in frame and using itself correctly I would have to quit. I needed a supple horse. I needed to drive and ride with contact and I wanted to excel at dressage. I enjoy doing combined driving events and pleasure shows. Dressage is important in these two sports. My dressage scores competing with horses and ponies of all breeds speak for themselves. At times one needs to gallop full blast through tight obstacles in CDE. And you kind of want to know that the horses will come back to you when you want to slow down again. Two thousand pounds of thundering horse flesh pulling a war wagon through tight obstacles is exciting. When I hit the In Gate I ask them to bolt and I encourage them to bolt with lots of voice and verbal threats. Doing this with a pair of supple responsive horses is a real rush. But they have to come back to me with just a little pressure. I like and expect the same suppleness and responsiveness when we are trail riding in Wisconsin or hunting in the mountains out west. Suppleness + responsiveness = safety. So training horses to be supple and responsive is my focus from the time they are born. Actually before they are born since I choose the stallion and the mare. Rein contact, how comfortable your horse is with the bit you use and how you use it, your horse's strength and conditioning, your horse's inherent calmness factor and attitude, how you use your aids - legs, seat, arms, finger tips, voice and whip all contribute to suppleness and responsiveness. In horsemanship there are several paths up the mountain. My question is, What path are you taking to suppleness and responsiveness with your horse? In the end it is a question of safety as well as pleasure. encouraging and respectful, Phil Odden Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw FH-L Shirts: http://tinyurl.com/8yky94l
Contact and suppleness
This message is from: Phillip Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com This message is from Phillip Odden in Northwestern Wisconsin where today my two reds Frode and Ildar again pulled in another load of firewood on the bobsled on a calm and sunny winter day. Lots of good and interesting information being shared here just as there are many paths up the mountain. So there are many different disciplines in the equine world, draft, driven and ridden dressage. Western riders, cutters and penners and now western dressage. Endurance, race horses and even these days horses used for transportation. Everyone seems to use different bits for different reasons and we expect different results. I can understand why western people might want to ride with little or no contact since they often use a bit with long shanks that can create a lot of leverage, if they want to. Doing what it takes to keep the horse relaxed makes a lot of sense. A horse can't learn much at all unless it is relaxed. I think that is a universal truth. I have a lot of respect for my friend Beth and her training methods. Notice that she starts her rehabilitation training and hind quarter button from the ground. For me suppleness and responsiveness starts from the ground, in hand, at a relaxed walk. The only gait more important than the walk is the stand. I have heard it said that anyone can teach a horse to trot. A respectful walk on 24 inches of loose lead rope where the horse is paying full attention to YOU and what YOU want to do is a good basis. ( Some Western people might want the horse leading on a loose line following them, I'm not sure. ) Then parallel leading and eventually a circle at a relaxed walk with from 6 to 12 feet of lead line with frequent supple responsive halts might be the next step. If you don't get your horse's attention with a nice soft halter you might need to use a chain under the chin. The knotted halter never worked as well for me. ( Both the leverage halters are still milder than a long shank leverage riding or driving bit with a curb chain but here again ultimately it comes around to how soft your hands are. ) I rarely need to use a chain under the chin for more than a week or two. Remember, relaxation is the goal but suppleness and responsiveness is the over- riding goal. If your horse is leading you around, pulling you this way and that, chances are slim that your horse is supple and responsive under saddle or in harness. After you have trained your horse to be supple and responsive on a lead line on the ground the next step is in long lines either ground driving or long lining. For me there is a difference. The horse should be supple when giving to pressure. Draft people can back a horse up by pulling lightly on the britching. So if you take a look at the NFHR Evaluation Family Fjord tests you will find a set of exercises designed to help with foundation training. In the end suppleness and responsiveness has a lot to do with reading your horse or not reading your horse, your timing for correction or lack of correction, your confidence level, trust and respect. So that's why horses are so interesting. It ain't always easy but it sure is sweet when you and your horse get it right no matter which disciple and set of horse rules you like. There are certainly other paths to Relaxation, Suppleness and Responsiveness and it's interesting to hear about them. Me and my helmet, Phil Odden Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw FH-L Shirts: http://tinyurl.com/8yky94l
One rein stop, suppleness
This message is from: Phillip Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com This message is from Phillip Odden in Northwestern Wisconsin where what little snow we have is now melting due to a warm winter. Not much sleigh time this winter so far. I both drive and ride my Fjords. The one rein stop has a chance of working when you are riding but much less of a chance to work when you drive if your horse decides to bolt. So for me safety means trust, respect and suppleness. But most importantly always having contact with both sides of the horse's mouth. By this I mean very light contact. If you have light contact and your horse is supple the horse will jump right into your hand and the supple neck and supple body will be manageable and can be directed. If you have no contact the horse can be gone before you can tighten up the reins and if you always have lots of contact your horse is bracing against your hand. Suppleness starts on the ground in everything you do with the horse. A bracing horse is the opposite of a supple horse. The horse needs to trust you to take care of it even when things get goofy or something unexpected comes up. Your horse needs to be able to trust and respect you especially at that time. So for me safety, both riding and driving has to do with trust, respect, suppleness and light contact on both sides of the mouth all the time. It doesn't hurt to expose your horses to lots of stuff that might scare a horse. If you deal with horses things are going to get a little tense every once in a while. How safe things turn out depends on how prepared you are and how well prepared your horse is to manage the situation. I train for suppleness. All the best and stay safe, Phil Odden 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.Fjords In Norway
This message is from: Phillip Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com Jan, Good to hear form you. It is exciting to hear that you have a new pony. I thought your Fjord was pretty good but it sounds like you have found something you feel will be better. It would be interesting to hear how you went about choosing the new steed. I have had a young 14 hand Welsh gelding here the past two winters in training for a client. He has been slow to mature and not easy to trust but when he is on his game he is absolutely wonderful with big extravagant movement, lots of balance and very athletic. The problem with this individual is that he can shatter in an instant and it is then difficult to gather up all the pieces and put him back together again. He has lots of heart and a great work ethic but he anticipates and is very very smart. One can never relax with him. I like to relax while driving or riding my horses. With the Fjords I have chosen to work with I am able to relax. I have often told the Welch Ponies' owner that if he could ever relax and keep his mind in the game he would be a mighty competitive pony at CDE or Pleasure Driving. But I am sure his owner would never be able to handle this individual pony at a show as it is now. Some say Welsh are often slow to mature mentally. Perhaps he just needs more time. But how long? In contrast Fjords should be quite trainable even as three and four year olds but they get real steady at five or so. Some blood lines are much slower to mature in their mind in my experience and some lines just have a mental disconnect and for me some individuals can't be fully trusted. I need to trust my ponies for the things I like to do with them. It really comes down to the individual pony but conformation and performance potential figure in. Form and function. I have seen Shelly Temple's pony at work. Does she drive a Welsh? He is one of the finest CDE ponies I have seen. I am sure your pony is in mighty good hands if she is training him. I think it makes a lot of difference in the end as to how a horse is started in training. Each one is an individual. Yes, good luck with your new horse. My plan was to do the Kentucky CDE at Intermediate level this fall and then the National Drive. A family wedding has been scheduled at that time so the Kentucky trip is off. Last year when we were at the World Equestrian Games we decided to try to get back in 2011 for the CDE. I started a new member of my Fjord pair with Frode the red dun gelding ( by our Stallion Smedsmo ) at Prelim level. Even though we had the best overall prelim dressage score at both Metamora and Hickory Knoll with Marcy and Frode I don't feel he is ready for Intermediate. I could use Herger but my intention is to get Frode in the game. This fall I will be working on two more very promising performance geldings Odden's Indreberg and Odden's Ildar. Ildar is a red dun as well. Hope your new job works out good for you. We certainly need creative thinking and competent teachers like yourself for our young children. Like horses, it is important that our children get a good start in life as well. Its all about life long learning. Take care and be safe, Phil Odden Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
Heat humidity and working horses
This message is from: Phillip Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com This message is from Phillip odden in Northwestern Wisconsin where it is already 82 degrees at 8:00 AM. Just got back from the Hickory Knoll CDE late last night. Even at 10: 00 it was still in the 90's as we drove home with the trailer doors open. Yesterday was marathon day at Hickory Knoll. They moved the start times up one hour but didn't alter the course distance. Some people chose not to start due to the anticipated heat and humidity. The Vet Crew were very watchful and monitored all horses very carefully. After section A which was just over 5 K in pretty hilly terrain and section D which is the walk portion on asphalt we were checked by the Vets. Pulses were high along with breathing rates but the temps on my two Fjords were still pretty good. Marcy was at 102.6 and Frode was at 103. Not bad. But in the past my ponies have come in from this part of the marathon completely recovered. I knew they would be pretty hot after section E with all the hazards since we were planning to pour the coal to them and ask for all the speed we could find. This was Frode's second marathon and he had been pretty confused and not much in the game at Metamora last month. Yesterday he was much different. Frode was ready to rock and roll and Marcy was pleased she didn't have to drag him around the course. I was pleased that I had two horses willing to run hazards hard. I had been spiking their water buckets with electrolytes all weekend and I had given them an oat/ beet pulp slurry before we headed out. After the marathon their heart rate and respirations were way high and Marcy's temp was 104.6, the highest I had ever seen on her. Frode was still 103.4 as I recall. We unharnesses them as quick as we could and sprayed them with water hoses for thirty minutes working the inside of the legs, the lower flank and under the throat latch and the lower neck. We offered them more water with electrolytes and they drank because they think the sour apple tastes like cool aid. When I brought them back to the Vet after thirty minutes they were just fine and he asked me what I had done for them. He agreed with my preparations and strategy for conditioning my Fjords and keeping them healthy and comfortable at the CDE. He even suggested I give a clinic on the subject. Fjords are not generally known to recover fast at this kind of competition. It has to do with conditioning, preparation before the event and careful attention to fluids, feed and cooling during the event. So we were the only Pony Pair at the competition at Prelim level and since we finished without getting eliminated we won a Blue ribbon. But we also had the best dressage score of any competitor at Prelim level and Frode and Marcy ran hard enough in the hazards to finish with the best score of all entries at Prelim level at Hickory Knoll with a score of 92. There were a few pretty fast, quick and agile single ponies there too. I would liked to have been at Cedar Rapids to share in the fun there but I work and study all year to train my ponies in dressage and the CDE is the only place I can put my training to the test. Now that Frode has decided to be a contributer to the team on the marathon we hope to go to Intermediate level next year provided I solve some of our limitations in dressage. There were a few times yesterday in the hazards when I had two powerful responsive Fjords right in my hand at full throttle gallop and that was quite a thrill. After a couple more cde's Marcy will have all she can do to keep up with Frode because even as well as Marcy moves he moves Big Time. Stay safe and keep 'em healthy, Phil Odden Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
Metamora CDE and Skunk River HDT
This message is from: Phillip Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com Hello Fjord friends from Phillip Odden in Northwestern Wisconsin where all my hay is cut and waiting to be dry to bale soon. Hoping for wind and sun. We just finished a two week run that took us to the Metamora CDE and the Skunk River HDT on back to back weekends. Patti and Alan DeVault from Los Angeles California joined Else and I for the Metamora show. It was just Patti, Alan and I doing the Skunk River HDT. At Metamora I drove my experienced mare Marcy and Odden's Frode our red dun gelding age 6. It was his first CDE so we did Prelim level. I feel dressage is very important so when I had the best dressage score, 51 of all Prelim entries ( second best score of all entries ) after the first day I felt pretty good, especially since it was Frode's first show and I felt I had about 75 to 80 % of what I felt we could do on that test. I was hoping for something in the 40's. There were three judges including Larry Poulin, Shelly Temple, and Marcie Quist. All three wrote short notes on my dressage tests. One commented that she liked my soft way with my ponies, well prepared transitions and demonstration of good basics. She asked me to work for a better connection to my hand and get them a bit rounder without loosing my good basics. She said she enjoyed watching me drive. Another judge said, Wonderfully driven, work on keeping connection at all times. And the judge at C said Nice pair but try to keep both ponies on the aids. The problem was that Frode was backing off the bit. The next day during the Marathon the problem was worse. Marcy did all the work as Frode looked shell shocked entering his first ever hazard. Marcy had to push him to the left and pull him to the right besides pulling the vehicle. Now and then he got in the game and I had short glimpses of what things could be like if I had both of them in the game. The course was rather technical and tight. We made the walk on a difficult section D in under 10 minutes which would be advanced time. Sunday we did cones. Again the cones course was technical and tight and was on a side hill. We had the third best cones run of anyone I think, as we made time but hit one ball. There were only two double clean runs for the day. One at training level and the pair that beat us at Prelim level. Frode still wasn't fully in the game but there were a few nice moments. We finished safe and sound and happy with a new navigation team to boot. I went there to do a good dressage test and see how Frode could handle the marathon. It will take some time for Frode to get better in the marathon but when we get it together these ponies can really go. Both ponies were extremely fit and the Vets commented on their good fitness. At Skunk River Patti drove Marcy and Herger at Prelim level. She had only driven them maybe three times to get ready but Patti is a pretty good driver. She had a pretty good dressage test with the second best dressage score of all entries at prelim level. She drove the fastest cones course of all competitors in all levels and divisions but hit one ball. Her marathon was a bit slow but the plan was to drive conservatively taking the safest path. There were several who eliminated at this one. Marcy and Herger go very well together and both are very fit. I enjoyed navigating and helping Patti understand how to handle the ponies. Everywhere we went we had nice comments on the Fjords. People who see us for the first time comment on how athletic my ponies are and how well they can move. So the plan is to do Hickory Knoll CDE which is unfortunately the same week end as the Midwest Cedar Rapids Fjord breed show. I wish I could be there but I train to do Combined Driving Events all year long and there are only a few CDE's that we can make. Frode needs more experience so we will do our best to improve the connection and get them rounder, just as the Dressage Judges advised. Maybe next time Frode will get in the game on the marathon. He is a very fast learner but still has a little stallion left in him since it wasn't that long ago he was gelded. Stay safe all, Phil Odden Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
Stafford Driving clinic
This message is from: Phillip Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com Hello Folks from Phillip Odden in Northwestern Wisconsin where we are experiencing our first thunder storm of the season. I can hear Thor and his powerful chariot banging away in the heavens as I write. Last weekend our Northwoods driving club hosted the second Suzy Stafford driving clinic. We have a wonderful driving club composed of members with diverse interests in the driving world. And there is every kind of horse pony or mini imaginable but not too many highly bred animals. Our club members come from Northern Wisconsin and Northern Minnesota. We are used to making do, improvising and getting along. But our members do very well in ADS CDE and Pleasure Driving competitions in the Midwest and in other regions when we travel. Our Northwood harness club members have proven we can play with the best of 'em. And now we are inviting First Class driving instructors to our area. There were three and one half days of lessons booked. Suzy Stafford was able to speak to each and every driver and horse on a level they could understand so as to make improvements for their individual goals. The problems were often the same. If the horse was not able to relax it was often a problem with the bit or rough or busy hands with the driver. Many horses were afraid of bit contact and drivers were challenged to understand proper contact. Often the horses had problems coming round without relaxation and proper contact. For many they needed better rhythm in their gaits. After that there were horses that were not bending well, mostly because the drivers did not know how to help their horses bend. There was a lot of inside- outside rein instruction. Not easy if you haven't been exposed to it. After that there were some horses that were not engaging their rear ends so they lacked impulsion. I brought my 6 year old Red Dun gelding Frode sired by my stallion Smedsmo and out of a mare I used to own Woods Karina. I called her Raude since she was red. Smedsmo's mother was red. Now I have a full sister to Raude named Eirose and she is red as well and she scored an 81 in conformation. I have two full red dun brothers from Eirose and by Smedsmo and they look just like Frode with darker red coats and very light colored mane and full white tails. Frode is very striking because of his well muscled body and his contrasting coat color. And Frode is very athletic. He is fit and trim even in his winter coat. Frode is shorter in his body frame, more compact and stands about 14 HH. He brings lots of comments because of his presence and athletic ability. It is easy to see. I have been training Frode for about 16 month single and in pairs. I drove him single for Suzy this past weekend. I can say that all my pair horses drive single and none of them have any problem driving single since I school them as singles and I switch them back and forth from one side to the other in several different pair combinations. Currently I have 7 or 8 horses that I can take to ADS driving shows that drive single and in pairs. Frode is a very calm horse and it takes a lot to get him rattled. Suzy's first comment as I drove him into the ring was that he could walk. He has a big natural over-stride at the walk. He had good rhythm in his gaits, he could bend well both ways and he had the proper flexion in his neck and head and he could easily come round. He held his gaits well. She liked his steady working trot. Frode was soft in the mouth and responsive. After a few minutes she stopped the lesson to say that she didn't often see Fjords that could move like Frode. Since all the basics were in place she asked what I wanted to work on. I asked her to show me how she works to get lengthening at the trot. She drove as I watched her chase him from a working trot to the lengthened trot by building impulsion from the rear with more energy and holding him the front end closed. When she drove she kept his face on the vertical so he reached up under with the hind legs and shot the front legs forward. I think she was schooling a more advanced lengthening than I was was looking for, but Frode seemed to be capable, if only for 2 to 5 strides. When I drove him for her I let him lengthen his body a bit as well since this is what most judges have suggested should happen at Prelim level. In the past I had been asking for lengthening from a more collected trot or I had chased a horse on an open road into rounding up and lengthening. But I have had trouble in Dressage tests in getting a solid quick transition across the diagonal which is what seems to be required. So now I will school in a different way. But it sure helps if you have a horse with the conformation and natural ability to do this stuff. I have been holding interviews with my well trained driving horses this past
Driving clinic
This message is from: Phillip Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com Hello Folks from Phillip Odden in Northwestern Wisconsin where we are experiencing our first thunder storm of the season. I can hear Thor and his powerful chariot banging away in the heavens as I write. Last weekend our Northwoods driving club hosted the second Suzy Stafford driving clinic. We have a wonderful driving club composed of members with diverse interests in the driving world. And there is every kind of horse pony or mini imaginable but not too many highly bred animals. Our club members come from Northern Wisconsin and Northern Minnesota. We are used to making do, improvising and getting along. But our members do very well in ADS CDE and Pleasure Driving competitions in the Midwest and in other regions when we travel. Our Northwood harness club members have proven we can play with the best of 'em. And now we are inviting First Class driving instructors to our area. There were three and one half days of lessons booked. Suzy Stafford was able to speak to each and every driver and horse on a level they could understand so as to make improvements for their individual goals. The problems were often the same. If the horse was not able to relax it was often a problem with the bit or rough or busy hands with the driver. Many horses were afraid of bit contact and drivers were challenged to understand proper contact. Often the horses had problems coming round without relaxation and proper contact. For many they needed better rhythm in their gaits. After that there were horses that were not bending well, mostly because the drivers did not know how to help their horses bend. There was a lot of inside- outside rein instruction. Not easy if you haven't been exposed to it. After that there were some horses that were not engaging their rear ends so they lacked impulsion. I brought my 6 year old Red Dun gelding Frode sired by my stallion Smedsmo and out of a mare I used to own Woods Karina. I called her Raude since she was red. Smedsmo's mother was red. Now I have a full sister to Raude named Eirose and she is red as well and she scored an 81 in conformation. I have two full red dun brothers from Eirose and by Smedsmo and they look just like Frode with darker red coats and very light colored mane and full white tails. Frode is very striking because of his well muscled body and his contrasting coat color. And Frode is very athletic. He is fit and trim even in his winter coat. Frode is shorter in his body frame, more compact and stands about 14 HH. He brings lots of comments because of his presence and athletic ability. It is easy to see. I have been training Frode for about 16 month single and in pairs. I drove him single for Suzy this past weekend. I can say that all my pair horses drive single and none of them have any problem driving single since I school them as singles and I switch them back and forth from one side to the other in several different pair combinations. Currently I have 7 or 8 horses that I can take to ADS driving shows that drive single and in pairs. Frode is a very calm horse and it takes a lot to get him rattled. Suzy's first comment as I drove him into the ring was that he could walk. He has a big natural over-stride at the walk. He had good rhythm in his gaits, he could bend well both ways and he had the proper flexion in his neck and head and he could easily come round. He held his gaits well. She liked his steady working trot. Frode was soft in the mouth and responsive. After a few minutes she stopped the lesson to say that she didn't often see Fjords that could move like Frode. Since all the basics were in place she asked what I wanted to work on. I asked her to show me how she works to get lengthening at the trot. She drove as I watched her chase him from a working trot to the lengthened trot by building impulsion from the rear with more energy and holding him the front end closed. When she drove she kept his face on the vertical so he reached up under with the hind legs and shot the front legs forward. I think she was schooling a more advanced lengthening than I was was looking for, but Frode seemed to be capable, if only for 2 to 5 strides. When I drove him for her I let him lengthen his body a bit as well since this is what most judges have suggested should happen at Prelim level. In the past I had been asking for lengthening from a more collected trot or I had chased a horse on an open road into rounding up and lengthening. But I have had trouble in Dressage tests in getting a solid quick transition across the diagonal which is what seems to be required. So now I will school in a different way. But it sure helps if you have a horse with the conformation and natural ability to do this stuff. I have been holding interviews with my well trained driving horses this past month
Odden's Rural Life Traditions Tour to Norway
This message is from: Phillip Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com Hello Folks from Phillip Odden in Northwestern Wisconsin where the snow from a long winter has just about vanished. Else and I are leading a 12 day tour to Norway this August. This will be a study tour of sorts where Else and I will share our favorite places and interesting people we have come to know in Norway. We will be learning about the Folk Arts and Rural Traditions of Norway. We will visit several places that keep Fjord Horses including the school at Nordfjordeid and we have just made changes in the tour so that we can take in the annual Fjord Mare show at Førde. This is probably the largest Fjord mare show in Norway. There will be fantastic Fiddle music and wonderful food traditions to enjoy as well as we travel through some of Norway's most spectacular scenic mountains and valleys. And yes, there will be a number of places to shop. Many of the hotels will be located in the countryside rather than cities. You can learn more about our tour by visiting our web site www. Norskwoodworks.com or contact us by email or phone. Else and I are ready to answer any questions you may have. There are still a few seats left on the tour with a maximum of 24. Enjoy your spring and your Fjords. Phil Odden Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
Tour Norway 2011
This message is from: Phillip Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com This message is from Phillip Odden in Northwestern Wisconsin where it snows nearly every day and the temperatures are ranging down to -20 to -30 at night. But our Fjords seem to enjoy the winter even with the cold temps. They get extra feed. Else and I have planned an August 2011 tour to Norway much like the fun and successful tour I guided for the Norwegian American Museum in 2009. We are calling this tour Odden' Rural Life Traditions Tour and we will be in Norway from August 12 to 23. During the tour we will see and experience the rural culture of Norway through the Folk Arts, Music, Food and fabulous scenery of Norway. We will have guest guides and meet friends we have known from years of travel in Norway. We will visit many of our favorite places in Norway including Else's home town. We will see and experience places in Norway that tourists do not normally get to see. For those interested in Fjord horses this tour will help people understand where Fjord Horses came from and how the environment and people of Norway shaped the Fjord Horse. Some fun and interesting people are already signing up for this tour with Else and me. The limit is 24 people. You can find details about Odden's Rural Life Traditions Tour 2011 on our website www.Norskwoodworks.com Stay safe and keep warm. Soon it will be Spring. Phil Odden Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
Sleigh and Cutter Rallies
This message is from: Phillip Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com Hello Jan and Jim Robbins, It was fun to meet you and Jim at Iron Horse. The Combined Driving Events are challenging and loads of fun but the real fun part of the experience is meeting all the wonderful people and the talented horses that participate. Of course Iron Horse is an incredible venue with very gracious hosts. We had the opportunity to experience what we and our horses could accomplish in a special setting. That is kind of what this sleigh and cutter driving opportunity is all about. There will be lots of different horses put to a wide variety of cutters and sleighs. Driving at these sleigh events is not all that challenging. They don't expect you to do much other than to parade around the grounds, smile to the cameras and look nice. It is about participating and being there. My Fjords are calm and experienced and very easy to drive. They always have a lunch or dinner after these events so people can get together and socialize. The offer to drive at the CAA winter conference has been taken but the Manes and Tails Sleigh Festival has just been announced for February 5th. So I can offer Driving packages for the days around January 8 for the Ashland Sleigh rally and February 5th near Stillwater, Minnesota at this time. I get more pleasure from sharing my ponies with others at these events than driving them myself. Its kind of like catching fish. I love to fish but these days I get a bigger kick out of helping others catch a nice fish than catching them myself. I am sure there will be sleigh and cutter rallies next year as well. It would be fun for me to share our ponies with you and Jim next year. Hope to see you at a CDE next summer as well. The more we get our good performance Fjords out and about the better off all of us are. And you and your Fjord certainly did well at Iron Horse. Keep up the good work. Phil Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
WEG/ disposition
This message is from: Phillip Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com Hello all, Else and I returned from the World Equestrian Games yesterday. It was a wonderful experience. The people were very friendly, the weather was good most of the time, and the venue was wonderful. We had the opportunity to see some of the best horses, riders and drivers in the world. And we had the opportunity to drive our two Fjords, Marcy and Herger at the Equine Village arena in the ADS Driving Derby. My wife Else along with Howard and Sophie Fiedler teamed up to navigate groom and polish our turnout. I posted a few blogs to the NFHR site along with pictures. Else will be posting more pictures to our website at www. Norskwoodworks.com The driving derby was all about driving a course of cones and two lettered obstacles as fast as we could go. We started out in as fast a gallop as we could muster and tried to keep them in at least a canter through the turns around the arena without hitting anything. Howard was leaning on the marathon vehicle to keep it right side up. It was exciting. They were keeping times for each run. We were competing with several other breeds. People enjoyed our Fjords and respected what they could do. I have never written much about my two performance horses Silver Willow Marcy C-P-2646-M and Ke Ja Co's Herger KEF-K-2152-G. These are both Canadian bred Fjords. I bought marcy from Darryl Davis in Saskatchewan as a two year old. I trained her to drive and ride at age three. I chose her because she is nicely proportioned with a long neck and good muscling. She moves very well with a big over stride at the walk and trot making for very nice gaits. She stands about 14.1hh. She was evaluated for conformation at 82. She received a 92 for her intro driving test. For the advanced driving part A she earned a 92 and advanced part B she had a 92.5 which are among the highest NFHR driving scores to this point. Herger was bred and trained by Orville and Anita Unrau in British Columbia Canada. I got him in 2006 and he was born in 1997. I have used him in pairs and single. Herger has trained several fjords to drive in a pair as has Marcy. Both horses have been driven in a team of four. Herger is a well built Fjord standing about 14.2. He is well muscled with good legs and a very nice head. He has a good walk and a good trot. After working with Marcy his walk and trot have improved since she moves bigger than he does and I do what I can to improve their movement. Both these Fjords have exceptional dispositions. I have sorted through a lot of Fjord horses here on our farm looking for exceptional movement and exceptional dispositions. I like horses with a very laid back disposition. My theory is that you can always build the fire in them rather than having to deal with hot headed horses all the time. I like to be able to relax when I am using my Fjords. The experience at the WEG is a good example. In the Driving Derby we wanted them to go as fast as they could go at a full gallop and then come back when asked. When we were finished they stood quietly as people stroked them as we stood by the rail of the arena to visit with people. Before we drove Howard and I would drive them around the WEG grounds up and down the side walks meeting people. I could trust them to be enclosed by a large group of children as they were poked and prodded, petted pampered by the crowd. These horse go hunting with me in the fall in Colorado and this year perhaps Montana. They are able to put up with rifle fire and they can pack out heavy loads of elk meat. I can trust them to be tied to a tree all day while I am off hunting a long way from camp and be there when I return ready to take me home safely. In the dressage portion of the Combined Driving Event they are very respectable. Last spring in Kentucky we had the best Prelim dressage score of all horses,ponies, single or pairs at the event. I have heard people say that performance horses tend to have poor dispositions. Not necessarily true. You can have performance and top dispositions and that is what Fjord Horses are all about as far as I am concerned. Marcy and Herger had just a small part at the 2010 World Equestrian Games but everyone that saw them understood that they were willing, talented and very calm. It is important to continue to breed Fjords that are trainable and have good dispositions. Horses are like children. They are all good until you ask them to do something. Respectfully, Phillip Odden Barronett, Wisconsin Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
Re Performance at WEG
This message is from: Phillip Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com This message is from Phillip Odden in Northwestern Wisconsin where we had our first frost last evening. The tentative performance schedule for the American Driving Society at the WEG are as follows: Oct. 3 6:00 PM Oct. 4 2:00 PM Oct. 5 4:30 PM Oct. 6 10:00 AM These performances will be at the Village Arena. There may be some Pleasure Driving demonstrations with Andy Marcoux but Andy has not given us any details yet. ADS had planned to have Andy lead a Pleasure Driving Clinic at the WEG and we were to participate. It will be interesting to see what happens. It is our intention to give the Fjords as much exposure as we can at the WEG. If possible we will hitch them to the Phaeton and stroll around the horse park to engage the crowds. And we will answer the most important questions for each person just like it was the first time we had been asked if the Black Stripe in the mane was for real. In the end we are there to promote the American Driving Society and the Fjord horse breed as a great driving horse. ADS has decided to partner with a few horse breeds that make good driving horses and the NFHR has embraced this partnership. The ADS demonstration will be a Driving Derby where two or three single horses and a couple pairs will race through through two obstacles placed at opposite ends of the driving arena. Each obstacle will be driven twice. We will be using our marathon carriage and Howard Fiedler will be navigating and working to keep the carriage upright. I expect the footing will be loose on top and hard underneath so the carriage will be sliding and throwing up a good bit of dirt. Kind of like two grown up kids playing in the sand box with two thousand pounds of steady muscle and bone ready to rock and roll. Herger and Marcy work very well as a pair and are often in-step in all gaits. They have good acceleration at the gallop in harness now and they are getting pretty good at making turns together at the gallop. Still the best gait for a Fjord is their powerful trot. Yesterday as I was training on the gravel road and I asked for a lengthened trot. The hoof tracks were marking the gravel so I could see how much of an over stride each of them were making in the gravel. I stopped them and turned around and drove slowly back along our route to take a close look at the tracks they were making. They were both over-striding about 14-16 inches pulling a fairly heavy marathon carriage. So Marcy has a bigger over-stride than Herger. It has always been this way. But now after driving Herger with Marcy for the past six months since her partner Beorn died, Herger has stepped up and has lengthened his stride to match Marcy and perhaps Marcy has compromised a bit on her stride. They drive very nicely together and they are are well matched in height and head-set as well as color. As for the comment suggesting modern Fjords may have poorer temperaments I say, Not Necessarily So. These ponies have wonderful temperaments and I have no fear of taking them in front of thousands of people or even to mingle in crowds of people. We do it all the time. The temperament of modern Fjords are no better or no worse then the Fjords of past. I will refrain from commenting further at this time but I would love to engage in that debate later. Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
Re Driving Digest
This message is from: Phillip Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com This message is from Phillip Odden in Northwestern Wisconsin where summer seems to be giving way to fall but the mosquitos are still mighty thick. Thanks Julie for the kind words about our program here at Odden's Norwegian Fjord Horses. It will be fun to see the picture in Driving Digest. Iron Horse 2010 was a memorable event with all the top Four in Hands there. Iron Horse is such a nice venue with lots of wonderful volunteers, drivers and exciting horses. The obstacles there are certainly challenging. Some years ago Else and I set a goal to show well trained and nicely mannered athletic Fjord Horses at ADS sponsored pleasure driving shows and Combined Driving Events across the country. To be successful we knew we needed to find Fjords that could move as good as, or better than the Morgans, German sport ponies, Halflingers, Welch ponies and all the other great driving horses out there. These days the horses people are choosing to drive and ride at open shows are getting better as people understand it takes a good athletic horse to compete. It also takes a horse that is trainable, able to focus, and one that will remain sound over time in a demanding sport. These are the same qualities that make good trail horses or good dressage horses. The NFHR Evaluation Program offers the basic knowledge to get started in the right direction. I have learned a great deal from the evaluation program. As I started to choose horses to compete with some day, I didn't want to rely on some breeders self serving propaganda on which to base my choice for an athletic sport pony and a breeding and training program of our own. I wanted to learn for myself what it takes. I decided on the conformation and disposition I wanted in my competition horses based on what I learned from the NFHR Evaluation Program. Then I set out to prove or disprove what I thought would work. When we are not competing our show horses we use these horses around the farm to haul firewood, haul maple sap, till the garden, trail ride, and as pack horses on hunting trips out West. I often practice driven dressage movements with my hay wagon. It takes a team effort to do pleasure shows and CDE. Howard and Sophie Fiedler and Else and I have had lots of fun along the way. When Howard isn't able to go Bob Long has also helped. As many of you know, Else can take some awesome horse photos besides helping to clean harness and vehicles. It takes a team effort. You can't get there by yourself. There are several other Fjords doing very well at ADS pleasure shows and CDE's across the country. Right now I think Howard and Sophie's stallion, the one they call Hershey, is one to watch. He has scored very well in the NFHR evaluation program and he too is proving himself in ADS sponsored driving shows and ridden dressage shows. Next weekend we will be at Villa Louis on the banks of the Mississippi trying to extend our string of Championships there and then off to demonstrate at the World Equestrian Games in Lexington Kentucky in October where we hope to churn up a cloud of dust in the ADS Driving Derby. Stay safe, Phil Odden Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
World Equestrian Games
This message is from: PHILLIP Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com This message is from Phillip Odden in Northwestern Wisconsin where summer is beginning to move towards fall. Well over a year ago I became aware that we were being considered by the American Driving Society to demonstrate at the World Equestrian Games to be held this fall in Lexington Kentucky. They wanted me to drive my pair of Fjords in a Driving Derby and for a Pleasure Driving demonstration called Pleasure Driving 101. This spring we were encouraged to get our horses qualified with the extensive Veterinary requirements of the WEG. Information has been painfully slow in coming regarding times and venues for our demonstration. Finally we were told to submit applications for Homeland Security so we would be allowed to enter the Equine Village. It turns out that security will be very tight for the event with lots of people from foreign countries in attendance. Recently we received information regarding the venues and times for the Driving Derby demonstration. The driving derby will consist of two hazards located at opposite ends of the driving arena. The competitor will drive into the arena and race down to the far end and drive through several gates in order as fast as he can, then race down to the other end to do that hazard, return to the far end and do that hazard again then return to the near end to complete two goes at each hazard and then finish. Howard Fiedler will be navigating for me to help keep the dusty side down on our marathon carriage. As of now, the schedule is : Sunday, October 3 demo at 6:00 p.m. Monday, October 4 demo at 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, October 5 demo at 4:30 p.m. Weds, October 6 demo at 10:00 am These demos will take place at the Equine Village large arena. At this point, our participants are : Phil Odden, with a pair of Fjords Mary Ruth Marks with a single horse Meghan Benge with a pair of ponies Randy Cadwell with a pair of ponies Melissa Boyd with a single horse Jeff Morse with a single horse I still do not have the information for the Pleasure Driving demonstrations, though I just contacted Andy Marcoux this morning and he indicated that he is still planning to do the demonstrations but does not know when or where it will take place. I will post that information when I receive it for those who plan to attend the WEG. My understanding is that there are still rooms available and tickets available to attend the WEG. This is the first time this event has been held in North America to my understanding and it is truly a World Class event. Quite possibly ours will be the only Fjords there. You can bet we will have them polished and trimmed as best we can. Looking forward to the World Equestrian Games, Phil Odden Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
Hickory knoll, Blue earth and Iron Horse
This message is from: PHILLIP Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com This message is from Phillip odden in Northwestern Wisconsin where it has been mighty hot and muggy. Else and I returned Sunday evening from a hectic tour of events after completing the Iron Horse CDE in northern Illinois. The tour started with Hickory Knoll CDE and my first attempt at intermediate level. A Combined Driving Event is a three part competition starting with Dressage, then cones and marathon. Iron Horse was a three day event so we did Dressage first then marathon and on the third day we drove cones. Drivers and horses start at training level, then move to Preliminary level on to Intermediate and then a few talented driver/ horse combinations reach advanced. I drove my pair Herger and Marcy at Hickory Knoll and we ended up in first ahead of a pair of German Sport ponies at Intermediate Pair Pony. Everyone says the jump from Prelim to Intermediate is much more difficult than the move from Training to Prelim. I have to agree. The dressage movements ask much more from the horses and the driver. One needs to drive very fast in the hazards to stay competitive. At Hickory Knoll we planned to go as fast as we could and we did. Howard Fiedler, my navigator, did a great job in keeping the carriage right side up as we galloped many of the distances to and through each of the five gates of the complex obstacles. Bob Long rode with me on cones and for the dressage while Else kept us on time, polished harness and vehicles and most important took wonderful photos. It takes a good team to do these things. Peggy Spear won Prelim pony with Prisco at Hickory Knoll and Chet Thomas had the best dressage score at Prelim among all competitors. So our fjords had two division championships and the coveted overall best Prelim Dressage test at Hickory Knoll. I took my tired CDE ponies home Sunday evening and Monday morning early loaded up a couple of green geldings Oddens Frode and Bob Long's three year old gelding Solvar. We arrived at Blue Earth about noon with not time to get the young geldings settled in to their first show ever. We were awarded a few nice ribbons during the show even though we did not expect to be competitive with the green ponies. However both these geldings have lots of potential so down the road with some experience under their harness they will be competitive driving ponies. Heike asked me to ride her carriage for a CDE demonstration at the talent show at Blue Earth and that was kind of fun. Blue Earth was finished on Wednesday and we drove from there home and back down to Decorah Iowa to show our carvings and furniture at the annual Nordic Fest. This being our 31st year showing at the Norwegian American Museum at Nordic Fest. When we returned home on Saturday evening late and we were exhausted. We had three days to pick up loose ends on the farm, pack for Iron Horse and try to rest up a bit. I was able to drive Herger and Marcy one time before we left for Iron Horse and I had not yet learned my dressage test Intermediate test 2. Iron Horse offered Prelim, Intermediate and Advanced. It was the last competition to qualify the four- in- hand turn outs for the World Equestrian Games to be held in Kentucky come October. So there were 11 four-in hand teams there and several of the best drivers and best driving horses in North America competing at Advanced and Intermediate level. At this show there were only three turnouts involving fjords. Penny Stuckey from Southern Pines, North Carolina drove the 7 year old Fjord stallion Karolina King at Intermediate pony. Karolina King withdrew during the marathon after a nice dressage presentation. Janet Robbins from Arkansas drove her 4 year old gelding BDF Ran Rienstein to an impressive second place finish at prelim level single pony. With all that had come before I struggled to learn my dressage test. This test is done in a 100 x 40 meter arena and we do not currently have an arena that size on our farm. Having driven my ponies only two times after Hickory Knoll before the test I felt unprepared and it showed on dressage day. I finished with a 69 ( 56 % ) and in second place among four at Intermediate Pair Pony. The judges were quite strict. There were 17 competitors at Intermediate level. Eight of them had better dressage scores than we did and eight of them had worse dressage scores than ours. So our dressage test was respectable but not good. I finished the marathon in second place but fell to third place overall. We received 3 inches of rain the night before and the challenging course became more difficult as the day wore on with the heavy mud. At the vet check after section D the vets said my Fjords had the best recovery of any of the horses they had check up to that time. On section E the seven hazards came up very fast with little recovery time
RE: Stalls or turnout
This message is from: PHILLIP Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com This message is from Phillip Odden in Northwestern Wisconsin where we had just over 4 inches of rain today. And yes there was some lightening too. We have around 25 Fjords here and they all stay outside all the time during all seasons. Each day I bring several in to be tied or stand in stalls for some hours so they get used to being handled and tied. I think that is very important. Since my woodcarving studio is in the barn I am able to monitor them as they stand tied. I also tie some in other places around the farm where we can watch them. The horses here live in different groups outside. Horses are herd animals and I think they should live in herds. It is important for their minds and for their bodies to be able to move freely and interact with one another in different age classes. We have fox, coyote, timber wolves, lots of bears, and now cougars here. We have never had any problems with the wild animals troubling our horses. I am more concerned with the lightening but the horse are able to come up to the building for cover if they wish. I like to hang flags in their paddocks that blow in the wind and place other things in their environment that helps them learn about the people world. Depending on their nutrition needs and activity some are on good pasture and some are on short pasture and some are in dry lot. There are a few that may be in a dry lot alone but close to other horses. I do not want to limit my horses health by having them excessively over- weight. As I travel around the country looking at Fjords I see quite a few that are far too heavy. It takes effort to keep most Fjords in proper shape. The easiest thing to do is to just let them eat all they want. Many people do not want to have the weight of a ridder on their horses until they are fully mature and I agree. But they are willing to have their young stock much overweight so that the young Fjords are carrying far too much weight for their immature bones and connective tissue all the time. Everyone has a different situation and different expectations for their animals and there is probably no ' right way ' to keep and train horses since we are all continuing to learn ( hopefully ). For now this is what works for us and our goal to produce well mannered well trained performance and trail horses. Tomorrow we are off to Hickory Knoll CDE for the weekend driving our pair Herger and Marcy at Intermediate level with howard Fiedler navigating for marathon and Bob Long riding Dressage and Cones. Then straight to Blue Earth with a couple first time green horses with my Frode and Bob Long's Solvar. Then the next week at Iron Horse CDE with Marcy and Herger at Intermediate where there will be many super athletic horses and talented drivers from around the country participating. I understand that the top four in hand drivers will be battling it out at Iron Horse for a spot at the World Equestrian Games in October. Our goal at these two CDE's is to have fun, stay safe and see how it feels to compete at Intermediate level. In August we plan to be at the Villa Louis Carriage Classic. In October we will be driving Marcy and Herger at the World Equestrian Games in Lexington Kentucky with the American Driving Society. Howard Fiedler will be my navigator. At the WEG we will be participating in two events, a Pleasure Driving demonstration with Andy Marcoux and a HDT driving derby. It is a big honor for us to be invited to drive at the WEG with ADS. ADS sanctions Pleasure Driving shows like Villa Louis and Combined Driving Events like Hickory Knoll and Iron Horse. They are in the forefront with educational opportunities and considerations for the safety and well being of our horses and drivers. ADS is expanding driving sports in this country and they have recognized the Norwegian Fjord Horse as well as other breeds that excel at driving. We are excited and we look forward to the opportunity to drive our Fjords at the World Equestrian Games this fall. After the WEG I will ask Marcy and Herger to take me on an Elk hunt in the mountains of Montana. Take care, Phil Odden Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
Rocking Horse
This message is from: PHILLIP Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com This message is from Phillip Odden of Barronett, Wisconsin where winter still has a strong hold on us. But the sleigh trails are in shape and the Wisconsin countryside is mighty pretty dressed in white. I want to let people know that I am teaching a class in making a child's Rocking Horse at the Norwegian American museum at Decorah, Iowa. The class will take place March 12,13, and 14. You need not be a wood carver to make this rocking horse, but there will be an opportunity to do some carving on it. It can also be painted. We can make it look like a Fjord as well, Gray, brown dun, red dun or you can use your imagination for decorations. You can contact me or Vesterheim to get more information on the class. Phillip Odden Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
Ridability and conformation
This message is from: PHILLIP Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com This message is from Phillip Odden in Northwestern Wisconsin where it is snowing and the ground is now frozen. Anthea was wondering about finding a Fjord with nice gaits. This question falls into one of my great interests with fjord horses, Form and function. So in my experience the horse must have a nice free walk and a walk with a substantial over-stride. That is to say the back hoof should over-stride the front hoof when the horse is walking like it is wanting to go somewhere. Some of my horses will over-stride with six to eight inches between the front of the back hoof and the back of the front hoof. Next you want a horse that also has a good over-stride at the trot. Some fjords have big over strides at the trot. You might look at the length of pastern. Shorter pasterns usually means a stiffer ride. Longer pasterns make for a softer ride providing the pasterns are not too long and too soft. I also look for a horse with well developed hind quarters and a nice angle to the shoulder. One more thing to look at is the cannon bone to forearm ratio. I look for short cannon bone length. When you get all these things in one package provided the horse has a good mind and good work ethic you probably have a pretty good riding horse. The proof is in the pudding though. There are fjord horses that are quite athletic many that are not. An athletic fjord horse makes a good sport horse and a good riding horse. Phil Odden Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
re.Working ponies
This message is from: PHILLIP Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com Hello folks, this message is from Phillip Odden from Northwestern Wisconsin where summer is turning to fall and our hardwoods are showing bright color amidst the forest green. Kate wrote, We had what we have taken to calling an Odden (which is how we now refer to any moment in which our 1,000 lb. pets do something resembling work - coined when I read Phil Odden's post on gathering maple syrup). It is fun to see that Kate is finding chores for her and her best pony ever, Joe. Several years ago a past President of the Midwest Fjord Horse Club, Mike Sadlon, challenged the members to find things to do with their fjords. Since Else and I live on a small farm we have a number of opportunities to use our horses but it was easier to use tractors or other motorized implements. That is how the world has evolved since industrialization occurred in America. So little by little we started to use our horses to do chores that horses have done in the past. We skid a few logs for firewood and we haul the fire wood home with the horses. We haul in our maple sap, and we do sleigh rides. We use them as pack horses for hunting trips and we work the garden with our horses. Since horses these days are more important for quality of life issues than for work animals, teaching the horses to cooperate and work together with us can be very satisfying and it strengthens the bonds of trust and respect we have with our horses. I like to tell them how much I appreciate their willing help. The horses know when they have worked hard to complete a heavy or difficult task and I let them know that I value their cooperation. Some people enjoy physical challenges such as bicycle races, cross country ski challenges, or any number of other sports. And some horses enjoy these challenges as well. The challenge for those of us who handle these horses is to train them how to accomplish the work in a way that makes it easier for them both physically and mentally. That is part of what we call horsemanship. Meaningful work is still life's greatest blessing. Enjoy them ponies. Phil Odden Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
Villa Louis
This message is from: PHILLIP Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com This message is from Phil Odden We are still unpacking from the Villa Louis pleasure driving show at Prairie du Chien Wisconsin. There are usually a good number of Fjords at this show and the show offers the highest quality for elegant turnouts and challenging classes in the MIdwestern States. The Fjords often do quite well at Villa Louis and this year was no exception. At the start of the show, which is held on the banks of the Mississippi at the historic fur trading post Villa Louis, there were five fjord turnouts entered. Dr Chet Thomas drove his mare Trine in the Single Horse Open Division. Peggy Spear drove her gelding Prisco in Large Pony Open. Samantha Poirier drove Linda Syverson- Kerr's Spruce Hill Markus in Novice Driver Horse. Bob Long drove my gelding Herger in Novice Driver Pony. I drove my pair Marcy and Beorn in the pairs division with both horses and ponies. Peggy had to leave unexpectedly on Saturday evening because her groom was needed at home. She and Prisco were doing quite well on Saturday winning at least one class in a very tough division. Peggy is gaining experience each time she shows and Prisco has all the tools including a very good lengthened trot. Chet finished third in his division. Competing in the open horse division is about as tough as it gets at Villa Louis. Chet won at least one class, maybe two, and did very well. Chet's wife Donna Thomas drove a class this year in Novice Driver Horse Division. Samantha Poirier had a fantastic show with the seasoned show-horse Markus. I think she won every class she entered other than ride and drive where she took a second. Sammy is a very skillful horseman and she drove a great horse in Markus. With Linda coaching her through the show the combination was unbeatable. Sammy and Markus won the championship by a mile. So Sammy is no longer a novice driver after one ADS show. Bob Long ended up with a reserve championship driving my gelding Herger. He and Herger did very well together and they won at least two classes as I recall. Bob is no longer a novice driver either so from here on out the ribbons will be more difficult to win. It is important to note that both these novice drivers were driving well seasoned show horses and they had pretty good coaching. Many good horseman have said that either the horse needs to be experienced or the driver needs to be experienced to have a good outcome. When both driver and horse are inexperienced then the outcome may not be so good or it can be down right dangerous. Both Sammy and Bob had great horses to drive and they made the most of it. I drove my pair Marcy and Beorn. Having been gone to Norway the last half of August my ponies were not as polished as I would have liked but we are an experience team the ponies, me and Howard Fiedler as groom and navigator. In the end we won pick your route cones, Gamblers Choice, Working Pleasure, took second in Cross Country, and third in Reinsmanship. I made a few noticeable mistakes in Reinsmanship. We decorated our Spider Phaeton with lots of acanthus carving painted green against black. So we won the Pairs Division for the third year in a row with 11 pairs entered. This year there were Hackney ponies, German Sport Ponies, American Warmblood Horses, horse size mules, Friesian cross, Halflingers, and several other breeds represented in the pairs division. This was a very large class so the judge allowed the horses to work the rail together as the ponies were placed at rest in the middle of the ring and then the ponies would take the rail as the horses rested in the middle. In this way the horses and ponies were able to move at their own stride without slower or faster horses or ponies getting in the way. In the end the Fjords came home with two Division Championships and one Reserve Championship at Villa Louis 2009. There were several Fjord owners in the gallery who were there to figure out what they needed to do to compete next year at ADS driving shows and those showing fjords were certainly willing to help them out. It was fun. Phil Odden Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
Re. Norway Tour
This message is from: PHILLIP Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com Hello, This message is from Phillip Odden I am glad some folks enjoyed my brief outline of the Norway Tour. The editors of our wonderful publication the Fjord Harold asked me to get some good photos and do an article on the trip before I left. So I did have the idea of doing an article in mind while we were on the tour. Hopefully the photos will turn out. I believe the cost of the tour was $6000 not including airline tickets. While on the tour I thought a lot about the choice of route, hotels, attractions, and how the tour unfolded. Some of the offerings were once -in- a- life -time opportunities that may not be easy to replicate. But then on another tour there would be new opportunities for adventure depending on the collective interests of the group. I have been traveling Norway for over thirty years and my contacts are quite extensive. I speak fluent Norwegian so I am able to interpret and translate in Norway. It would be fun to do another tour with a little different route to combine horses, rural culture and folk art in Scandinavia. I certainly enjoyed all the people on our 2009 tour. We had a good time together. Please let me know if you are interested in such a tour. If there is enough interest I might try to organize another trip. Phil Odden Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
Norway Fjord Horse Farming and Folk Art tour
This message is from: PHILLIP Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com This message is from Phillip Odden in Northwestern Wisconsin where the weather is perfect. It is nice to return home from the Fjord Horse, Farming, and Folk Art tour arranged by the Norwegian American museum of Decorah, Iowa. I was the guide for the trip that included 26 people all together. We had a Grand Time. I will try to describe a few of the highlights. We started in Oslo where we had an exclusive, ( reserved for Royalty and Heads of State ) tour of the Viking Ship Museum given by the the wood carver at the museum. We learned what the horse meant to the people of the Viking era. We had a personal tour of the Parliament in Oslo as well. After leaving Oslo we visited some farms in the area north of Oslo where the larger farms in Norway exist and we learned about the horses that are used in that area in the past and present. At each of the farms we had very nice meals served. In the end the tour became a food extravaganza. As we traveled North we took in a few museums where they used horses in ways that were common during the horse power era. In Gudbrandsdalen we stayed at some rural hotels that featured local music and offered us the chance to meet and pet some local Fjord Horses. Some of us also took a trail ride into the high mountains above the tree line where the caribou moss grows. We stayed at hotels that were decorated with wonderful folk art and fine art that depicted rural life and the magnificent scenery in Norway. We visited farms that had been established for well over 1000 years with written records from the 14th century. We visited churches built in the 13th century. All along the way there were opportunities to do some shopping and we ate way too often. Some lucky women found very attractive silver broaches with a Fjord Horse motif at one stop. During the last part of the trip we traveled the Fjord country of the west coast. This is where the Fjord Horses have always been the most popular because of the terrain and size of the farms. Again we visited several farms as well as the Fjord Horse Center at Nordfjordeid. At the Fjord Horse center we were treated with a performance by a wonderful rider and a driver with two talented Fjords. We saw the great modern stallion Fjølestaen and we learned about the frozen semen program the Fjord Horse Center is involved with. We saw offspring of Perakrossen and the three year old Uno, two stallions that will be offered through frozen semen in the US next year. Contact me if you are interested. Later we traveled to the Mare show and evaluation in Førde where we saw some very nice three year old mares. They were doing their performance tests as well as their three year old confirmation test. In Norway only licensed stallions can be used. The evaluations offer an opportunity to evaluate the offspring of the mares and stallions for confirmation and performance. The Norwegian Fjords are becoming much more athletic with much better ability to move well in the last years. We were also able to visit a farm in the Nordfjord area that has been breeding fjords for several generations. They had many volumes of record books and research books that were published on Fjord Horses. With this contact I have the opportunity to translate more historical information on the Fjord Horse. I also met a member of a team of researchers that are trying to determine the in-breeding coefficient for Fjord Horses in Norway. That information should be available this fall or winter. At the Agricultural school at Voss we saw the 19 year old mare Daisy. Daisy is the mother of 7 stallions that have been licensed in Norway and she was involved in the riding, driving, and horsemanship program at the school in Voss. It was a great surprise to have the opportunity to see this important mare. It often rains on the west coast of Norway and rain it did. The many water falls were spectacular with all the extra water in the rivers. We visited a museum where we saw the pack saddles and early riding saddles used with Fjord Horses. We saw the snow shoes Fjords would wear during the winter time and we saw the wooden containers they would carry up and down the steep mountains. We saw lots of photos of Fjords involved in the transportation of tourists over difficult terrain on very small roads suspended over deep blue fjords. I could go on but at least you get the picture. We had a good time. Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
Re. A Note Of Thanks
This message is from: PHILLIP Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com This message is from Phillip Odden. Thank You Robin for the kind words. When you get a Fjord Horse you also get to be involved in a large, far reaching and diverse community of wonderful people that these great horses attract. Most people agree that it is important to fit the right horse with the right people. It is important that young horses get a good start. Another aspect of horsemanship is that there is so much to learn. That is what makes it so interesting. Beth, Brian, Pat, Wayne, Jim, and Karen are some of the people who have helped me a lot. So its kind of a big circle. I hope you decide to come to our place to do some driving in the near future. Our lives are about Folk Art. To us the Fjord Horse ( is ) folk art and riding and driving them is performance art. I am sure Fenris and Gunnar are very fortunate ponies to be included in your lives and welcome to the Fjord community. Phil Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
A Bear Story
This message is from: PHILLIP Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com This message is from Phillip Odden in Northwestern Wisconsin where there are plenty Bears. It was a wonderful day. Nice summer temps around 80 degrees, clear skies, and reasonable humidity. After working a green horse to get ready for the evaluations I harnessed up my pair, Marcy and Beorn for a training run. We worked on dressage elements to begin with then went outside to do some hills and circles. Hickory Knoll CDE is coming up in a short 10 days. After about 6 Kilometers we took a turn down toward the county land. Its about 3 K to where the logging road starts and as we came over a hill, there about two good stone throws away was a Bear. He was close enough so I could see his silvery brown muzzle and the shinny black nostrils and his fuzzy little ears. As far as Bears go he wasn't a real large one but he wasn't a little one either. I think he may have weighed around 250-300 pounds. Plenty of Bear right in the middle of the road. He didn't seem to notice us even though my pair was making a good bit of noise with the 8 steal horses shoes churning along at a pretty good clip. So I said in a rather small voice the same I use to talk to my horses Bear, get out of here. I didn't want to alarm the horses with a big voice. But the Bear didn't take much notice and we were getting closer. So I said in a little bigger voice over the noise of the marathon cart and the horse's hooves, Bear, its time to get going. At that the Bear looked up and couldn't believe his eyes. He turned tail and ran down the road with us right behind him. The horses didn't mind the sight of the Bear but when they hit his sent after a few more strides at a fast working trot Marcy was unsure of wisdom in chasing the Bear but Beorn never questioned the idea so Marcy didn't have much choice. Beorn was trotting straight and true and Marcy was thinking of a way out. She was kind of flinchy you might say. Well the Bear dove into the woods and soon we were past the smell of the Bear. We had to turn around at the dead end and recover the same ground. Again Marcy was a bit flinchy and Beorn ( Beorn means Bear ) seemed unaffected. I always wondered what the ponies would do if we came up close on a Bear. This time we had the momentum and Beorn either had a plugged nose or isn't much worried about Bears or wasn't willing to question the wisdom of chasing him down the road. Marcy's vote didn't count. I am not so sure that Beorn is fearless either since I have seen him jump pretty high from a wispy Butterfly. All in all it was a good training run to cap a wonderful summer day. Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
Skunk River HDT
This message is from: PHILLIP Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com This message is from Phillip Odden in Northwestern Wisconsin where the weather has turned cool and cloudy. A welcomed break from the summer heat. This past weekend my friend Howard Fiedler I traveled to Ames Iowa for the Skunk River Horse Driving Trial with my pair of fjords Beorn and Marcy. Beorn is a Green Valley Fernando son and Marcy was bred in Canada. An HDT is like a CDE but the marathon portion is limited to just section E which is only the hazards or what is now referred to as obstacles. We had a good go of it. Mary Ruth Marks scored us at 43 in dressage which was a tie for best dressage score at preliminary level. We ran double clean in the cones. Section E of the Marathon was only 6 kilometers long with 6 hazards but lots of hills and a twisting winding trail with very little rest for the ponies. We ran it clean and reasonably fast in the hazards. So we finished at a respectable 108 for our first go at Prelim level. The single pony was faster in the hazards and finished first overall at prelim. We stayed in our comfort zone and Howard did a great job as navigator. Our first goal was to have fun and be safe. So we had more fun than we deserved to have and we never came close to hitting anything. Howard can hop the back end of a marathon vehicle with plenty of gusto. Fear is a great motivator. Next year I plan to pick up the speed but I think it is important to take it easy to begin with and get the dressage moves well established. My goal now is a dressage score in the 30's at Preliminary level. Looking forward to Hickory Knoll CDE then Blue Earth. Phillip Odden Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
Columbus Carriage Classic
This message is from: PHILLIP Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com This message is from Phillip Odden in Northwestern Wisconsin where the summer heat has now arrived. Columbus was especially fun for my wife Else and I since we had the opportunity to show with Bob Long. Sammy Poirier and Amy, Bob's helper joined our team to fit and show the two fjords we brought to Columbus. It takes a team effort to make it all happen. Our goal at the outset was to have fun. I have found that carriage driving people are very supportive of one another even within the division. Even though the competition is very stiff. This year the extra help was very much appreciated since we experienced heavy rains and the grass at Fireman's Park in Columbus was soggy and soon turned to deep mud in the obstacle course area. After each run through the cones we needed to wash horses, harness and cart to be ready for the next class. I conditioned and tuned up two fjords for Columbus. In the Large Pony Open division I drove my mare Highland Prairie Gunvor. Gunnie had never been to an ADS show so she could have been shown in the maiden division but I wanted to show her with the experienced ponies. We did alright. Gunnie was fine and did nearly everything I asked of her. She lacked the polish that the other experienced ponies had but she certainly showed she has the mind to do these shows and the athletic ability to compete with several very talented Ponies and Drivers. The highlight of the show for me was helping Bob Long gain some good experience in the Novice Whip division. For Bob I brought KeJaCo's Herger a 13 year old gelding that has had lots of experience in the driving world. Bob has driven some in other ADS shows but he and Herger had worked together for only a short period of time before the Columbus show. It was fun to see how willing Herger was to adapt to Bobs way of giving directions and how well Bob did in handling Herger. Even in the Novice Whip division there were some very well trained animals with three solid trots. The horses and turnouts get better every year as carriage driving gains in popularity in the Midwest. Herger was calm and willing the entire show doing everything Bob asked him to do. And Bob asked for the right stuff at the right time in the right way. We all had fun and everyone learned a great deal in the process. Now I will drop my single horses and begin to show my pair Marcy and Beorn who have been neglected for the past weeks. Smedsmo is getting in shape and he may even get a chance to show this year after he first gets his mares in foal. Else will post several pictures of Fjords at the Columbus Carriage Classic to our website. www.norskwoodworks.com in a few days. Phillip Odden Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
Fjord legs
This message is from: PHILLIP Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com This is a message I received from Janet. It seems Janet has upset the web master in some way and she is unable to contribute. She asked me to post it to the Fjord List and I think it explains my position very well. Phil Odden Hi Ruth, I suspect most people understood what Phil meant. He was not declaring a problem with legs in the Fjord breed, only making an example of just one (very important) part of the anatomy of the horse that might be hard for beginners to evaluate without being educated as to what is 'good' and what is 'bad'. He was just pointing out one of the advantages to having your horses evaluated. To address your question, while there is no rash of bad legs in the breed, there certainly are are some bad legs in the Fjord breed and one should not assume that just because it is a Fjord it has good sound legs. I've seen one 'breeder' if you will call her that, with a small herd of _very_ posty legged Fjords cranking out posty legged babies every year. I've also experienced some Fjords who do not have the correct leg structure and balance to do heavy draft work which means they don't quite meet the versatility the breed should have. Others are too wide in the front, which will put undue wear on the feet and legs. So yes, there are some bad legs out there to watch out for, even though the breed overall has some pretty nice feet and legs. Janet Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
Evaluation Season
This message is from: PHILLIP Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com This message is from Phillip Odden of Barronett, Wisconsin where it has been a very dry spring but fewer mosquitos. Entry forms for four NFHR evaluations are currently posted on the NFHR website. Look under the heading 'evaluation program ' on the home page. At this time the forms for Fallbrook California July 25 26 with an entry form closing date of July 3 is ready. La Crosse Wisconsin August 12 with an entry closing date of July 14. Herndon Virginia August 14 15 with a closing date of June 15. Moses Lake August 26 27 with an entry closing date of July 4 Look for information on other possible evaluations as decisions are made. The NFHR evaluation program is the envy of several other registries in the US. This past year I spoke with people from the Gypsy Vanner registry. They were aware of our evaluation program and they wanted information on how to get their own program started. They needed to assemble a set of breed standards then create a program to evaluate their horses. They needed to certify a group of judges who were able to evaluate their horses with respect to the breed standards for conformation. Since temperament can only be judged when you ask the horse to do something, the registry would need to create some meaningful tests for the horses to do. The NFHR has a good evaluation program in place. This service allows our members to learn more about their horses such as how they stack up against the Breed Standard. An important aspect of the breed standard that is common to all horses has to do with leg quality. If your horse has bad legs or hooves you don't have much of a horse because their ability to move and move under load is severely compromised with poor leg quality. Our Fjord horse seems to attract people who are new to horses. If they do not recognize the problems horses have with legs and continue to breed horses with poor legs to other horses with poor legs in a short time our Fjord horses will have severe leg problems. This will cause our horses to diminish in value and it will lead to lots of expenses for people who own Fjords. Bad legs in horses is a hugh liability. Our NFHR evaluation system is designed to educate owners about the quality of their horses including leg quality. An evaluation is quite expensive to hold. Transportation costs, facility fees, lodging and meal expenses add up pretty quickly. In order to hold an evaluation there needs to be enough horses and enough conformation and performance tests to create the revenue to pay the expenses. Please consider having your horses evaluated. An NFHR evaluation is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about your horse. None of them are perfect. Hopefully with the information you receive from our evaluators you can make a more informed decision when buying a Fjord horse or when breeding your horses. To those of you who are taking horses to the evaluations this summer, Thank You for supporting our evaluation system. Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
Norway Tour August 2009
This message is from: PHILLIP Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com This message is from Phillip Odden from Northwestern Wisconsin. The tour I am leading to Norway in August from 8/20-9/1 still has two places left. The tour is organized by the Norwegian American Museum of Decorah, Iowa. We will be focusing on Fjord horses and the folkarts of Norway including horses in Folkart. The tour will include some of the most spectacular sights and scenery in Norway. We will have the opportunity to visit the Fjord Horse Center at Nordfjordeid, a large mare and foal show at Førde and we will see fjords on small mountain farms in central Norway. The tour is also turning out to be an adventure in traditional foods of rural Norway. People will have an opportunity to make flat bread on a historical farm. So if there are two more people who are looking for a chance to visit places and people in Norway that otherwise would be very difficult to arrange, here is your chance. You can contact me if you want to know more about the tour. Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
Maple Syrup Season
This message is from: PHILLIP Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com This message is from Phillip Odden in Northwestern Wisconsin where the maple syrup season is in full swing. We had a relentless cold winter in our neck of the woods. I don't believe we had a thaw all winter long until about the tenth of March. In these parts maple syrup season takes in the fifteenth of March to the fifteenth of April. I like to have the taps set in the trees by St Patricks Day and we call it quits when we have ten to fifteen gallons of syrup canned in jars or we run out of wood to cook the sap or we quit having fun. Collecting and cooking maple sap is a fair bit of work but it is work the horses get to join in. Sap runs best when there is a good frost at night and it gets above 40 during the day. This year we have had several days when the temps get into the high 40s even low 50s but down to 20 degrees F at night. Each night the sap retreats to the roots of the tree and during the day the sap runs to the crown of the tree getting ready to make buds and leaves. Our little tap drains of a small amount of sap into a container as the sap runs up and down the tree. We drive to the woods with sleighs first when there is snow on the ground. This year the snow was so thin that we have used the small hay wagon all season first on frozen ground with some snow here and there and now on muddy ground with water standing and running here and there. I am using a few different horses. To start with I used Marcy and Herger because it was rather heavy pulling the wagon wheels through snow. In the wet snow the wagon kind of fish-tailed from side to side. I used Marcy and Beorn when the ground was frozen and the snow was about gone. Now as the mud gets deeper I have again asked Herger to add his extra weight and muscle to the collar to help Marcy. Beorn is the kind of horse that would never say quit but he only weighs around 850 pounds I figure. Marcy must be about 950 and Herger is a fit 1100 right now. All three of these horses are show horses doing quite well at driven dressage, pleasure driving shows and CDE at the lower levels. Pulling sap is about patience first since they need to stand still while Else ( and hopefully a helper or two ) carry five gallon buckets of sap to the wagon where I pour them into 55 gallon drums. I just wrap the lines around a forked stick on the dash of the wagon and ask the ponies to stand. If they wiggle or move I can spill the sap as I pour the heavy buckets one after the next. If they decide to, they could up and take off, but I trust that they would not do that. Still I keep one eye on them to check their notion and attitude toward the business at hand as I try not to miss the funnel that directs the sap into the barrel. It has taken lots of hours of driving in lots of different circumstances for me to trust them like this and I wouldn't recommend doing this without a header. Much of the ground where the trail winds through the sugar bush has not been leveled so the wagon tips and cants from side to side as the wheels rise and fall unevenly. Where there is a trail there are ruts in the mud and slippery footing for the horses but they understand the job well and make the best of it. No complaints. So water weighs about 8.35 pounds per gallon. When both barrels are full they weigh just over 900 pounds and the wagon weighs maybe 700 and then the people and dogs weigh another 6-700 pounds so the ponies are getting right down and leaning into those collars to get the load out to the road. When on the black top road where the wagon rolls easier they trot the 3/4 mile home at a pretty good clip. We pull up beside the sap evaporator where the sap is rolling at a pretty strong boil releasing clouds of steam into the air. There the ponies are unhitched, the barrels are lowered from the wagon with the tractor loader and the ponies are hitched again to return to the sugar bush to get a load of fire wood for the boiler. Since both Else and I work at home we can tend the boiling sap through the day as we make furniture and do our carving and painting. We keep the sap boiling long into the night. Honest work is the best sort of horse training so that side of my day's work is covered too. So the sap is running better this year than it ever has at our place. Maybe it has something to do with the cold winter we lived through. The syrup is still very light in color and we have all we can do to keep up. Our sap- syrup ratio has been running about 28:1. This year we will make close to 20 gallons of syrup the way it looks. With the continued good weather there is still more sap running, we could get more wood to fire the stove but we are close to having had just about enough fun for one syrup season soon. Soon we will pull the taps. Else has posted some current pictures of ample syrup
Re: Sunday Sleigh
This message is from: PHILLIP Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com This message is from Phillip Odden in Northwestern Wisconsin where snow has turned to ice but the Skulehus arena has soft dry sand. Today two younger horses had the opportunity to pull the drag to groom the arena. Next Bragge, a young tall four year old gelding made fresh prints in the smooth leveled sand with me on his back. We tried to make some nice twenty meter circles at a slow rhythmic trot. Some were good some were not so good. Tomorrow the four year old mare will have an opportunity to erase the evidence with the drag and Bragge and I will lay down some new tracks in the smooth leveled sand. Later some other ponies, maybe Marcy and Beorn, will help me pull in some more of next winter's firewood with a bob-sled in draft harness. Karen, Else has put some close-up pictures of the sleigh on our website as you requested. The sleigh has a carved mask on the front where the sleigh cabin and runners come together. ( The mask is hollowed behind with a place for a small flask of Aquavit, Scotch or warm tea. ) I am already making sketches of the next sleigh I would like to make. It will be for two people and a dog, a single horse and a much different design. Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
Sunday Sleigh
This message is from: PHILLIP Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com This message is from Phillip Odden. We had lots of snow on Sunday but now it is melting. Here is a little story to introduce the sleigh I finally was able to drive for the first time last Sunday. Norwegian Sunday Sleigh Having spent lots of days in museums in Norway over the past thirty five years I was always drawn to the ornately decorated sleighs displayed there. Perhaps it was the era when these wonderful sleighs were used that captured my imagination. Eventually I completed carving school in Norway, married a fine Norwegian woman who shared my love of folk art, carving, painting and the like, and set up shop in America. After many years of building a business and moving back to a farm we acquired some fjord horses, not just a few but several. When first I learned to drive horses I knew I needed a sleigh. Eventually we ended up with several sleighs dont you know. About the same time we got our first Fjord I wanted to make a Sunday sleigh like those I had seen in Norway. Most of the other sleighs I have made were carved and some were carved extensively, but not like this one. Finally this winter I finished the sleigh I had been dreaming about for many years and today I hitched one of my own home bred fjord ponies to it for the first time for a photo shoot. My talented wife Else directed the photo shoot and handled the cameras. The day was perfect with warming temperatures above freezing, lots of sun and nice snow. Oddens Elinor Moegun, a five year old mare out of highland Prairie Gunvor and sired by our stallion Smedsmo Gråen got the nod to take the inaugural ride. We call the mare Sweet Pea. She is doing very well though I have taken her training very slow. I wanted her to develop well before I started her. She is a very quiet sensible mare with tons of athletic ability. Sweat Pea is very well balanced through the body with a well muscled hind quarter and fairly long neck. She articulates her hocks very nicely allowing her to reach up under and she has good reach with her front legs. This mare has a big walk and a big trot. Sweet Pea is being trained single and in pairs and she is fun to ride. I expect she will see some pleasure driving, CDE, and sleigh rallies in her future. The sleighs I saw in the museums in Norway were used for special occasions like going to church or important social events. There was room for one to sit in the sleigh and one could ride the runners holding on to the handles at the back. I suppose, if needed on the steep mountain roads, the person on the runners could easily hop off and even push a little to give the horse some relief. I used my Norwegian harness with padded hames and carved saddle today as well. You can see pictures of the new sleigh, Sweet Pea and me on the snow on our website http://fjordhorses.norskwoodworks.com/horses/horsegallery.shtml Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
Fjord Horse form and function
This message is from: PHILLIP Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com This message is from Phillip Odden from Northwestern Wisconsin where winter has us working to keep up but not pinned down. Last week there was some discussion regarding different use types in our breed. Some like the draftier fjords others like fjords with a lighter build. Often people have already made up their minds about what body type they like long ago. The fjord horse that first fjord caught their eye is the type they tend to like. That is fine. Body type is a good place to start when thinking use, or use type which is another way of saying form and function. So the fjord horse was bred to be a versatile breed. That is to say some people use fjords as small draft horses, some use them as carriage horses, some use them for trail riding or packing, and some use them for ridden or driven dressage. Some people just look at them. That is ok too. For these people looks is pretty important and that is the function. In my opinion versatility means that each individual is capable of doing draft, carriage driving, trail riding and packing as well as ridden and driven dressage. At the annual stallion show in Nordfjordeid Norway the stallions are tested and scored in several disciplines. The NFHR evaluation program offers tests in conformation, draft, driving and riding. My dream was always to learn enough to be able to compete in Combined Driving Events, CDE. When first I started to take lessons with my fjord in horsemanship, driving and riding, I soon realized there were those who didn't think the horse was well suited to compete against other breeds in driving shows. I wondered why. At about the same time the NFHR was offering classes to those who were interested in becoming an Evaluator for our breed. They also allowed people to audit the classes. At the first class in Cincinnati Wayne Hipsley introduced the idea of form and function in horses. In the furniture and carving world form and function is also important so I had already given it some thought. Again during a Midwest Fjord Horse club winter meeting in Galena Illinois several years ago Wayne presented information on form and function. At each NFHR evaluation we are able to learn a little more regarding form and function in fjord horses. So just exactly what will learning about form and function do for you as a fjord owner or prospective buyer. Well, if you want a fjord with smooth gaits form matters. If you want a fjord that is less likely to be spooky you want a fjord with well placed and large eyes. Form matters. If you want a fjord that is durable and less likely to have leg problems, form matters. And if you want a fjord that is a good representation of the breed, that is to say a fjord that has good breed type, then form matters. The horses I have chosen to work with for pleasure driving, combined driving, trail riding, and draft work are better able to do all these things well because the form and function test. Wayne will be speaking at the Friday seminar of the NFHR annual meeting on this topic. Those attending will have the opportunity to learn more. Have fun with your horses. Phil Odden Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
RE:Indoor arena
This message is from: PHILLIP Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com This message is from Phillip Odden in Northwestern Wisconsin where I hope to plow the deep snow drifts away from the door of my indoor arena today so I can get inside to use it. We decided that 160 feet by 72 feet was the size we needed for driving and riding. We use 16' x 72' to store carts and vehicles. There are two large stalls and two smaller tie stalls on the end as well. The driving and riding area is 140 x 72 which allows for two circles that are just a little larger than twenty meters. I still like to be outside working my horses whenever I can. We have lots of room to drive here on our 80 acres as well as the neighbor's lands that border our property. We live very close to thousands of acres of state and county land that is full of trails to ride or drive. I find the combination of outdoor and indoor work really helps. I find there are things you can do with an indoor arena that are much more difficult to do outdoors. Those four walls not only keep the wind and rain or snow out, they can be used to help teach the ponies to turn properly among other things. We have eight -8 foot sliding windows that can be opened to allow for ventilation. When the windows are open and the large 16 foot doors are open it is very comfortable inside when it is hot outside in the summer time. Hot summer days are kind of hard to remember right now. We put 4 foot sections of polycarbonate windows lining the upper portion of the 14 foot walls. So we get lots of natural light and during the winter, if the sun ever shines, we get enough solar gain to get above freezing on cold days. I used 2-3 inches of 3/4 minus unwashed sand. I was careful not to get the sand too deep. The base under the sand is hard packed clay. I spent some time getting the base level and packed. I was also careful to make sure the water drains well away from the arena. When I need to groom the sand, which isn't very often, I use the horses to pull a home-made drag and groomer. The indoor has certainly been a good tool for training horses for me. Much of the improvement in my ponies in competitions this year was due to new tricks I have learned along the way but the indoor -outdoor combination were good tools to facilitate the training techniques. The indoor makes it safer to start and train young horses as well. If it is raining or too windy or it gets dark too soon the indoor arena is mighty handy. Else and I justified the major expense of the structure thinking that training and showing fjord ponies was something I really wanted to do, and we aren't getting any younger. It was now or never. Often I thank my wife and partner Else, for supporting me in this dream. There is a lot that goes into an indoor arena. If you are planning to build one, I suggest you travel around and look at others that have been built and experience how they function. I got two pairs of ponies out last evening on the sleighs. The snow is soft and fluffy. It hangs on the branches and is plastered against the trunks of the hardwoods in the forest. Today I plan to hitch two or three different pairs so everyone gets a turn at breaking trails on Christmas eve day. Seems like I better get some sleigh bells out too. Tis the Season. Phillip Odden Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
Winter Blahs
This message is from: PHILLIP Odden n...@norskwoodworks.com This Message is from Phillip Odden in Northwestern Wisconsin. I have to agree with Laurie and Linda. The weather these past weeks here in Northern Wisconsin and Minnesota has not been good for riding or driving. I was working ponies regularly up until about three weeks ago but I gave in. The days are short, the temps are low and wind seems to blow constantly. Even though I have a nice big indoor arena now I decided it was time for me to take a break and it wouldn't hurt my ponies to have a break as well. I turned the adult horses out to pasture in one big herd. I put a bred mare Aina in a paddock with Smedsmo for company for the winter. The two grays seem so happy together. We can see them from our kitchen window and from the windows of our studios in the barn. I have been spending my time making a new sleigh. This one is much like the sleighs I have seen in museums in Norway. It is made for one person to ride in, built close to the ground with a wide stance. The sleigh is decorated with traditional acanthus leaf carvings that are painted in transparent red, yellow, and green. The arm rests end in dragon heads. It is very light weight. The runners and arches were steamed bent and laminated. I will use my Norwegian harness with wooden shaves. The saddle on the Norwegian harness has a carved saddle with dragon heads. So, I have been spending my time dreaming you might say. Yesterday I put three other sleighs on the ground. Well a bob- sled and two sleighs. One of these days the weather will lighten up and I will break trails for the sleighing season. When the weather straightens out I will have to hold some interviews to see which of my show horses works best on the new sleigh. There are four or five sleigh events within driving distance each winter. My first rule is that it has to be fun to show or it isn't worth it. If the temperatures are too low or the wind chill too high we won't go. But that means we should make two or three of the sleigh events. I expect the gelding Beorn will be the best of the bunch to pull this little sleigh. So, it doesn't hurt to spend some time dreaming and making plans. In fact way out on the horizon I can almost see next summer and I have been thinking which CDEs, pleasure driving shows, and new trails I want to explore. But for now we are hunkered down and taking it easy. Merry Christmas to every one. Phil Odden Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
