This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Arthur Rivoire)
Hi Everybody from Carol Rivoire at Beaver Dam Farm in Nova Scotia -
In case anybody was wondering, "No, I didn't go away mad. We were just on
vacation in the States for the holidays." We had a wonderful time. We
drove down through New Brunswick, into Maine, then into New Hampshire, and
finally came to rest in Massachusetts with family. While in Maine, we
visited Mel and Joanne Goble, the owners of BDF JASON, The Fox Hunting
Fjord. Stayed several days with Mel & Joanne, and had a wonderful time.
We traded grandparent stories. I got to drive BDF Jason, and give Mel(who
is a formidable rider, but a new driver), some pointers. Since Mel & Jason
have already wowed the fox hunting world, they plan to get into Combined
Driving --- "Watch out Larry Poulin!" --- We had a wonderful time with the
Gobles. Mel & Joanne told us about a local lady driver who got behind
Jason, and said, "I think he's a man's horse." They told me that story,
and my reaction was a bit defensively feminist. "What's this stuff about a
"man's horse?", I said to myself. Well . . . I'll tell you. When I got
behind Jason, I knew what the lady driver was talking about. We hadn't
even moved a step . . . and I knew! Jason has power where power counts.
You sit behind Jason, and you know those haunches can perform. It's like
revving up a Ferrari. Not that I've ever revved a Ferrari, but I can
imagine the feeling. --- So, I drove BDF Jason in the snowy ring for 40
minutes, and he never so much as slipped out of gear. Just kept trucking.
That horse could have gone on all day. When we brought him back to the
barn, he wasn't even damp, and that's saying a lot since he had a fairly
thick coat. I was really amazed. --- Years and years ago, back in 1979,
when we first started with Fjords, Sven Huseby, who was one of the first
Fjord owners, and also a scholar, and of Norwegian parents, said . . .
"Most Fjords never in their lives get to develop anywhere near their full
potential of strength and muscular development." Very frankly, we've never
achieved this optimal development with our Fjords at Beaver Dam Farm even
though we use them a lot in the season. Our Fjords get fit, but NEVER
optimally fit. BDF JASON had the development and muscles to prove that
he'd come close to his potential. Mel was no longer fox hunting, but he
had done it, and Jason's body had developed the muscular structure to
sustain the effort he was asked to make. And now, that he wasn't being
worked that hard, he maintained a lot of the stamina and strength he'd
needed a year and a half ago. --- Mel still rides regularly, of course,
and drives often, but not to the extent he'd done when hunting. At that
time, Mel and Jason would go off for hours, and spend the better part of
those hours galloping, and as Mel tells it, they'd very often come in ahead
of, and in far better shape than the Thoroughbreds and Warmbloods he was
hunting with. And for those of you who haven't heard about BDF
Jason, "The Fox Hunting Fjord," I'll tell you a little bit. --- At that
time (about 2 years ago) Mel was hunting with a Pennsylvania hunt. Mel had
never hunted before, and neither had Jason, who was a four-year-old. When
the pair entered the hunt field, they were "politely" laughed at, but as
they say, "He who laughs last, laughs best." --- At the end of the hunt
season, at the prestigious Hunt Ball, Mel and Jason won a special award as
the ONLY horse and rider pair, in the history of the hunt, to have made
every single hunt --- 44 hunts in all. No other horse had ever remained
sound enough to ride in every single hunt. In addition, BDF Jason won the
FITNESS AWARD. Not bad for a 14 hand four-year-old in his first season.
Mel said Jason never refused a jump.
Well, I'd meant to tell you about some of the other Fjord people we
visited, but as usual, I never can say anything in only a few words, and
have gone on long enough. I hope some of you have enjoyed Jason's story,
and if I have time, I'll tell you about the others tomorrow.
One more thing to say about this remarkable young gelding. After his
triumphant season in the hunt field, BDF Jason went to Equitana in 1997 as
part of the NFHR demo. He carried a flag in the Grand Parade. As a
Canadian born horse, he demonstrated daily under saddle in the Canadian
Pavilliion. He stood on a stage for hours as a "mannequin" for a
saddle-fitting demo. In fact, BDF Jason was everywhere that year at
Equitana. As Joanne Goble says, "Whenever a dependable 'Can-Do' horse was
needed, the call went out to 'Get Jason!'"
Best Regards,
Carol Rivoire
Carol and Arthur Rivoire
Beaver Dam Farm Fjords II
R.R. 7 Pomquet
Antigonish County
Nova Scotia
B2G 2L4
902 386 2304
http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/beaverdf
