This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Arthur Rivoire)
Hello Everybody from Carol Rivoire at Beaver Dam Farm in Nova Scotia - First of all . . . . Thanks Ursula for the interesting posting on Libby. Congratulations to you and Brian for some great driving. Wish I'd been there this year. You mentioned the driving competition getting fierce at Libby. Well I guess. . . with an FEI driver like Orville Unrau. Were there any levels other than Novice and Open at Libby? Somehow it doesn't seem fair for Training or Preliminary Level drivers competing against World-Class drivers. Orville Unrau has competed in a World Championship, hasn't he? What do you think? On the other hand, it must have been fun to have him back at Libby, and to have the opportunity to compete against him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ursula, you reported . . . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >Beymer pulled off an amazing 31 sec single log skid and placed first... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Uh-hum", Ursula, but that was - Beth "AND" BDF MAGNUM (Gjest x Holly-Solar daughter) who did the log skid in the amazing 31 seconds. Beth also won the Log Skid in '99 with Magnum's brother, BDF JOHN ARTHUR (Gjest x Holly). And in 1999, BDF MAGNUM placed second to his brother in that class. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ursula went on to say - >Beth Beymer and Sandy North of Starfire Farm now own two horses with the >Versitility award...Congratulations and 'good -on-ya-girl' ....such a lot of >hard work.... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Beth won the 2000 Versatility Award with BDF MAGNUM (Gjest x Holly, having won it last year with BDF JOHN ARTHUR (Gjest x Holly), who by the way is named after our grandson. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GIVING CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE - Since we (riders/drivers) don't win horse show awards all by ourselves, I think it's only fair to name the horses who pull the log, the carriage, or carry the rider. And in the interest of educating ourselves about our breed, and what makes a good Fjordhorse, I think we also need to name the parents of the horses AND the breeder, if that's not asking too much. How else can we possibly learn what the various bloodlines pass on? I certainly don't wish to diminish any of the credit and "glory" that deservedly goes to good trainers like Beth Beymer and the Jensons. It's pretty obvious that the horses can't do it alone. However, when it comes down to it, YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE A GOOD HORSE!!! And, we should give them the credit at every opportunity. I'll tell you, after finishing an extraordinarily busy Nova Scotia Beginner Driving Vacation season, all of us at BDF were SO GRATEFUL, and so much in awe of our wonderful horses who worked so well for us the entire season. The debt we, at Beaver Dam Farm, owe these horses was so evident, particularly this year when we were full-up most every week. All of us (the people) got out of sorts from time to time, but the horses, absolutely never. They just did their jobs!!! It was a wonderful summer . . . But, it was busy and there were stresses. Our program is called a BEGINNER DRIVING VACATION, and that's what it is. Our guests are beginners. Not necessarily beginner horse people, but all are beginner drivers, or the next thing to it. --- Can you imagine what these incredibly patient horses have to put up with during the ten weeks of our season, each week with new, inexperienced hands on the lines? -- I'll tell you, at the end of the season, everyone in the barn felt like getting down on their knees in front of Gjest, Holly, Toril, Maryke & Tessa (our driving horses), as well as all the other horses used everyday for riding lessons and trails. Each horse had done his/her jobs unstintingly through the long summer. They'd never, not once, let us down in any way whatsoever. None of them went lame. None were sick. None were disobedient. -- They just did their job every single day. --- So at the end of the summer, we felt we should kiss their feet, throw them a party . . . Do something to show our gratitude. But, all we could think to do was turn them out on grass for two weeks, which of course they loved. --- The down side of our gesture of gratitude was that at the end of their two weeks at grass, they've, all four of them, completely lost their svelte figures gained through months of work. You wouldn't believe the grass bellies. GIVING CREDIT TO THE HORSES - This has been a pet peeve of mine for years. When I go to horse shows, I like to hear the name of the horse, and hopefully, a little about that horse. I think anyone who has worked horses would agree that not every horse is a good horse. There are mean spirited horses, lazy horses, weak horses, kickers and biters and rearers. (Even, believe it or not, in the world of Fjords). These are not the horses that win in competition. -- Then there are the good horses - The strong minded and strong bodied horses. The ones who don't falter. The ones who give you their best. The ones with the desire to work and do the job. The talented ones, the willing ones, the ones who enjoy work. --- These are the good horses, and the winning horses. These are the horses that win in competition, and I for one, want to know who these horses are and where they came from. --- Don't you? 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
