This message is from: "Carol Riviore" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Hello from Carol Rivoire at Beaver Dam Farm in Nova Scotia --
We have one more week of Nova Scotia Beginner Driving Vacations, and then
we're free until next June. --- While we enjoy the heck out of the
summer, our driving vacation guests, and the horses, it's going to be nice
to relax a little, and drive for pleasure not teaching anybody but myself.
I started that this week, driving BDF Quasar and BDF Nora, my own two
personal horses -- Quasar is a Gjest x Holly - Solar 6 yr. old son, and
Nora is a
Gjest x Maryke - Hjerter-Knaeght 9 yr. old daughter. -- Quasar was used
all summer for the driving vacations, and he was a star. So much so that
practically everybody who had him as their school horse wanted to buy
im. -- I like to sell horses, but not that much! Quasar is going to stay
with me. By the time I'm 85, he'll be 26, and I know he'll still be
driving, and hope I am. Why not?
-- Both Quasar and Nora are tremendously pleasant driving horses. --
Quasar has the best rhythm and regularity to his trot of any horse I've
ever driven. He's not quite as forward as Gjest, but his rhythm is even
better. -- Nora is a clone of Gjest. She's a much darker color, but other
than that, she could be her sire in body shape, suppleness, desire to move
forward, and fantastic movement. -- I might breed her someday.
And yesterday, I drove poor old Gjest. -- I was so ashamed as he hasn't
been used in almost a year. And he loves driving so much. -- He's looking
very very old, but he's healthy, and vigorous -- almost as much so as he's
ever been. -- We went out alone and just walked the trails for about 30
min. I have to say that his walk IS as big and swinging and ground covering
as it's ever been. -- And, he was just waiting for the signal to trot. --
I found him 100% responsive in the m outh, which is a bit amazing
considering he has absolutely no back teeth, and therefore, the bit could
only slide around in his mouth. However, that meant nothing as he responded
to the slightest weight of the reins. -- Anyway, I had a great time, and
plan on taking him out for a drive every day until winter. He just loved
the driving, and the attention. -- When we finally got to the driving
dressage arena, I whispered to him "trot", and he sprang to it as he's
always done, and the old man would have kept trotting until he dropped. I
know he would have, but I stopped after 5 min. -- And you know, it was
quite remarkable that he responded SUPER elastically to my half halts, which
had to be just on his lips since he has no teeth. -- We use Glory Bits for
all our driving horses.
But, to get to the reason I'm posting today . . . . Somebody said that
"registration has no bearing on his (the horse's) worth. -- I sure don't
agree with that.
Granted, registration is not nearly as important with a gelding as with a
mare or stallion, but it still has value as it proves the lineage of the
horse, and hopefully, a lot of people care about that. -- The person who
made this comment was referring to a gelding.
I also disagree very much the "Worth (in a Fjordhorse) is what the economy
will bear". -- I can't tell you how much I disagree with that one. --
The worth of a Fjordhorse depends on many many things, the first one being
his LINEAGE. -- If he or she has a screwed up pedigree --- linebred,
inbred for instance --then in my opinion, he has very litle value because
you don't know what lurks in his genes that may cause serious trouble in his
and your future. -- He may look OK, act OK now, but may go blind at ten
years of age -- Or something else equally devestating.
;The horse's value also depends on the following, which are in no particular
order of importance
BLOODLINES -
CHARACTER
TEMPERAMENT
ATTITDUE
WILLINGNESS
CONFORMATION
MOVEMENT
APTITUDE
ABILITIES
EARLY TRAINING
CONTINUED TRAINING
CONDITION
HIS HISTORY - (How the horse was raised - Has he been properly cared for
all his life - Wormed regularly? - Foot care?
MEDICAL HISTORY
If the horse scores high in all these categories, then he should be an
expensive horse. It stands to reason.
Best Regards, Carol Rivoire
His value
is based on his ability not his papers IMO, so Registered or not has no
barring on his worth. Worth is what the ecomoney will bear. I have a
valuable mare ( registered ), but today's market would most likely not
support her sale at her worth.
http://www.beaverdamfarm.com
Beaver Dam Farm Fjords II
R.R. 7
Pomquet, Nova Scotia B2G 2L4
Tel:(902) 386-2304
Fax:(902) 386-2149
Carole Rivoire, author of THE FJORDHORSE HANDBOOK,
only book in English on the Fjord breed, available from Beaver Dam Farm,
$36.95 US includes P&H
http://www.beaverdamfarm.com/book.htm
