Re: Purdy mare holes
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Hi Mike, Going over my long list of 'list letters', I came across this letter and remembered I meant to suggest you contact Nancy Lehnert for more information on those "Purdy" mares. Regards, Bernadine Karns
Re: Purdy mare holes
This message is from: Marsha Jo Hannah <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Meredith Sessoms <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > All I've heard about it was that a man named Purdy raised Fjord > Horses and when he died no one knew who was who in his herd. The Winter 1987 issue of the Fjord Herald had 3 articles on the history of Fjords. One was by Harold Jacobsen, on how he got into Fjords (summer of 1974, with a mare named Kirsten) and his subsequent imports. One was a copy of a letter from Tor Nestaas, on the main Norwegian stallion lines. The third article is reproduced in part below (typos are probably mine, although I have corrected a couple of their minor ones). I believe that this NFA article was probably written a few years before NFHR published it. ---begin quote History of Original Fjordings in North America (Note: This material was compiled and written by Barbara Ramlow, the first Secretary of the Norwegian Fjord Association of North America. We include it here to shed more light on the history and background of the Fjord Horse in America before any organization was in effect to keep records and we are very thankful to those who put effort into gathering and organizing this information.) [...] In 1957 or 1958, Mr. Toddie Lee Wynne, Star Cattle Co., Kaufman, Texas, imported the stallion Solvfast and mares Edla, Mona, Liv, and Leika. These 5, and perhaps some of their offspring, were sold to Mr Robert Purdy in 1964 or 1965. Selling some additional animals at the same time, we believe Mr. Wynne kept only geldings. We have been unable to get records from the company and are unsure of the number of Fjordings produced by his herd. Between 1955 and 1959, Mrs Josephine Mills of the Broadmoor Hotel, Colorado Springs, Colo., imported the stallions Sanko, Solvin, and Vinjegut and the mares Olli, Anny, and Drua. Later, the Hotel acquired three purebred mares (their papers could never be recovered) from the McDonough School in Maryland. They were Muffin, Crumpet, and Olso Miss (sic). The Broadmoor Fjordings were put to a stagecoach and other vehicles, transporting guests and visitors around the grounds. [...] In the early 1960's, the Broadmoor sold most or all of their Fjording stock giving up pastures and stables. Hotel officials tell us today there are no Fjording records to be found and no present, or former, employees living whose memories might help answer our questions. In 1961, Betty and Art Pfister, Lazy Chair Ranch, Aspen, Colo., purchased from the Broadmoor the stallion Sanko, mares Anny and Drua and a young filly. In 1962, they bought eight more from the Hotel, including Olli, the three McDonough School mares, three geldings, and a filly. Pfisters bred their Fjordings until 1965 when they sold Sanko, the only stud they ever used, along with some young stock acquired from Star Cattle Co., to Robert Purdy. [...] By 1965, Robert Purdy, 28 Ranch, Buffalo, Wyoming, had the two stallions Sanko and Solvfast and mares Edla, Mona, Liv, and Leika, along with some of their foals. As far as we know, Mr. Purdy's herd produced perhaps forty or even fifty foals by the time he sold the last of his herd in 1974. We believe Solvfast sired nothing after 1968, and our last knowledge of Sanko breeding is 1969. 28 Ranch used the stallion "71" (Solvfast-Leika) beginning in 1969. We are very sorry to report that Robert Purdy died several years ago, but we certainly thank Mrs. Purdy for providing us with what records she could find. [...] ---end quote > Where did [Purdy] live ... out West? Wyoming. > Whose imports were his herd based on? Pre-Jacobsen? Purdy got out of the Fjord business the same year that Jacobsen was just discovering the breed. Harold Jacobsen's first mare, Kirsten was: Solvfast King Harald Liv Kirsten Sanko Benta Drua i.e. the granddaughter of horses imported by Star Cattle Company and the Broadmoor Hotel, and 3 out of 4 of her grandparents were owned by Purdy---but this article does not make it clear if Purdy bought those horses before or after her parents were born (another source mentions that Purdy owned King Harald for a while---perhaps some of that "youngstock acquired from Star Cattle Company"). Jacobsen apparently used at least one other American Foundation stallion (King Oscar) of breeding similar to Kirsten's for a while, then imported new, unrelated Norwegian bloodlines, starting in 1977. > Did he show, drive, pack, log or just breed? That article would lead me to believe that Purdy was a breeder, with any use of the animals being coincidental. (BTW, all of this is of interest to me because Kirsten appears in the pedigree of one of my Fjords; King Harald is in the pedigrees of all three.) Marsha Jo HannahMurphy must have been a horseman-- [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Purdy mare holes
This message is from: Marsha Jo Hannah <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Meredith Sessoms <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > All I've heard about it was that a man named Purdy raised Fjord > Horses and when he died no one knew who was who in his herd. > > Where did the man live ... out West? > Whose imports were his herd based on? Pre-Jacobsen? > Did he show, drive, pack, log or just breed? I think he was in Colorado; most of the horses he bred ended up there, and in Montana, Wyoming, Alberta, and BC. Apparently, his breeding stock was some of the "original" 1950's imports from Norway; not sure if he was the importer, or if he bought them from the Broadmore Hotel. He stood the American Foundation stallions Solvfast and Sanko. I believe that this was all in the 1960's; Jacobsen got into Fjords in the early 70's. One of the early Fjord Heralds had an article by Jacobsen on the history of Fjords in the US. I guess I need to dig it out, and see what he said about Purdy. But, yes, I'd really like to hear what some of the oldtimers in the breed remember/heard about Purdy. Then, there was Dave Parker, some of whose Fjords were registered as "sire Unknown, dam Unknown, breeder Unknown"---which I suspect means that he bought it at auction, and it looked like a Fjord (He is doubly of interest to me, as he was co-founder of the American Council of Spotted Asses, which my pinto donkey, Shadow, is registered with.) Marsha Jo HannahMurphy must have been a horseman-- [EMAIL PROTECTED] anything that can go wrong, will! 30 mi SSE of San Francisco, Calif. ---
Re: Purdy mare holes
This message is from: Mike May <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> At 05:04 PM 9/28/98 +, you wrote: >This message is from: Marsha Jo Hannah <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >> Meredith Sessoms <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> >> I myself am very interested in the old American pedigrees that say >> things like 'a Purdy mare' etc. I would love to hear that story. > >I'd also like to hear the Purdy story. I know that he was an early >breeder of Fjords, before there were any registries in the US. What >is not clear is whether his record keeping was non-existant, or if the >records were "lost" (fire, excessive cleaning out when he died, etc). >Someone has obviously tried to reconstruct his breeding program, based >on what he told the people he sold horses to, and/or the recollections >of people who worked for him. From what I see in the NFA studbook, in >many cases, they narrowed it down to Mare A or Mare B; in others they >just threw up their hands and said "one of Purdy's mares". > I don't really know a lot about the "Purdy Mares" either. I know the mans name was Bob Purdy and he did breed some horses back in the very early days. I believe but am not sure that this was before Harold Jacobsen started with them. There was also some horses at the old Broadmore Hotel. It was in Colorado I think. I don't know very much about them either. Maybe we can get Storrs Bishop to write up some of what he knows about them. I know he knows more about them than I do. Mike == Norwegian Fjord Horse Registry Mike May, Registrar Webster, NY, USA (Suburb of Rochester) Voice 716-872-4114 FAX 716-787-0497 http://www.nfhr.com mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Purdy mare holes
This message is from: Sessoms <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Marsha Jo wrote ... >>> What is not clear is whether his record keeping was non-existant, or if the records were "lost" (fire, excessive cleaning out when he died, etc). <<< All I've heard about it was that a man named Purdy raised Fjord Horses and when he died no one knew who was who in his herd. Where did the man live ... out West? Whose imports were his herd based on? Pre-Jacobsen? Did he show, drive, pack, log or just breed? I've met one mare with 'a Purdy mare' in her pedigree. She was a nice big, dark legged mare and I regret that we couldn't get her. Meredith Sessoms Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee, USA mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ~ Dorina ~ NFR Aagot .~:~. Fjords ~ Caper ~ Carly ~ Crickett .~:~. Labradors The biggest horses are not the best travellers. -Thomas Fuller
Purdy mare holes
This message is from: Marsha Jo Hannah <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Meredith Sessoms <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I myself am very interested in the old American pedigrees that say > things like 'a Purdy mare' etc. I would love to hear that story. I'd also like to hear the Purdy story. I know that he was an early breeder of Fjords, before there were any registries in the US. What is not clear is whether his record keeping was non-existant, or if the records were "lost" (fire, excessive cleaning out when he died, etc). Someone has obviously tried to reconstruct his breeding program, based on what he told the people he sold horses to, and/or the recollections of people who worked for him. From what I see in the NFA studbook, in many cases, they narrowed it down to Mare A or Mare B; in others they just threw up their hands and said "one of Purdy's mares". My gelding, Sleepy, has a pedigree that looks like "swiss cheese". In 3 separate places, it vanishes into "Purdy mare" holes. He was gelded late, after a string of owners wrestled with the dilemma---here's a well-conformed colt, of good size, and wonderful temperament, but with an "unfashionable" pedigree (some of the registries were just starting to ban "Purdy mare holes" in stallions' pedigrees). IMHO, the breed's loss was my gain. Marsha Jo HannahMurphy must have been a horseman-- [EMAIL PROTECTED] anything that can go wrong, will! 30 mi SSE of San Francisco, Calif. ---