Re: Good morning, all
This message is from: Mike May <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> At 08:29 AM 4/8/98 +, you wrote: >This message is from: William Coli <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >In the interest of saving time and paper, can participants in the >list NOT include all of the message they are replying to in their >reply? But please do quote some of the prior message. The unnecessary parts can be deleted. === Norwegian Fjord Horse Registry Mike May, Registrar Webster, NY, USA (Suburb of Rochester) http://www.nfhr.com [EMAIL PROTECTED] Voice 716-872-4114 FAX 716-787-0497 ===
Re: Good morning, all
This message is from: Mike May <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> At 08:10 AM 4/7/98 -0800, you wrote: >This message is from: Jean Ernest <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >When Spring happens here in the North land, it happens in a hurry! (Blink, >and we're into summer!) The Interior of Alaska, while being very cold in >the winter, also gets quite warm in the summer, and we often have >temperatures in the 90's in late June and July. > >We're now way ahead of most you you in daylight, with 14 hours and 15 >minutes, gaining 7 minutes a day! > >Jean in sunny and warm Fairbanks, Alaska, 52 degrees today! > You take me back 30 years with your note Jean! I was in Alaska for a year when I was in the Coast Guard. I spent from Aug 66 - Aug 67 in Port Clarence, AK. It is about 70 miles north of Nome on a little spit of land out from the mainland. I was on a Loran Station up there. It was cold in the winter but we only got to a high of about 55 one day in the "Summer". Mike === Norwegian Fjord Horse Registry Mike May, Registrar Webster, NY, USA (Suburb of Rochester) http://www.nfhr.com [EMAIL PROTECTED] Voice 716-872-4114 FAX 716-787-0497 ===
Re: Good morning, all
This message is from: William Coli <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> In the interest of saving time and paper, can participants in the list NOT include all of the message they are replying to in their reply? Thanks much Bill Coli
Re: Good morning, all
This message is from: Jean Ernest <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Glen, I also am jealous of all those with lush grass. Our snow is almost gone in places, and the big slow mosquitos have come out of hibernation. The first geese have already been sighted at "Creamer's Field", And old Dairy (yes they had dairy's in Fairbanks years ago) now a wildlife refuge. This is a record early goose sighting! And the first "forest fire" happened yesterday, a trash fire or campfire left burning actually caught the woods on fire, burning dry stuff under the snow, for about a 50 ft circle before they got it out. A warning for a bad fire season ahead! When Spring happens here in the North land, it happens in a hurry! (Blink, and we're into summer!) The Interior of Alaska, while being very cold in the winter, also gets quite warm in the summer, and we often have temperatures in the 90's in late June and July. The Fjords do fine in these temperature extremes, altho when it warms up to 50+ in March, old Bjarne, who puts on the heaviest coat, will stand around "panting" through his nose, but still he basks in the sun! I have combed piles of hair off the Fjords, and the ravens come and fly off with mouthfulls to line their nest. Tomorrow the farrier comes to replace the ice shoes on the boys with summer shoes. The girls go barefoot, but old Bjarne gets shoes because his feet broke down years ago when he had a bad staph infection in his shoulder. Bjorken gets shoes in the winter so I can safely ride him on snow and ice. We're now way ahead of most you you in daylight, with 14 hours and 15 minutes, gaining 7 minutes a day! Jean in sunny and warm Fairbanks, Alaska, 52 degrees today! At 09:25 AM 4/7/98 -0400, you wrote: >This message is from: "Glen MacGillivray" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Reading about horses foundering on fresh, lush grass, and about people >seeing grass now is making me very jealous. We still have nearly 1/2 metre >of snow in places. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Jean Ernest Fairbanks, Alaska e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Good morning, all
This message is from: "Glen MacGillivray" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reading about horses foundering on fresh, lush grass, and about people seeing grass now is making me very jealous. We still have nearly 1/2 metre of snow in places. Only the biggest fields are entirely melted, and the ground is still mostly frozen. I don't expect to have grass actually growing for another4-6 weeks! Glen MacGillivray [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.nray.com -Original Message- From: Julie Will <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Tuesday, April 07, 1998 9:22 AM Subject: Re: Good morning, all >This message is from: Julie Will <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Dave McWethy wrote: >> >> What a pleasure to wake up to the Fjord list! >> Hello Percy and Inger, and Julie.Hearing about Nordfjordeid makes me >> want to call the travel agent. I'd love to be there this year, but I >> don't think it's going to happen. >> Brian, never hurts to remind us about the rich grass. I nearly >> foundered just hearing about tall grass. We are just seeing a carpet >> of green in the valleys, and just the hint of it on our hills. I was >> leading a mare yesterday - a notorious grass diver - who put her head >> down, because I think she could hear the grass growing, but she only >> got a mouthful of dry dead grass. >> Steve, you mentioned fitness after the winter. I am told that horses >> that are very fit, like endurance horses, do not lose that fitness >> over the winter, as people would. I would expect this retention of >> fitness would be the same at every level of initial fitness. >> To put things in a sentence: when in doubt, walk. The best thing to >> do, starting fitness work is walk. With a horse with no fitness at >> all, I would mostly walk for the first month. They'll handle >> anything, uphill or down, with no problems at a walk. As time goes on >> I trot where it is easy for them. Understand that where I live, in >> NH, most of our terrain is up hill or down, with flat places being >> rare. Even when my horses are fit, I don't trot up or down a hill >> with any steepness. They can do it, and they might want to canter up >> or trot down a hill, but my belief is that it is an invitation to >> lameness. My strategy is to make my time on the flats and gentle >> hills, and walk the rest. >> In competition I have seen that this enables you to go the farthest. >> This is confirmed using a heart monitor. Trotting up hills can get >> you heart rates over 150. I am not sure at what point they go >> anaerobic (can you answer this, Brian?) but you will see dramatically >> increased fatigue over heart rates of 135. I have found the heart >> monitor is a terrific tool to let you know how much stress the horse >> is under. >> In an unfit horse, I want to give the heart and lungs, joints muscles >> and tendons a chance to develop under low and moderate stress. >> Fitness, with horses as well as people, is not an overnight thing. >> For endurance horses, as a rule of thumb, you can figure it takes two >> full years of consistent work to get a fit horse. Within the first >> year you will see dramatic improvement, and you can start >> competition. After the second year you will still see improvement, >> but in smaller increments. >> When I started driving horses, I had no idea of what I was asking of >> them, and what the limits were. Through competition, and using the >> heart monitor, if anything I have become more conservative. I don't >> want to worry folks to the point where they are afraid to ask anything >> of their horse. Rather I would encourage people to think of it as a >> long term program. Competition, especially competitive distance rides >> and drives, will tell you how you're doing. For me, the competition >> was also an ongoing motivation to do the day to day work. >> No doubt about it, the conditioning is a lot of work, for horse and >> person. Not everyone will be able or interested in doing it. Not >> everyone really needs a fit horse. But when you have one that is fit, >> it is a delight. The horse will look good, behave well, you can do >> anything with them, and you get a great feeling of personal >> accomplishment. >> A major goal for me is to not have any - zero - lameness that could be >> avoided by not overstressing or prematurely stressing of a horse. >> With the good strong legs and good conformation of the Fjords, this >> should be an easily attainable goal. >> Great sunny day here today. I'll have the mares out putting on some >> miles! >> Dave >On grass...we start our horses on the grass when it is just starting to >come on, a few hours at a time, working up to full turnout in about a >week. By not waiting until the grass is deep and lush, we have less >worry about founder. The grass is so early this year that I already >have 3/4 of the herd on full turnout! Julie > >
Re: Good morning, all
This message is from: Julie Will <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Dave McWethy wrote: > > What a pleasure to wake up to the Fjord list! > Hello Percy and Inger, and Julie.Hearing about Nordfjordeid makes me > want to call the travel agent. I'd love to be there this year, but I > don't think it's going to happen. > Brian, never hurts to remind us about the rich grass. I nearly > foundered just hearing about tall grass. We are just seeing a carpet > of green in the valleys, and just the hint of it on our hills. I was > leading a mare yesterday - a notorious grass diver - who put her head > down, because I think she could hear the grass growing, but she only > got a mouthful of dry dead grass. > Steve, you mentioned fitness after the winter. I am told that horses > that are very fit, like endurance horses, do not lose that fitness > over the winter, as people would. I would expect this retention of > fitness would be the same at every level of initial fitness. > To put things in a sentence: when in doubt, walk. The best thing to > do, starting fitness work is walk. With a horse with no fitness at > all, I would mostly walk for the first month. They'll handle > anything, uphill or down, with no problems at a walk. As time goes on > I trot where it is easy for them. Understand that where I live, in > NH, most of our terrain is up hill or down, with flat places being > rare. Even when my horses are fit, I don't trot up or down a hill > with any steepness. They can do it, and they might want to canter up > or trot down a hill, but my belief is that it is an invitation to > lameness. My strategy is to make my time on the flats and gentle > hills, and walk the rest. > In competition I have seen that this enables you to go the farthest. > This is confirmed using a heart monitor. Trotting up hills can get > you heart rates over 150. I am not sure at what point they go > anaerobic (can you answer this, Brian?) but you will see dramatically > increased fatigue over heart rates of 135. I have found the heart > monitor is a terrific tool to let you know how much stress the horse > is under. > In an unfit horse, I want to give the heart and lungs, joints muscles > and tendons a chance to develop under low and moderate stress. > Fitness, with horses as well as people, is not an overnight thing. > For endurance horses, as a rule of thumb, you can figure it takes two > full years of consistent work to get a fit horse. Within the first > year you will see dramatic improvement, and you can start > competition. After the second year you will still see improvement, > but in smaller increments. > When I started driving horses, I had no idea of what I was asking of > them, and what the limits were. Through competition, and using the > heart monitor, if anything I have become more conservative. I don't > want to worry folks to the point where they are afraid to ask anything > of their horse. Rather I would encourage people to think of it as a > long term program. Competition, especially competitive distance rides > and drives, will tell you how you're doing. For me, the competition > was also an ongoing motivation to do the day to day work. > No doubt about it, the conditioning is a lot of work, for horse and > person. Not everyone will be able or interested in doing it. Not > everyone really needs a fit horse. But when you have one that is fit, > it is a delight. The horse will look good, behave well, you can do > anything with them, and you get a great feeling of personal > accomplishment. > A major goal for me is to not have any - zero - lameness that could be > avoided by not overstressing or prematurely stressing of a horse. > With the good strong legs and good conformation of the Fjords, this > should be an easily attainable goal. > Great sunny day here today. I'll have the mares out putting on some > miles! > Dave On grass...we start our horses on the grass when it is just starting to come on, a few hours at a time, working up to full turnout in about a week. By not waiting until the grass is deep and lush, we have less worry about founder. The grass is so early this year that I already have 3/4 of the herd on full turnout! Julie
