This message is from: Marsha Jo Hannah <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> "Dave McWethy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> What is confusing is that in the world of showing and events, an
> animal has to be either horse or pony.
In driving, and many other performance type events, the difference
is on a tape measure---below 14.2hh is a pony; above is a horse.
That means that there can be Fjords, Connemaras, Haflingers, Morgans,
Arabs, QH's, etc in either the horse or the pony class!
> It has been my belief that Fjords are among what would be considered
> "pony breeds". I have heard this disputed among Fjord people. Any
> informed opinions out there?
One of my "coffee table" horse breed books refers to Fjords as "the
largest of the pony breeds". Mine are nearly horse-sized (one each at
14.1, 14.2, and 14.3hh), but I refer to them a ponies (usually
"whuffled" when speaking to them, like "po-o-o-o-onie"). To me,
talking about a pony sounds more "friendly" than a horse. Besides, I
find that I have to feed them like ponies (or donkeys). IMHO, feeding
Fjords like horses results in fat and founder. But, yes, they do have
horse functionality. I sometimes describe them as "economy model
draft horses".
Oddly enough, my two larger Fjords have a "pony" temperament (calm,
quiet, friendly, stop and figure things out). The smallest one is
more "horse-like" (suspicious, spooky).
> My farrier, who generally likes shoeing the Fjords, because they are
> usually safe, also can't quite bring himself to decide he likes them,
> I think because they are so different from what his notion of horse
> is.
I was fortunate to find a farrier who got his start shoeing draft
horses. When I told him I had "draft ponies", he was intrigued. He
seems to really like them---has occasionally talked about getting one
(especially after his QH broke his leg), but hasn't gotten beyond the
price tag.
Ours are generally safe to shoe, although the old mare can get "heavy"
when her arthritis is bugging her. The farrier's favorite was the
small Fjord, who picks up his feet the nicest---until the day when it
hailed. After having seen Rom go ballistic at the sound of hail on a
metal roof, the farrier has been much more cautious around him! (The
other two just quietly stepped into their stalls, to get away from the
lumpy stuff falling on them in the corrals.) Over the years, I had
repeatedly warned the farrier that Rom was "a squirrel", but he didn't
believe me! I'm just glad that no one was under Rom with a hot shoe,
or a sharp nail, when he exploded
Marsha Jo HannahMurphy must have been a horseman--
[EMAIL PROTECTED] anything that can go wrong, will!
30 mi SSE of San Francisco, Calif.
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