This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Arthur Rivoire)
Hello from Carol Rivoire at Beaver Dam Farm in Nova Scotia -
Judy expressed concern that Fjords are being changed from the sturdy,
people-loving breed we know to something more spirited and with a different
shape. --
Maybe what she's heard has something to do with the heavy draft type vs.
the more all-purpose type.
I've had lots of people ask about that over the years, questioning why the
breed changed. My answer usually is that the breed has changed many
times over the centuries, which is a good thing, because if it hadn't
changed and been adapted to people's needs, then it might have ceased to
exist as a breed.
Anyone interested in this subject might go to the various Fjord sites and
look for the drawing of the stallion, Rosendalsborken, born in 1863. That
horse is very different from, for example, the famous stallion, Grabb, who
was born in the sixties, I believe. --
Rosendalsborken is much leggier, with a more arched neck, and a sloped
shoulder. Grabb was a very heavy, draft type stallion. -- Both stallions
are reverred and famous for their quality despite being really different
looking.
In this case, the change was from a sportier model Fjord bred almost
140 years ago, to a draft-type Fjord bred in the sixties . . . not the
other way around as most people think.
The reasons for the differences are that the Fjords of Rosendalsborken's
time were needed for transportation, which meant speedy carriage horses.
Therefore, although they also did farm and woods work, they couldn't be too
heavy for the road work. --- By the time, Grabb was bred in the sixties,
Norway had cars and didn't need Fjords for transportation.
However, they didn't have tractors in common usage, so needed a very heavy
draft horse, which Grabb was, and that's why he was so popular in Norway.
He fulfilled the need of the times.
Today, the use of the Fjord almost everywhere is pleasure riding and
driving. Therefore, there's a need for a more supple, better moving Fjord
--- A sportier type. Today, most countries use the image of
Rosendalsborken as representative of today's Fjordhorse.
However, breeders realize they MUST NOT LOSE the strength, temperament,
and work ethic of the draft horses, and therefore strive to breed an
all-purpose Fjordhorse. In other words a typey Fjord that retains the
qualities of the draft type, but at the same time, can move freely and
quickly. --- And this is exactly why Norway has indicated a great
interest in American draft-type Fjords. They definitely don't want to lose
this aspect of the breed.
So, I think, when people talk about changing the breed, this may be what
is confusing them. I honestly don't believe anyone is trying to make the
Fjord into a TB in a yellow coat, or a Welsh Pony in a yellow coat. Or an
Arab. It's just that breeds do change to reflect the needs of the times,
and that's a good thing.
As to height, Fjords vary quite a bit in height, and unless it's way too
tall or way too small, the height has little to do with quality.
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://www.beaverdamfarm.com
