This message is from: "Erik Cofield-Erixart" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Thank you for the help in sending information regarding the Viking period
history of the Fjord Horse. I received many personal emails stating this was
a great place to discuss this, and so I have compiled some data, not just on
horses from that period, but specific mention of Fjords. It may be that Ms.
Sundkvist is right and this is just speculation, but WOW, is there a lot of
it.
There was an issue raised as to the breeding of the Fjord Horse from the
Viking period, specifically as we know the breed today. There were two
specific questions. Was the Fjord an actual breed at that time, or is the
Fjord a descendant from other breed(s)? Was the Fjord selectively bred? No
one disputes horses from the period; we are only discussing the history of one
breed in particular.
Pursuant to some requests, I have compiled a list from various web sites,
which reference the Viking period history of the Fjord Horse. I have also put
in some comments from me in parenthesis.
The following excerpts from various web sites confirm at least one thing:
there is a lot of confusion. I agree with Ms. Sundkvist in that I can only
find a reference in the Snorri that Swedish King Athil's bred horses, not
anything specifically about selectively breeding the Fjord Horse.
I am only providing this as a reference, and as validation for why, as a
producer of bronze statues of Fjord Horses, I stated in my collateral material
that the Fjords were from the Viking period.
I make no representation to the accuracy of any of this information, but am
merely providing it for your review. I have underlined some of the relevant
text.
Many of you referenced, Grimm's Tuetonic Mythology and the Poetic Edda, both
of which are interesting taken just about horses, with no specific breed
names.
I would be interested in documentation, from a more scholarly point, to
contradict this, because when you think about it, selective breeding seems
easy when discussing pigs and goats, but not from free roaming horses of
various breeds.
As an aside, undoubtedly, many of us wish we could be buried with our beloved
friend by our side, too.
Kind Regards,
Erik
EXCERPTS: (sorry this is so long)
From:www.NFHR.com
The Norwegian Fjord Horse is one of the world's oldest and purest breeds. It
is believed that the original Fjord Horse migrated to Norway and was
domesticated over 4,000 years ago. Herds of wild Fjord Horses existed in
Norway after the last ice age. Archaeological excavations at Viking burial
sites indicate that the Fjord Horse has been selectively bred for at least
2,000 years.
From: http://members.tripod.co.uk/DStewartFHRS/history.htm
Of all the modern equine breeds, the Norwegian Fjord horse bears the most
striking resemblance to the Przewalski horse, also known as the Asiatic wild
horse of the Ice Age, which has a very strong resemblance to primitive cave
drawings that have been found in a number of places around the world.
Existing in the wild only in the western area of the Gobi Desert, it was
generally thought to be extinct, until a herd was discovered by a Russian
explorer, Colonel N. M. Prezwalski (1839-1888), in the latter part of the
nineteenth century. Compare the prehistoric cave painting of a pony's head
found at the Grotte de Nieux in the Hautes Pyrennes, with the photograph of
the head of a Przewalski's horse yearling. The similarity is startling.
The Norwegian Fjord horse retains much of its ancestor's primitive vigour, as
well as the uniform dun coat colour. The latter is accompanied by an eel
stripe running from the forelock to the tip of the tail, and sometimes by
zebra bars on the legs. The mane and tail are usually lighter in colour,
being almost silver. A notable feature is the coarse, erect mane, which is
characteristic of primitive equines.Were it left alone, the mane would grow as
long as that of any other breed, but by ancient tradition it is hogged so that
the black hairs at the centre stand above the rest. It is cut in a crescent
shape from poll to withers, giving a pronounced crest to the neck. Horses with
their manes clipped in this way appear on the runestone carvings of the
Vikings, which may still be seen in Norway. The Fjord was the Viking horse,
and was used in the popular sport of horse fighting, when horses were pitted
against each other, and sometimes fought to the death.
It is known that the first raiders to reach the Western Isles of Scotland came
from Hordaland in Norway around eight hundred years ago, bringing with them
their Fjord horses. However, the first documented Fjords to come into Great
Britain were imported from Norway in 1890, and not 1910 as previously claimed.
From: www.imh.org
The Norwegian Fjord Horse is one of the world's oldest and purest breeds of
horse. It bears a striking resemblance to the horses painted on cave walls by
ice age artists some 30,000 years ago and is believed to have migrated to
Norway over 4,0
