This message is from: Mike May [EMAIL PROTECTED]
At 11:46 PM 4/29/98 -0400, you wrote:
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (BRIAN C JACOBSEN)
To recap:
1. Voluntary evaluations are a great thing in the US, but mandating them
will not be well accepted.
I think you hit the nail right on the head Brian. This is a Free
Country. If the NFHR decided to make the evaluations mandatory we would
probably see a lot of breeders registering their horses with a different
registry.
2. Breeders and serious competitors of Fjords will distinguish
themselves by participating in evaluations, thus attracting current and
prospective owners more serious about acquiring quality horses. Breeders
who don't participate will still sell Fjords, though in general more to
people only wanting pets or not as serious about breeding.
And I think this is the way it should be.
3. Evaluations will help keep our Fjords more true to their heritage
than the traditional American system of judging, which we currently use
at Registry shows. Also, since conformational judging is part of both a
show and an Evaluation, there is some duplication. So why have both?
Well one of the reasons I can think of is that the NFHR doesn't actually
have any shows. We only have Evaluations. All of the shows are put on by
the promotional groups. Most of them are affiliated with the NFHR but not
all of them. At some of the shows any Fjord is welcome no matter what
Registry it is registered with. So a Evaluation rating given at a show may
not be as well received by a person with a non NFHR registered horse. I
think that if someday we all happen to become one big registry then it
might work. Of course we would still have the Canadian registered horses
in some of the shows too. I think we could work that out though.
Now I will freely admit I am not an authority on showing. My
grandfather, who starting raising the Fjords, never felt the need, and
Barb and I are short on time and long on distance (from any shows). We
do consider ourselves serious breeders and are going to start
participating in Evaluations though. So perhaps I am overlooking a
simple reason for judging conformation (i.e. halter classes) at a show,
and judging it again at an Evaluation. If so, please tell me. If not,
why do both? Save time and money and just do the one which tells the
most about the horse. This would seem to be the Evaluation.
See above
Finally, there is no problem to making Evaluations more available. But
it takes two things: money and workers. If we as NFHR members are
serious enough about this idea, we can make it happen.
Yes I think you have it here. I think we are a pretty lucky group as it is
to have the number of volunteers we do have already. We do still need
people to come forward though and volunteer for stuff like this.
Volunteers do burn out after awhile. And you do want new blood and new
ideas all of the time.
===
Norwegian Fjord Horse Registry
http://www.nfhr.com
Mike May, Registrar
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Webster, NY, USA (Suburb of Rochester)
Voice 716-872-4114
FAX 716-787-0497
===
