This message is from: "Norsk Fjordhestgard" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Hello to everybody! Well, I am finally settled at Norsk Fjordhestgard in Breim in Norway. What a change of life from Silicon Valley! The nature here is absolutely amazing. Even on a cloudy day, the snow-capped mountains over the lake are nothing short of spectacular. And when the sun is out...no words can describe it. I will post pictures to a website soon so you can see. I still can not get over the view from my kitchen window... About the "Fjordhestgard": It's a place with endless possibilities, that are not used to its full potential at the moment, which is a shame. Part of the plan behind hiring me was to change that, and I seem to be on the right track already. There are so many possibilities and the challenge is where to focus my efforts at first (yes, Brigid, the website will be updated! www.fjordhestgarden.no) So far I have been training horses, teaching all the local kids at their weekly lesson (with various success), participated in several meeting with local organizations and the tourist council, gone on trail rides with visitors, had a dressage lesson with an almost-local instructor who is wonderful (Ove Natland), assisted in our disabled riding program and taught lessons to four teenagers from foster homes, had meetings with the accounting office and a few local business people and much, much more. I've also done quite a bit of physical work compared to what I'm used to, so it looks like I might get in shape soon :-) For everybody who wrote to me and expressed interest in coming to visit this year - please send me a note to this address and I will follow up with concrete information. I lost some data in a hard disk crash and I may have lost your previous emails. You are all welcome to visit anytime, of course, and a trail ride (or drive, if you prefer) in this landscape is highly recommended! There is a sweet little hotel right next door (15 minutes walk) called Gordon Gjestetun (www.gordon.no) and for those who want real high standard, I recommend a historic room at Gloppen Hotel (www.gloppenhotell.no) If there is a whole group coming together, I may rent a real nice house nearby with 8+ bedrooms that has recently been fully restored, also with traditional style. Then there is also my house, at the moment I am renting the downstairs apartment, but I am considering renting (or buying) the entire house, and if I do, I will have plenty of bedrooms there, too. Good for budget traveling! Here is a very temporary schedule for what the summer season looks like: (All spring and summer season we have 1-day and 2-day trail rides at weekends, also between summer camps) June 21-26: Summer camp for kids 10 y.o. and up June 28-July 3: Summer camp for kids 10 y.o. and up July 5-10: "Fjord horses and country music", vacation package with riding and driving (all levels) Monday through Thursday, then 8000 people arrive for the Norwegian Country Music festival at Fjordhestgarden Thursday through Sunday. See the artists at http://www.norskcountrytreff.no/ July 19-25: 1 day trail rides Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, then the Norwegian Fjord horse championships run Thursday to Sunday. Well worth watching, and if someone wants to participate, I will provide horses! Program championships: July 21: Opening ceremony, Dressage driving July 22: Dressage riding July 23: Marathon (intermdiate level) July 24: Cones course, cross-country jumping, party in the evening July 25: Showjumping, closing ceremony July 26-30: Riding and driving vacation package, all levels August 2-6: Summer camp for kids 10 y.o. and up Oh, darn, I want to write so much more, but gotta run. Contact me anytime at this email address, or a [EMAIL PROTECTED] Very excited, Dagrun in Norway
