This message is from: "Warren Stockwell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Dagrun, I really enjoy reading all you post and the web site is really fun. I feel for you these antics are much less in the fjords but I to have had experiences with Appy's TB's Arabians, and few Quarter Horses. I must say I do prefer the solidity of the Fjord. My baby at the time got her head stuck in the rungs of a pallet we used for a make shift stall and she did scare the dickens out of her self but was very happy to here moms voice and calmed right down and waited for me to fix the problem. She also as a adult got herself stuck in the trailer as we were hauling her( don't know how long she was that way) she got her front end over the front chest brace/ bar and when we got out to un load her she just looked at us like " now what do we do" . They don't seem to get as hysterical as other breeds and when they do they are much easier to calm in order to clear the situation. I think the fact that most Fjord people and fjords are so expressive really helps the situation. We have 2 Fjords Kaari & Gunnar and we just started showing Kaari this year with my 8 year old daughter and 9 year old son. It really hooked us and God willing plan to do more next year with both of our Fjords. I got fjords for their reputation of being solid and generally reliable with the kids in mind. I have had my fun training many of the other breeds and just didn't want my kids to have THAT MUCH FUN. Have a great day Roberta --- Original Message ----- From: "Dagrun Aarsten" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <fjordhorse@angus.mystery.com> Sent: Tuesday, October 15, 2002 1:04 PM Subject: Safe, sensible fjords and crazy appys > This message is from: "Dagrun Aarsten" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Hello listers, > > just a reminder why we have fjords, people. > > The latest addition to my little herd is a 6 year old appy gelding, actually > he is appy/TB (ohmygod) cross but still registered appy. He looks extremely > flashy and has great dressage movement, I'll lease him for a few months and > if my work situation stabilizes I will buy... > > Since he arrived Saturday, he managed to: > 1) Freak out when coming out of trailer (he went in really well) > 2) Giving sore muscles and about a hundred bruises to Brigid and me when we > pulled shoes off him (long, overgrown hoofs). He would not stand still for a > second, danced around, tried to rear etc. He also managed to hit my head on > the side with his upper leg and gave me a chiropractic adjustment of my neck > that I didn't really ask for. > 3) Almost kill the farrier trimming his feet Sunday morning (took us about > three hours...surprisingly he behaved in the end, guess he was tired > 4) Kick out when being chased away by another horse and hit the horse in the > mouth cutting his own foot open with blood gushing out > > 5) and then... what freaked me out most > > We have a washrack with crossties. This horse is used to being crosstied and > behaves pretty well (doesn't panic) except he is impatient so doesn't stand > still and relax. Always at least one foot moving. Well, I put saddle on, put > halter around his neck to put bridle on, realised I had the wrong bridle and > went to pick up correct one, turned my head for 1 second, turned back and he > was down. There are rubber mats in the washrack and they were wet (since I > had washed the dried blood off his foot), so he slipped and fell. And since > he was tied, he couldn't get up again, he tried and tried and panicked > completely. I just imagined broken legs. He calmed down a little when I > talked to him, I got one of the crossties off, but the other one was still > too tight. In the end he just resigned and laid there whimpering, very scary > sound. I somehow managed to lift his head and neck enough to slip the halter > off. Then he still didn't move, which really freaked me out, until he tried > one more time, "crawled" across the washrack and on to firm ground and got > up. And he was fine! My stomach wasn't... > > Somehow he managed to make these sturdy rubber mats (with some texture in > them, too) look like ice with water on top, like the most slippery substance > in the world. > > To Dante's (that's his name) defense, he is in a new place and misses all > his buddies and hasn't been handled regularly for a good 6 months. And when > he got up from the washrack, he came straight up to me for comfort and 10 > seconds later he seemed to have forgotten all about it. Same with the > farrier experience, he worked himself up so much I thought it would take > years to teach him to lift his legs again without panicking. And then 2 > minutes later he is fine... Very new kind of personality to me. He is a > little nervous, quite disrespectful sometimes but also very sweet. We will > see how it works out. When I'm on his back, he is a dream, which is why I > fell for him in the first place. But we have a lot of manner training and > groundwork to do! > > I don't say these things could never happen to a fjord...it's just less > likely! I was pretty happy to have my best buddy Quinn the fjord comfort me > after all the excitement. Now Quinn wasn't an angel when he arrived, but > there was none of that panic aspect. > > I guess it's not the best example of horsemanship having a horse crosstied > with the halter just around his neck...if the halter was properly on he > might not have fallen in the first place. But then again, if he had, the > halter would have twisted his head around in a nasty position, so maybe it > was just as well. A lesson learned for me. > > For people used to other breeds, this is probably just an everyday > experience...one of the TB colts at our barn managed to jump out the window > of a trailer (he is still quite small) and was hanging there with his head > down until he was pulled out. He was fine, too. > > In Norway, it is common to have life insurance on horses (maybe here, too, > for all I know). And sometimes also insurance that covers vet bills. The > insurance companies know that fjords are sound and sturdy and rarely hurt > themselves, so the policy is much cheaper than for other breeds! I can > really see why. > > Dagrun, San Jose, Ca
