Who Knew?

I don't believe it!

As our Sons of Norway meeting drew to completion, the President asked “ Is there anything else before we close?” One of our members replied? ”Yes, Next week there will be a horse show nearby, and it will have fjord horses in the competition. You are welcome to come and see them up close.” She went on to say that all of the horses would be entered in a jumping event. Fjord horses jumping?  This, we had to see! We were going to a horse-show!

Gracie on Sandy

   Searching the websites, no publicity could be found, but we knew the location and the address was just a few miles from our house. We found the farm at 9 AM that next Saturday and saw very few people amidst incoming horse  trailers.

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While talking to the people getting their horses ready, we learned that the event was actually a club event for horse owners and riders who were “learning the ropes” and were going to compete in a practice competition not really open to the public. So, we had all the owners and riders to ourselves!

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 Our Sons of Norway lady came over to talk with us. Her thirteen-year-old granddaughter was to be the rider on their young fjord horse! And me, being “not vastly knowledgeable” of this event despite having been around horses on “Grandpa’s Farm” years ago, had tons of questions!
 With very few other spectators around, owners, riders, and grandma seemed to enjoy answering. We had a great time on this horse-farm watching action on the “dressage arena”, French for the “training exhibition” area, and all our questions were answered.

Before they began the first event, instructions were given to each rider, such as " At point X, canter to point C..Right turn to V and trot to point S, Left turn and...etc)". This had to be memorized. It seemed like Sandy, the fjord was listening!

Sandy in competition

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The 'dressage' event apparently was a favorite of the horses as they went through the trot, canter, half-whatever event with no verbal commands. The horse knew what to do by sensing the rider's motions while under the eyes of two judges. One owner explained that the horses liked the drill, because they knew “they looked pretty!”. As we watched, the grand-daughter and her dun-colored horse combination looked like a winner! They really are pretty.

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The Fjord is not a big horse. The height is measured in ‘hands’ of between 13 and 14 hands; (which is 53 and 59 inches) at the withers  (the area right in front of the saddle) and weight normally ranges from 400 to 500 kilograms (880 to 1,100 lb). Though some may fall under the traditional cutoff between horses and ponies, the Fjord  is considered a horse, regardless of height. However, this animal is a  very strong horse breed from the mountainous regions of western Norway.

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A Fjord at home in Norway

 It is an agile breed of light work-horse build. All Fjord horses are dun in color which is usually a sandy tan, but the distinctive white mane with a dark center is the universal  fjord  trademark.  Amongst Fjord Horse aficionados, the dark section of hair in the middle of the mane is described by the Norwegian terms as midtstol, and darker hair in the middle of the tail is called the halefjær.The Fjord horse is one of the world's oldest and purest breeds and known to have existed in Norway since the end of the last ice age. It is believed that the ancestors of the modern Fjord horse migrated to Norway and were domesticated over 4,000 years ago.

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 The Fjord horse and its ancestors have been used for hundreds of years as farm animals in western Norway.Today, the Fjord horse is a favorite at Norwegian riding and the therapeutic schools, as it’s mild temperament and small size make it suitable for children and disabled individuals. These horses can even be therapeutic to fellow horses.

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 At this event, “Tucker”, another fjord, did not compete, but came along as a horse’s companion. Right now, it’s ‘lunch-time’ as they pull hay out of the feed-bag. The competitor buddy was getting it’s “tack”, or bridle, saddle, etc  ready for the show.
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Sandy in action

But again, can a fjord jump?
The ‘jumping-arena’ was covered by an array of piled logs, with jumps ranging  from a foot high to approximately 2-3 feet, including a  length of black tires, which according to one owner “All horses hate” but they all made it over the dreaded tires, sometimes with repeated efforts. All were given ratings in their own experience classifications. Apparently, three days of competition was packed into one day and horses and riders  had a very busy day. As for jumping, maybe not  very high, but Fjords can jump!  We left before the final event but were impressed by how this Norwegian animal handled it all.

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At our next meeting, this grandmother come to us and exclaimed  “Sandy ( the Fjord) and Gracie  (The thirteen-yr-old rider and granddaughter) came in fifth place after all the events!” This, in competition with about 30 competitors is quite a feat! 

Good Show!

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