JULY 2000 BACK ISSUE

Part of Horse Previews Magazine website. Posted on 07/2000; 2:00:00PM.

The Norwegian Fjord Horse

Characteristics

Fjords (pronounced fee-ords) are very versatile horses. Their good dispositions and intelligence make them adaptable to many tasks. From the show ring to the trail they are excellent and consistent performers. Riding: dressage, hunter-jumper, trail, English & Western. Driving: All hitches, from carts to wagons, for shows, parades and country roads. Draft: logging, farming, competition pulling and packing.

Whether you have a shorter, lighter horse, a taller draftier one, or something in between, the Fjord seems able to handle the task it is given. No matter what the type, it has a proportion of willingness, strength and ruggedness greater than it's size.

Fjords are exceptionally strong and energetic. They are very hardy and healthy; living long and capable of producing foals each year.

Fjords are exceedingly friendly, love lots of attention, and are very people oriented. They have a charming personality, a well-balanced temperament, and with a minimum of proper care, make very dependable companions.

Today, when so many people with little or no horse experience are buying horses, it is all the more important that horses be of a gentle nature, a quality most Fjords possess. They are not easily spooked and keep calm in difficult situations; usually waiting patiently for someone to come and help them.

Fjords are known for being agile and sure-footed in difficult terrain, which makes them ideal horses for mountain packing and riding.

Fjords are known to be easy keepers - meaning they stay healthy on the minimum amount of feed and usually do very well on hay alone.

Physical Description

Approximately 90% of all Fjords are brown dun in color. The shades may vary, but the most common is a blonde buckskin. The other 10% of all Fjords are red, gray, yellow or pale dun. The brown duns have a dark dorsal stripe down the center of the back and zebra markings on the legs. The mane which, like the tail is composed of black hairs in the center and white around the outside, stands upright and is cut in a characteristic crescent shape. The hoofs of the Fjords are very strong and with little exception, are totally black in color. The body types of Fjords vary somewhat from the heavy draft to the lighter modern type but can generally be described as square, compact, strong, well-muscled with large, gentle, wide set eyes.