This year it’s 70 year since the founding of Norges Fjordhestlag. The anniversary will be celebrated during the traditional stallion show in Nordfjordeid in May
In 1949 the fjordhorse’s situation in Norway was very different from what it is now. The number of fjord horses was a lot higher, around 80 000, and the horses were used for agriculture work and not hobby and sports as we do in 2019. Around 2500 foals were born in 1949, and some of those had a great impact on the fjord horse breeding, both in Norway and abroad.
The breeders in the most popular Fjord Horse districts in Norway founded small, local fjord horse organizations already around year 1900. Many of them bought and held stallions to secure that the mares in their region had acccess to good breeding material. When Norges Fjordhestlag was founded in 1949, one of the main reasons was to gather these local organizations under one national organization.
When Norges Fjordhestlag was founded, the organization consisted of the local organizations. It was not until many years later that they opened up to be a members organization, where everyone with interest in the fjord horse could sign a membership. Norges Fjordhestlag was founded May 2nd 1949, and Reidar Skarbø was chosen as the first leader. The first annual meeting was held at the mare show in Stryn in September the same year.
The whole story about the situation for the fjord horse in the late 1940’s and the founding of Norges Fjordhestlag can be read in our members magazine «Fjordhesten» 01-19. The article is in Norwegian and it is written by Tor Nestaas.
Note : thank you, Ingvild Rydjord Hansen, for this English resume of the article!
We are very proud that Norges Fjordhestlag is still going strong at the age of 70. All over Norway there are people who work for the best of the fjord hose every day, and the fjord is one of the most popular horses used in sports in Norway.
Norges Fjordhestlag’s anniversary will be celebrated during the stallion show in Nordfjordeid in May. The date for the show is May 1st to May 4th.
In addition to the regular program, there will be several other posts this year. We have invited all breeding stallions of 9 year old and more to a special show class. There will also be a show class for two year old stallions, and this is a great opportunity for every fjord horse lover to see the young stallions we have in Norway. As always, there will be a parade through Nordfjordeid on the last day of the show.
Friday May 3rd, there will be held an anniversary dinner and party at Nordfjord Hotell. New for this year is that the tickets must be ordered no later than Friday April 26th. You can order direct at the hotel using e-mail or phone: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / +47 57 86 33 33. More information about thedinner will be given closer to the show.
Norges Fjordhestlag wishes veryone who wants to celebrate the anniversary with us welcome to Nordfjordeid the first week of May. This is the world’s biggest arrangement for the fjord horse, and being at the show is an experience you will never forget.
A complete program will be published closer the show on Norges Fjordhestlag’s web page.
Greetings readers from Brian and Ursula Jensen of Lumby B.C. In short.
Unhappy with our Corporate and Public sector jobs we left Sherwood Park Alberta and built our log home in Trinity Valley near Lumby B.C.--1981
Looking for a back to the land experience for ourselves and our two children, Aaren, and Vanessa, and needing to find a reason to be a viable farm we went to the Armstrong Interior Exhibition to look at farming options. Looking at Clydesdales and their dinner plate feet we soon found a pair of Norwegian Fjords, pullers from Orville Unrau of Sundre Alberta. George and Harvey, geldings out-pulled by weight ratio over the big drafts yet seemed to fall asleep tied to the rail after their pull.
Ursula originally from Essen, Germany had always loved horses but in Germany they were only for people with means. With that initial IPE meeting I travelled out to Unrau's and bought Bibi and Perle, two young fjord fillies. These two Fjords went along with our ignorance and tolerated our mistakes until we gathered enough information and knowledge. They were very forgiving of our amateur ways but it all came together by the Libby Montana Fjord Show. We were one of the founding member families of the Pacific Northwest Fjord Promotional Group.
With two fillies growing up I need a Colt/stallion to complete the family. Sambar arrived from Larry Boe of Creston, who had got him from Anne Notnes of Hinton Alberta. Anne Notnes is the aunt of Anne Appleby of Olympia Washington. Sambar, in driving took me to heights I never expected, and I am forever thankful for his patience in letting me learn to drive. He patiently waited for me to become a better driver.
One year at the Libby Montana Fjord Show, Ursula purchased Penfryd's Raynor. A stallion with a motor which he passed on to his foals. One of his mare foals nick-named Zoobie is now competing in Advanced Driving at FEI world level and has been to Europe for the USA. Ursula and Raynor's personalities were a match made in heaven as they both grew together in driving CDE's and Open Pleasure Shows competing at Spruce Meadows and all over the Pacific Northwest.
This is getting to lengthy, but suffice to say the Fjords have brought us both to Evaluating/Judging Cards in Canada, USA, and for FHI Europe. I have guest Judged in USA, Canada, Germany, Denmark, and Norway and am forever thankful for this opportunity to learn and grow as a Fjord owner.
The Fjords have truly changed our lives in a good way and we are forever grateful.
Ursula and Brian Jensen
Trinity Fjords
Lumby BC Canada
Ursula Jensen driving her Penfryd's Raynor Brian Jensen driving Postillian Hitch with
at Pritchard CDE with best Driven Dressage Susan Sabatini, Julie Pilon,and Wanda Gammel
score in Western Canada at that time. as grooms at Moses Lake, Wash.
Quadrom driven by Brian Jensen Brian Jensen winning overall four-up
at Libby Montana with Beth Beymer videoing. at Spruce Meadows, Calgary Alberta.
The 30 days performance test took place between 17th August and 15th September (final day) in Erbach (Odenwald / 90 km South –East Frankfurt /Main)
The IGF takes part in performance tests for stallions since 1992. Since that date, it is an obligation to pass a test. The test was developed with the German FN and the different breed organizations.
The official title of the test is „CVII 30 Tage Stationsprüfung für Hengste - Zuchtrichtung Reiten/Fahren/Gelände“
In the meantime, it is one of the accepted stallion tests in Germany. Other horse breeds may have (partly) different tests.
In Germany there are different official / licensed examination centers. They organize the testing periods and stallions of different horse breeds can or must take part in it before they reach a defined age. For fjord stallions it is before 5 year old.
The test is the final milestone to come into the German “Hengstbuch”.
At the final test days, the stallions have to path through three parts :
• a called “Fremdreitertest” – with two experienced riders who do not know the horses before.
• two other judges see the stallions in the test for the first time. Their results will be added to the results of the leader of the Centre / or performance test and,
• at the final day : driving test - loose jumping - walk, trot, canter - 1.500 m on terrain with 6 jumps
CLICK HERE for the results of the four Fjord horse stallions (all born in 2013) in the 2018 testing. Scores are between “rather good” (7) and top score (10).
(Mark scale between 1 and 10. This will in practice mean that the figures used will vary from 3 to 10, with 3 and 10 seldom used)
The results are also published in detail on the homepage of FN
IGF - Jochen Noesinger
FRISO
GLØD
RUDSMO RUNE
VALERIO LGKS
