25th Annual International Fjord Horse Show at Nordicfest

 

The fjord horse has been the darling of Libby Nordicfest since the early days of the festival.

  The International Fjord Horse show at Nordicfest 2011 will continue to be one of the most popular events at the Scandinavian festival. The show will begin on Friday, September 9th and run through Sunday, September 11th.

  The fjord, a breed dating back to the time when Norse soldiers wore heavy armor and carried massive spears, was first introduced in the United States in about 1888. Franklin Delano Roosevelt's uncle Warren Delano is on record for importing a herd of the creme-colored gentle giants in 1900.

    The most distinguishing feature of this breed is its mane. When trimmed, the mane stands stiff with a streak of black hair splitting the blond hair on either side.

  Fjords are small as far as draft horses go, standing an average 14 hands tall, compared to Clydesdales or Belgian draft horses, which average 18 hands. Another difference between fjords and other draft horses is their attention-seeking nose. Fjords nudge and nibble at your hand until you give them the obligatory rub on the snoot. 

   Draft horses are known to be highly agile like quarter horses or palominos. But fjords have competed and performed exceptionally well in reining and cutting competitions.

  Nordicfest includes reining competitions, a combined driving event and demonstrations of freestyle reining and farm equipment hauling as well as a number of riding and jumping events to show the versatility of the breed and the abilities of the riders.

  There are only about 3,000 registered fjords in the U.S. but their popularity is slowly increasing. Older people, who may be tired of fighting skittish breeds, take to the fjords because of their gentle disposition. Also, people who have never been around horses are attracted to their friendly manners and find them easy "first-timer."  Fjords are often used for riding lessons because the horses are forgiving, allowing riders to make mistakes without causing problems.

  The breed is strong, able to pull two and half times its weight and is easily trained.  Fjords are easy to care for, too. The breed doesn't eat half of what a quarter horse would eat, despite their size and strength.

  The fjord is attracting the attention of physical therapists who use the horses as muscle exercisers for handicapped people. The rocking motion from the large horse has proven to be therapeutic, and because fjords are small and calm, therapists find them easy to work with.