New Purchases

[LaVern]

New purchases. I have to let the cat out of the bag. I have been dealing with a fellow now for a year or more. And I think we are close to closing. I have been very hesitant as I was waiting to find out if our son was coming home to farm. And, I guess he is. So, I feel if I have a little help this will be a good investment and something new and exciting for me.

We will hopefully be bringing home 6 purebred Fjord fillies for George this fall. They are just babies and won’t be ready to be bred for 3 years. If the economy is not better and I don’t feel that there is any place for more horses they will be trained to drive and ride and perhaps not bred.

But, if I like them and feel that George is up to it we will be entering a new Buckeroo breeding program. I guess they will be our 1/2 blood heavy miniatures.

Another earlier thread got me so fired up, when I see how our miniatures can cross with other breeds.

A few years ago I could have never afforded these fillies, now I think I can.

 

[CheyAut]

I'm very jealous: I LOVE Fjords! I hope if you get them you'll share photos?

Jessi

 

[uwharrie]

I absolutly love the breed. Hopefully I will own one one day.

I am intrigued by you plans on crossing them with minis. I assume you looking to develop a mini draft?

do you know if the unique Fjord color will come through on the crosses?

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

Renee,

I'm SO jealous!! I LOVE the Fjords and wish I had one.

I would LOVE a mini-sized one with the markings, wow that would be something!!!

 

[luv2ridesaddleseat]

Can you post pictures of what this cross produces? I did a search, but nothing came up.

Thanks,

Joyce

 

[Sarah's Little Blessings]

WOW! You are so lucky! I love Fjord's! Have Always wanted one! Can't wait to see pictures.

I have a dumb question do they all have that beautiful marking in their mane, and I wonder what it took to breed that into them?

 

[LaVern]

I don't have any idea what the cross will be like or for sure if we will even do it. But I am going to back to look at the horses after Branson and will take pictures of the herd. They said that they were weaning this week. I want the white overlay on the manes. And then I guess there is a way that you roach them.

 

[Sue_C.]

do they all have that beautiful marking in their mane, and I wonder what it took to breed that into them?

I want the white overlay on the manes. And then I guess there is a way that you roach them.

It is a "dun factor thing". So, as it is sooo ingrained (probably considered homozygous) in this breed, if your stallion is a dun as well, it should certainly be passed on in the foals.

I have a bay dun mare who had this characteristic for several years as she "appied out". She always got called my Mini-Fjord, and where her bridle path is was so neat, with that two-toned look.

A good friend of mine rides and drives a Fjord mare. It takes special effort, and a steady hand, but with a bit of practice...getting that white cut just a bit shorter than the black is how it is done, when trimming the mane. I have seen somewhere on-line, several pictures of "specialty" trims which are very beautiful, such as a castle-wall/turreted effect, for example.

 

[chandab]

My FIL has a Fjord Team, mare and gelding; his are probably at the upper end for size on the Fjords. Although, they might not seem so big if they weren't so "chubby" to put it nicely. The gelding would do just about anything for food of any kind. The gelding is trained to ride and drive, the mare just drives; they work nicely as a pair in harness. [These two really clean house in the pasture, they are even above the Percherons in the pecking order.]

 

[ForMyACDs]

It's my understanding that the fjord registry is really touchy about crossbreeding because of the limited number of fjords available and will pull registry papers of any fjord that is used for cross breeding purposes. Have you spoken to anyone about this? It might be something to check in to.

 

[Sue_C.]

It's my understanding that the fjord registry is really touchy about crossbreeding because of the limited number of fjords available and will pull registry papers of any fjord that is used for cross breeding purposes.

You are correct...what a shame...all those mares, once bred to the miniature stallion, will lose thier birthrights, and become "grades".

I love the idea of cross-breeding with the breeds that are allowed to do so, (for example that beautiful welshXmini on another post) but would have a hard time with the fact that these mares will lose thier registration status.

In the interest of protecting the genetic purity and the highest standards of the Fjord horse, we will withdraw from the Norwegian Fjord Horse Registry any mare or stallion that is used for crossbreeding with another breed or species. Violators will have their membership suspended and will lose all membership privileges including registration, transfer of horses and any voting rights. The names of owners and horses will be placed on the suspended list.

I DO however 100% agree with this rule.

Inbred horses foaled after January 1986 can not be registered. This includes: mother to son, father to daughter, brother to sister and half-brother to half-sister.

If THEY can do this with the small genetic pool they have...why is it so common in the Miniature Horse breed??

 

[chandab]

It's my understanding that the fjord registry is really touchy about crossbreeding because of the limited number of fjords available and will pull registry papers of any fjord that is used for cross breeding purposes. Have you spoken to anyone about this? It might be something to check in to.

Not trying to start something, but unless you tell them, how would the Fjord registry know if you bred registered Fjords to other breeds?

 

[ForMyACDs]

Someday, somehow the information always gets out......especially if the cross is announced or the foals are marketed as fjord crosses. Pesonally, I wouldn't do it. Besides, if these mares are good quality then you're SO much better off breeding them fjord. Have you seen the prices on the good quality fjords?

 

[Shari]

Congrats on your new Fjords.

I sold my Fjord mare last year sadly. She was trained to ride and drive. Love Fjord horses a lot. Wonderful equines!

As for Cross breeding..personally I would not.. Fjord is already a great breed and you can and will loose your Registry papers for them if you cross breed. Registry just doesn't tolerate it.

 

[Boinky]

i'm not at all against cross breeding or breeding down..HOWEVER like other said i'm not sure i'd risk my registration on my horses.. not just that BUT how do you plan to register the forecoming bred down mini's? my guess is it would take at least 2 generations to breed them down to mini size if not more... AMHR is not hardshipping anything that isn't either "mini' shetland or AMHA registered previously. AMHA is very pricey not to mention they are closing their stud books soon I think for this reason it will severely limit your sale market by having mini's that are not amha/amhr registered unless some other 'legitimate' registry happens to come along. Might make me a complete snob ....but from my standpoint i will not buy anything that that doesn't have papers with a legitmate "true" registry because i like to show and you can't really show an unregistered animal.

just something to think about.

 

[Irish Hills Farm]

Umm....So if you breed your Fjord to another breed other than another Fjord you lose your registration papers. Isn't that cutting off the nose to spite the face? If there is an already limited number of Fjords out there, why would you want to pull registration papers just because someone wanted to cross thier Fjord with another breed?

I can understand wanting to keep a breed pure and intact and wanting to keep members breeding and promoting Fjords but come on. And if a person does cross their Fjord with another breed and happens to like that outcross better and can make just as much money from the sale of that outcross, do you really think they are going to be bothered that the registration papers were pulled?