The Fjord Horse is another breed that is thought to be one of the oldest as well as the purest breeds in existence; one reason is because they bare a striking resemblance to horses that are painted on cave walls from over 30,000 years ago during the ice age. They were believed to have first been domesticated around 2000 B.C., and digs at Viking burial sites show that the Fjord has been selectively bred for more than 2,000 years. With the burial of many of these horses with Vikings, it shows they were a favored war mount. The origin of this horse is unclear; it is believed that they are related to the primitive horses of Asia, the Przewalski. They are one of very few horses that still retain their primitive character and color.
The Fjord Horse has many common uses, because of its pleasant nature; it is often used for light draft work in Denmark. Also because of their rather exceptional strength, farmers used them to pull heavy loads up and down hilly terrain. This horse has also become very popular among riding and therapeutic schools and because of their temperament is favored by disabled individuals. This horse has a thick coat so it requires little attention as it can endure the rough winter weather. Because of all these reasons, the Fjord Horse has been exported to multiple other countries around Europe.
The Fjord Horse has been referred to by many other names; such names as Vestlandshest, which means West Country horse, or Northfjordhest which means Northfjordhorse and refers to the breed's relation to Norway.
The first stud book wasn't published until 1910 and today it shows that there are somewhere around 6,000 and 7,000. Most of the Fjord Horses are bred all throughout Europe and in both North and South America. The Fjord Horse is actually featured on a coat of arms; it is the Nordfjord municipalities of Gloppen and Eid.
During the Second World War, the Fjord Horse was used because of its ability to navigate rough mountainous terrain. Also because of a food shortage in the Netherlands in the years of 1944 and 1945, they were slaughtered and served as food. As they are very agile and athletic horses, they have reached the highest ranks a horse can get in dressage and jumping competitions, as well as being used as a casual sport horse.
In 1994, the Fjord Horse along with two other breeds native to Norway drove many winning competitors as well as many celebrities to different venues throughout the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer.
One of the most unique parts of the characteristics of the Fjord is that exactly 90 percent of them are brown dun in color; the remaining 10 percent are red dun, grey, pale dun, yellow dun, or gold. Over the years they have retained many parts of their primitive nature, one would be the zebra-like stripes on their legs and dorsal stripe that starts at the forelock and runs clear to the tail.
|
