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A 'Classic' Posting of the Norwegian Fjord Horse listserver

The Stallion Gjest by Carol Rivoire

-----Original Message-----
From: beaverdf@ns.sympatico.ca [mailto:beaverdf@ns.sympatico.ca]
Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 1999 5:09 PM
To: fjordhorse@Mailing-List.net
Subject: Re: Fjordhorse Bloodlines

This message is from: beaverdf@ns.sympatico.ca (Arthur  Rivoire)

Hello Everybody from Carol Rivoire at Beaver Dam Farm in Nova Scotia -

Lindsay Sweeney posted the other day in hopes of inspiring a "round of
talk" on some of the prominent Fjord bloodlines we have in North America.
I think that's a great idea - both interesting and educational.

I'd like to suggest that she and I start off by discussing our two
stallions, GJEST and SOLAR.  The reason for suggesting these two stallions
is that they have so very much in common. 

****  They're the same age, born in 1977.

****  Both born and bred in Norway.

****  Both approved as breeding stallions in Norway.

****  Both purchased by the Netherlands Fjordhorse Studbook for breeding.

****  Both stood in Holland as Studbook Stallions for several years making
an important contribution there.

****  Both purchased by Americans and imported to the U.S.

****  Both have sons standing in Holland as APPROVED STUDBOOK STALLIONS.
(A remarkable feat considering there are only about 44
Approved Stallions in the Netherlands) --- Gjest's approved son, the
stallion, Fjellwin, died this past winter. 

****  Both Gjest and Solar have done a lot of breeding in North America and
significantly contributed to the gene pool here. 

****  Both stallions are thorougly proven having produced hundreds of
quality offspring. 

****  Both have received First Place Blue Ribbons at Woodstock

****  Both have won 'Get of Sire Classes' (Solar has won more as he's
      been shown more.)

OK, so what are the characteristics of the two stallions?  I'll start with
a few facts on Gjest.

Sire:  Helgas Jarl #1764

Sire's Sire Line:  Helgas Jarl 3 pr. #1764 - Vosse-Lars 1674 1. pr. - Enok
1610 1. pr. Rein-Gust 1184 2 pr.

Sire's Dam's Sire Line:  Sollidblakken 1558 2 pr. - Malm 1071 2 pr.
Bergfast 635 2 pr. - 1. avk. pr. (for offspring)

Dam:  Rita 13847

Dam's Sire Line: Sollidblakken 1556 2 pr. - Malm 1071 2. pr. - Bergfast 635
2 pr. 1 awk. pr. - Dalegubben 502 2 pr.

Dam's Dam's Sire Line:  Ulabrand 1380 2 pr. Hei 1105 2 pr. Groven 982
3 pr.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Height:  144 cm. (14.1 h)

Canon:  21 cm. (8 1/4")

Type:  A Real Fjord - Having the bone and temperament to do farm work,    
       as well as the necessary athleticism and suppleness for riding
       and driving.

Movement:  Extremely good!

Temperament:

 Gjest is a very serious stallion. Very focused.  By that I mean, he takes
each and every job and throws his heart and soul into it.  His major job is
to be a Herd Sire, and this he takes most seriously of all.  For example -
Gjest runs himself to skin and bones each breeding season attempting to
keep all the mares on the place in his sight.  He's the same when we ride
and drive him on the farm.  If he's with the mares riding or driving, he's
calm and content.  If the mares leave him, he's upset.

If we're away from the farm competing or for any other reason, and there
are no Fjord mares around, he's a pussy cat.  He pays no attention
whatsoever to Morgan mares, TB mares, whatever.  His job is to take care of
Fjord mares, and that's all that concerns him. He can stand next to a
brown, black, or grey mare and not even notice her. 

This 'seriousness of purpose' also applies to his driving, riding, jumping,
draft work.  He really does throw his soul into everything he does.    

WHAT POSITIVE TRAITS DOES GJEST PASS ON?

 *  Good Movement

*   Athleticism

*   Heavy Bone

*   Good working attitude - desire to move forward & work hard

*   Size

*   Substance

WHAT NEGATIVE TRAITS DOES GJEST PASS ON?

*   Long body if bred to long-bodied mare.

*   "Most" offspring tend to look like the mare.  OK if the mare's good
looking. 

****  Naturally, a stallion of this calibre will have many more POSITIVE
traits than NEGATIVE ones.  However, I think it's vitally important that
everybody should realize that even THE BEST STALLINS are NOT PERFECT. 

As Bob van Bon once said, "If I ever find the perfect horse then I will
shoot it, because that will be the end of breeding." 

 --  And the French say this about horses, and absolutely everything else
in life -

        "Parfait n'existe pas."  (Perfect doesn't exist.)

Regards,  Carol Rivoire

As a very serious breeder (too serious, some say), I find all this
information interesting, and I hope Lindsay responds, and then we get more
information about some of the other stallions that have been used enough in
North America to make a contribution.  ---  King Harald, Gjestarson, for
example. 

 
Carol and Arthur Rivoire
Beaver Dam Farm Fjords II
R.R. 7 Pomquet
Antigonish County
Nova Scotia
B2G 2L4
902 386 2304
http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/beaverdf