Norwegian Fjord horses

Fjord is a breed of horses, considered the most ancient on our planet. It was these compact but strong horses that took part in the battles along with the Vikings, and later spread throughout Europe with their help. The article will tell you where the fjord horse came from, how this breed is remarkable, how it looks.

Fjord horse

History of the breed

The fjord horse breed is rightfully considered unique, because its representatives have been able to preserve the features and color inherent in their ancient ancestors for thousands of years. This is the oldest breed on earth. The information that these animals existed in the time of the Vikings was confirmed during excavations. Scientists have repeatedly found the remains of ancient Scandinavian warriors along with horses that looked like fjords. Rock paintings also indicate that animals that have an external resemblance to the fjord breed were bred in those days.

Scientists suggest that more than 4000 years ago, the fjords migrated to the territory of Scandinavia from Central Asia. After that, horses were domesticated and began to be used in agriculture. Later, the Vikings liked these strong and hardy animals, and they began to make campaigns on them. When the Viking Age ended, the fjord horses, which were previously called differently – nordfjordhest and westlandhest, were again used for agricultural work.

Attention! Scientists tend to believe that the blood of the Fjord horses was mixed with most modern breeds of heavy trucks in Europe, as the Vikings raided the territory of different countries.

Now the breeding stock of Fjord horses has 7000 individuals. These animals are found in North and South America, as well as in some European countries. All of them are included in the stud book, which was published in 1919.

Appearance

Norwegians literally praise this breed of horses in verses and poems, because they have a love for her. In fact, these animals, although beautiful, are not as graceful and graceful as representatives of other breeds. Consider their external characteristics:

Fjords - low horses

Fjords – low horses

  1. Fjords are short horses, which is why they are also called “fjord ponies”. Their height reaches 130-145 cm.
  2. The physique is strong, stocky. The muscular corset stands out well.
  3. The chest is large, developed.
  4. The back is of medium length, the sacrum is wide and strong.
  5. The croup is set low, angular, the muscles in this part of the body are well defined.
  6. The limbs are short, sinewy, strong. The joints are large.
  7. The hooves are black, very powerful and durable.
  8. Thick coat.
  9. The head is medium-sized, the frontal part is wide. The profile is slightly concave, due to which it looks elegant. Interestingly, the coat on it is always lighter than on the torso.
  10. The auricles are small with a wide setting.
  11. The neck is powerful of medium length with a graceful bend.
  12. Shoulders are large and muscular.

Attention! A distinctive feature of this breed of horses is the color of the hair in the mane: the strands are dark inside it, and light at the edges.

The most common color in the fjords is dark buckskin. In this case, the hair on the body is colored in different shades of yellow and brown, and there is a brown or black strand on the bangs. 90% of the horses of this breed are the owners of this color. The remaining 10% have a white-dun, reddish-dun, golden-dun or gray type of suit.

Only in fjords, a dark stripe runs along the entire back along the ridge, and there is a black or brown strand in the mane and tail. And these beautiful horses have characteristic darkened marks on the limbs and withers.

To emphasize the natural beauty of the mane of Scandinavian horses, it is sheared, adhering to a certain principle. It is given the shape of a sickle, which favorably highlights the cervical bend. The outer edges of the mane are cut a few centimeters shorter than the middle, then the dark inner part is better visible.

Special horse mane

Special horse mane

Advantages of the breed

Fjords, despite their compact physique, are distinguished by unprecedented endurance. But this is not their only advantage, there are others:

  • animals are unpretentious in food, able to eat only hay for some time;
  • they are fearless, readily moving even along mountain paths;
  • easily adapt to different climatic conditions, are not afraid of the cold, as they have thick wool;
  • equally good both in working with a rider and in teams;
  • easy to learn;
  • have a good-natured disposition.

Having once participated in Viking campaigns, Norwegian horses are still popular today in their homeland and in other countries. Now they are used in children’s sports, for horse riding, on holidays and celebrations and excursions. This breed is one of the few that have managed to keep pure blood for thousands of years.

Author: Olga Samoilova

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Anna Evans

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