Breeding Program
"The general appearance of the Fjord Horse shall be strongly built, hardy, well proportioned and athletic; a horse with great presence and charm. The horse shall be co-operative, dependable, willing and calm in most situations and have natural, well-balanced movements. The Fjord shall be a versatile riding, driving and draught horse.
The conformation of the Fjord should assure that he moves equally well in difficult terrain as on the flat. With these qualities the Fjord Horse should be easy to handle and suitable for family use, and in different activities such as at riding schools, competitions and for leisure."
(Fjord Horse International)
While having our goals aligned with those of Fjord Horse International, we are always breeding towards perfection, knowing that we will never attain it, but trying to get close.
The unspoken ideal of the Fjord Horse type is the stallion Rosendalsborken. The image to the right is derived from a photographic plate in 1880, when he was in Germany. He was 18 years old in this picture.
We keep this image in mind, when we are looking at the strengths and weaknesses of each individual. We then breed accordingly, trying to improve upon each individual in the next generation. Along with the individual's conformation, movement and temperament, we feel that pedigree can not only have an important role in determining the qualities of offspring, but also toward improving the genetic diversity in the North American breeding population. We have made and are still conducting extensive studies of pedigrees all over the world to find bloodlines with traits that we want to have in our program and that will be complimentary to the whole North American breeding population.
For that, we are not only looking to Norway - the mother country of the Norwegian Fjord Horse and home of many fantastic individuals - we are also looking to the rest of Europe, to Germany, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, etc.
Power, Elegance and Charm
Regardless of breed, most breeders will have temperament, type and athleticism as their primary breeding goals or at least claim they do. While this is truly not wrong to put these traits as first priority, what then makes our Norwegian Fjord Horses different?
Power
As FJHI already says the Fjord shall be strongly build with a powerful expression. We want to breed Fjords that have a powerful work ethic for whatever disciple they are being used for. Especially in our stallions, we wish to see correct conformation, good bone and substance to ensure that they and their offspring are build to last and be able to transmit the power into their work. Power does not mean hot or reactive, but rather means having physical strength, willingness, capability.
Elegance
Despites the image that some people might have about Norwegian Fjord Horses, they don't need to be heavy in build and movement. We breed for well balanced Fjords, whose conformation makes them not just easy on the eye, but also more functional. A horse that is not well balanced, will not move balanced and therefore misuse it's body causing lameness or stiffness.
Charm
With power and elegance, you already have quite an impressive horse. What most people fall in love with is the irresistible charm of our Norwegian Fjord Horses! Every single one of our Fjords has their own personality, presence and aura. While good breed character is important to us and ultimately makes these horses so unique, we breed for a quiet, yet responsive and intelligent horse.