Are you looking for a horse? How would you like one which was calm, sensible, and easy to train? A mount who could carry you safely up the steepest mountain trails or happily into the dressage ring, and also could draw your plow, skid logs, and compete successfully in weight pulling? A horse who excelled in combined driving events and whose exceptional good looks drew the eye of every bystander, attracting crowds of curious and admiring fans at parades and local fairs?

What if a horse of this same breed was gentle enough to be ideal for therapeutic riding programs, and yet had the will and energy to work cattle on your ranch and compete in western pleasure events? And what if, to top it all off, this same paragon of equine virtue proved to be a very "easy keeper" able to live on grass hay alone?

Too good to be true? Welcome to the world of the Norwegian Fjord horse! The versatility and temperament of this exceptional breed have been so highly valued in Norway that Fjords (say "Fee-ords") have been carefully and selectively bred there for at least 2,000 years. They are Norway’s oldest horse breed. Archeological evidence indicates that the ancestral Fjords migrated west to the Scandinavian peninsula over 4,000 years ago, and were domesticated about 2,000 BC.

The Vikings rode them to war and also may have been the first western Europeans to use horses for farming. It is thought that all present-day draft breeds in western Europe are descended in part from the Norwegian Fjord breed. The Fjords’ extreme hardiness also led to their being brought to the New World by the Conquistadors and becoming progenitors of present-day buckskin mustangs.

The original Norwegian Fjord varied in color and averaged 12.1 hands in size. Beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, directed selective breeding programs have increased the height to 13 – 15 hands, while retaining primitive dun coloration. Five varieties of the dun coloring have been preserved. The great majority of Fjords are brown, but others display the grey, white, red, or rare yellow type of dun coat.

One of the most striking features of these horses is their very dark dorsal stripe, which runs from forelock through tail. Manes, traditionally clipped to stand up in a crescent shape accentuating the curve of the neck, are creamy white, split by the contrasting black stripe running down the midline. Fjord owners chuckle at the frequent question, "Is the black stripe painted on?" No, and neither are the black stockings and "zebra stripe" markings on the legs.

These horses, who range from 900 to1400 pounds, are very strong, able to pull 2½ times their weight. (Fortunately, they are friendly and easy to train.) Body types range from heavy draft to lighter-boned. The breed is recognized for its excellence as mountain army horse, since it is agile and sure-footed in difficult terrain, and can go where motorized vehicles and heavier horses cannot.

The first Fjord was brought to the US in 1888 as a carriage horse. Increasingly popular in the last 20 years, the breed now numbers about 3,000 here. All breeding in Norway is now controlled by a Norwegian government agency, and only champion stock can be exported. Fjord horse registries exist in Canada, the United States, Great Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and Sweden.

In sum, this personable horse, unsurpassed in versatility, is an ideal choice for new and experienced horse owners alike. Enjoy!