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Recollections of the 2009 Almonte Evaluation
Here is a recollection of the journey to the Evaluation as told by Russell Brenneman of Brenlane Farms.
Blythe Acres Scotsdale - From Rags to Riches (...well sort of )
Imagine the life of a horse that spent the better part of four years cooped up in a 10x10 box stall, with no window to the outside world. The only glimpse of freedom from the confinement of this stall is for the purpose of breeding.
It was almost two years ago, now, that I noticed an advertisement in the paper for a registered Fjord stallion. Since the ad was local, and I was already the proud owner of two lovely Fjords, I decided to go have a look. Unfortunately, I found Scotty in the conditions described above. On top of that , he was underweight - believe it or not, a skinny fjord ! I ended up bringing Scotty home. I soon realized I had a real challenge on my hands. I was now the owner of a nine year old stallion with very few manners and who was not really sure how to handle the outside world. Turnout was a new and terrifying experience for him. Hoof care had been non-existent for a very long time.
Slowly, progress was made, and Scotty learned the basics of turnout and walking obediently on the lead. Fast forward to March, 2009. I had the opportunity to attend an Evaluation Clinic hosted by Pat Wolfe. It was a very interesting and informative day. I enjoyed learning the history of the breed, and reviewing pictures and videos of how the breed has evolved over time. The possibility of a fall evaluation was discussed. With my mare in foal, she was not an option, so I decided I would attempt to prepare Scotty. To be honest, I had my worries and doubts that I would be ready. Scotty's behaviour at home had improved greatly, but he had not been taken off the farm since his arrival.
Before I knew it, October was here, and Scotty and I were headed for the evaluation, ready or not. The long drive went well, and to my surprise, Scotty was a gentleman, especially being the only stallion among horses in attendance. Scotty achieved, what I would consider, a respectable score of 77 in conformation and movement. It was great to receive the evaluators feedback and gain a better idea of strengths and weaknesses of both Scotty and the other horses.
In summary, the evaluation was a great experience, for both myself and my stallion. I would like to thank Pat Wolfe for his hard work and dedication to make the evaluation happen. His passion for the breed is inspiring. As well, thank you to the many other people who also attended and helped make the day happen: Dan Watanabe (Washington) and Curt Pierce (West Virginia) from the NFHR, Barbara Neufeld (Alberta) and Alison Bakken (Alberta), directors for the CFHA, and Ursula Jensen (British Columbia) and John and Eunice Bosomworth (Ontario), also a director of the CFHA. Thanks again to the Board of Directors for the CFHA and the NFHR for allowing this to take place.
A huge thanks as well to evaluators Karen Cabic from New York and Brian Jensen from British Columbia. A heartfelt thanks again to all those mentioned above and anyone else who I failed to mention who contributed their time and talents to make the evaluation happen.
I learned a great deal attending and participating and thoroughly enjoyed getting a better understanding of the Fjord Breed. Personally, at the end of the day, the many great people I had the chance to meet, and the vast knowledge I obtained meant as much, if not more, than evaluation scores.