# Looking at this horse. 'Whattya think?



## White Foot (Jun 4, 2009)

I'm in no rush, but this is a great offer. And I would love to own a Fjord.


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## nldiaz66 (Jul 27, 2008)

All I can say is what a great looking horse, beautiful


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## White Foot (Jun 4, 2009)

=) That's what I like to hear.


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## saint3meg3rlfc (May 16, 2009)

I'm crap at conformation critiques so I won't try. Very pretty though  What would you use her for?


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## White Foot (Jun 4, 2009)

I'm thinking small jumping, english pleasure and/or dressage. I'm 5'1, very petite and not going to grow so I think a 14.3hh horse would be perfect.


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## barefoot (Jun 11, 2009)

Fjords almost always have perfect conformation. At least in my eyes, I think she's gorgeous. I love her


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## barefoot (Jun 11, 2009)

barefoot said:


> Fjords almost always have perfect conformation. At least in my eyes, I think she's gorgeous. I love her


The *only* thing I would say is that her pasterns look a little vertical, but hey.. no one can be perfect


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## White Foot (Jun 4, 2009)

Me too. I feel like I'm going to get attached by just pictures. I also feel guilty for looking at a horse while we're going to put one down. 

I feel a bunch of emotions. D;


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## White Foot (Jun 4, 2009)

The only downside is, she's 10 hours away. So I can't just go for a short drive, hop on her and try her out. I won't/don't want to do the whole thing without meeting her. 

And advice?


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## 1dog3cats17rodents (Dec 7, 2007)

She is GORGEOUS! I would definately go meet her. Maybe you could arrange for a vet to meet you there for a PP, and bring your trailer. If you like her and she passes the PPE, she can home then and save you and extra trip


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## Sixxofdiamonds (May 7, 2009)

Possibly in foal?

Other than that, I think she's a looker. Has a good amount of professional training. And if an eight year old is riding her regularly, she sounds like she's got a good temperament.


We regularly drove around eight hours to look at horses. Typically we'd overnight in a hotel and do two different days test riding. Always brought a trailer, just in case.


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## White Foot (Jun 4, 2009)

Thanks everyone! I would be lost without everyones help haha.


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## nldiaz66 (Jul 27, 2008)

YES I would definitly take a trailer, also getting a hotel over night wont be a bad ideal, either.


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## White Foot (Jun 4, 2009)

Yeah, also the person did say she bred her, but that's why she's getting rid of her. She said she was a bad mom. Which I don't care because I'm not looking to breed. Her loss is my possible gain.


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## whitetrashwarmblood (Aug 24, 2008)

She's a pretty lil thang!

The only thing I'd worry about would be the possible foal in the future, and what she'll be like if they said she's a 'bad' mom.

You should ask if that was her first foal. I know many mares are horrible moms the first time around, but turn out to be complete opposites the second time around.


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## Armani (Jun 16, 2009)

Knowing all about Fjords, this isn't a very good one.
Look at her conformation. It's not right. Her backend is higher the the front. Her front is heavier than the back, thats not the way a Fjord should be build. It's got to be level, this is quite an extreme fault for a Fjord, As they are always leveled out over there whole body. There are some extreme faults that could distrub your riding. On the forehand for instance because she is heavily build on the forehand and not on the backhand.


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## Fire Eyes (May 13, 2009)

_I don't know anything about Fjord and their confirmation, but she's gorgeous.
Defiantly go see her.  Keep us posted._


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## ChingazMyBoy (Apr 16, 2009)

whitetrashwarmblood said:


> She's a pretty lil thang!
> 
> The only thing I'd worry about would be the possible foal in the future, and what she'll be like if they said she's a 'bad' mom.
> 
> You should ask if that was her first foal. I know many mares are horrible moms the first time around, but turn out to be complete opposites the second time around.


I second that, also if she does have a foal can you help take care of it?


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## Chuckface (Apr 25, 2009)

shes a stunner!


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## White Foot (Jun 4, 2009)

It was her first foal. They put her with a surrogate mom because she wasn't a good one. But like I said I'm not looking to breed her. Thanks everyone for the comments. How bad is her conformation? I compared hers with a really nice well known stallion and I really couldn't find a difference. I'm going to try and make a date to see her soon.


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## White Foot (Jun 4, 2009)

I also know the owner does alot of conformation shows with her, and shes always in the top of her class.
Do you think shes worth 6k?


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## White Foot (Jun 4, 2009)

They said if I was really interested that for 2,000 they would hold her and mark her sold until I can come with the rest of the money. I will post the other pics she sent.


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## White Foot (Jun 4, 2009)

She looks healthy and alert. I'm waiting for her to send me videos of her moving. I really want to make a date to visit her in real life. I don't know when that will be possible. The owner said she will take a $2000 deposit for her to hold her and make her as sold until I can come up with the rest of the money. But I will do this in real life, I'm always afraid of being scammed.









































Heres the baby she had


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## MovingOn (Feb 1, 2009)

She is downhill and not level like a Fjord should be. She does have a lovely face and sweet expression. Some mares can get over the problems of a first baby, some can't. It's a gamble, but very hard when a mare won't accept her foal. Yes, she is pretty, but I wouldn't pay that kind of money for her. Downhill is NOT fun.


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## libertybend (Feb 14, 2009)

She's definitely a horse I'd go and see - quite a looker. And take the trailer with you. Good luck!


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## FGRanch (Feb 9, 2008)

I acutally don't like a whole lot about her! She is VERY downhill! And look how heavy she is in the front end and not the back end! This mare does have some huge conformational faults. She is gonna be tough to ride and heavy in the forehand! I would say save your money end give her a big old pass!

And what if she is in fact bred? What are you gonna do with the foal? What if she rejects it? Do you have the money to rent a nurse mare? Do you know anyone with a nurse mare! 

I would hate to see you spend that kind of money on a horse that you probably won't like!


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

Armani said:


> Knowing all about Fjords, this isn't a very good one.
> Look at her conformation. It's not right. Her backend is higher the the front. Her front is heavier than the back, thats not the way a Fjord should be build. It's got to be level, this is quite an extreme fault for a Fjord, As they are always leveled out over there whole body. There are some extreme faults that could distrub your riding. On the forehand for instance because she is heavily build on the forehand and not on the backhand.


 
QFT.

This horse is going to be a PITA to try and get off the forehand and moving correctly. Jumping even something as low as 2' CORRECTLY is going to be hard for her without a ton of dressage training. Will she be able to jump? Yes. Will she be a safe jumper without a lot of work and training? No, not by a long shot.
She's cute, and I love Fjords, but I am going to step in here and say there are better examples of the breed out there. 
I belong to the Free Speech Horse Forum (formerly the FHOTD forum) and there are 2 girls there who own Fjords that have this exact fault. Every time they post for advice, it's about trying to get their Fjords to collect, or to start jumping correctly, and it just isn't happening very fast at all because their horses just aren't built to do it. 
I'm sorry, I wish I could say without hesitation for you to go with your trailer and go and get this mare, but I can't. 
The foal thing scares me. Why the heck breed a mare that 1) has bad conformaion and 2) is a proven bad mother? Seems pretty irresposible to me. 
And "might" be in foal? I'd get the OWNERS (not you!!!!!) to shell out the $$ to find out if the mare is in foal before you even think about going to see her. 
Best of luck.


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

FehrGroundRanch said:


> And what if she is in fact bred? What are you gonna do with the foal? What if she rejects it? Do you have the money to rent a nurse mare? Do you know anyone with a nurse mare!


QFT again.
If she is in foal, what happens if you buy her and she has problems foaling out? What if she rejects the foal? Yes, foals are cute, but not when you have to be there every 2 hours to feed it. What if there are complications that cost a lot of time and money?
Like I said, I'd be very leery about a seller saing "might" be in foal - why haven't they put the $ out in the first place to check? 
Would you put the deposit down before going to see her? If you're even thinking that - please don't. If you have your heart set on going to see her, do NOT put a cent down until you've seen her. 
I truely believe that everything happens for a reason; if it's meant to be she won't sell before you go to see her. If she does sell, it wasn't meant to be.


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## FGRanch (Feb 9, 2008)

Agree, agree, agree! 

Have you ever ridden a horse that is built like that? I have! NOT comfortable to ride at all and you can't get true collection of out them! If you have you heart set on her go and see her a ride her, maybe spend the night there and ride her at least twice, but don't put money down until you see her! 

And Miss Allie? What the heck does QFT stand for?! LOL


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## White Foot (Jun 4, 2009)

"And what if she is in fact bred? What are you gonna do with the foal? What if she rejects it? Do you have the money to rent a nurse mare? Do you know anyone with a nurse mare!"

She isn't in foal now. I talked to the owner and they said they wouldn't breed her again because of that reason. I'm not looking for a breeding horse, I'm looking for a riding partner.


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## Horsegma (Dec 1, 2008)

Wish I could go and check her out for you, I only live an hour from her.

I don't think I would worry about it being a scam or not.

I would ask for a lot of video and have a call with them and ask lots of questions. 

If you are totally serious about getting her and can take care of the baby I would have a vet check on her but not use their vet. 

I think she looks nice. What are your plans for her? Do you show?


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## White Foot (Jun 4, 2009)

I guess I will try my best to get out and see her for myself, then test ride her. If I don't like her I will pass.


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## White Foot (Jun 4, 2009)

Horse, That would be amazing. Though she's located in Indiana now, for training. I've requested a video and she's trying to get a nice one, and we've been talking for awhile now. The baby is a huge no-no for me, I'm not looking to start another horse or anything. The owner said she's not in foal but I will ask her again to be sure.


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## White Foot (Jun 4, 2009)

Thanks for all the honest opinions everyone, gah! I guess I'm going to start searching again. 

This is what I need honest opinions and all of them helped out alot.


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

FehrGroundRanch said:


> Agree, agree, agree!
> 
> Have you ever ridden a horse that is built like that? I have! NOT comfortable to ride at all and you can't get true collection of out them! If you have you heart set on her go and see her a ride her, maybe spend the night there and ride her at least twice, but don't put money down until you see her!
> 
> And Miss Allie? What the heck does QFT stand for?! LOL


Oh have I ever ridden horses that are built sturdier than brick .. um..houses. It's hard as heck to get them to do anything but fall on their forehand! 
QFT = quoted for truth or quite effing true, take your pick 

Regarding the mare being bred - unless I read it wrong, the ad stated that "she might be bred" which to me means that they bred her, or she got in with the stud, and they just haven't spent the money on a preg check.

I'm sorry about everything you're going through at the moment, OP, but I do think this mare needs a big pass. If you're thinking of jumping at all, even 2', it's going to be hard to get her to do it safely and correctly. If you're strictly looking for a horse for pleasure or trails, then by all means get her, if you're looking for a performance horse, even just part-time, please look elsewhere.


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## White Foot (Jun 4, 2009)

I'm looking for a horse that I can learn with that can do trails on the side but I would love to show. I think that when she was at their house they had her in with a stallion but then her daughter who's a trainer has her now in Illinois..


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

If she was in with a stallion at all, there is a chance she might be preggo and I would ask that the owners perform a preg check before you spend the gas money going out there to check her out.
If you're looking at showing, I'm sorry but I don't think this mare is for you. I love the Fjord breed, and if she had better conformation then I would say absolutely go for it, but this is my first-hand and some second-hand information coming into play to hopefully help you out


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## White Foot (Jun 4, 2009)

'Eh I think I will try my best to get out and rider her. Even if she was pregnant (which I was assured she wasn't) I would wait until she had the foal.


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## equineeventer3390 (Mar 27, 2009)

Just don't rush into buying her since it's such a long drive. A few years ago I found this amazing hanoverian event horse that just looked absolutely fabulous. I fell in love with her from the pictures. My dad and I left the next day for a 11 hour drive to go see her. I rode her about a mile down the road to an indoor as it was heavily snowing outside. Took her over a few jumps indoors and she was perfect. Since it was such a long drive I knew I wouldn't be able to try her again so we bought her right then. When I got her home and rode her outside/away from her home, she was a completely different horse. I had her for 2 years and loved her very much but she was definately NOT an eventer. She was a great jumper she just didn't enjoy cross country at all and was extremely difficult. Had she been closer and I had tried her again I probably would not have bought her. BUT I do not regret buying her. Just don't rush into anything if you do end up looking at him.


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## White Foot (Jun 4, 2009)

Thanks for the advice, I'm in no huge hurry to buy a horse. I'm in love with the Fjord breed, and it's so hard to come by one where I live.


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## Armani (Jun 16, 2009)

Do you really want a Fjord?
Fjords are good in everything. But look for the right conformation. Once a Fjord has a fault, then you'll get nowhere. I know this, because my Fjord just recently bumped his leg and now has a ball on his Fetlock. I bought him to get high in dressage, now, because of his leg, he cannot do collection that good. Fjords can get hurt in seconds. People say that they are sturdy, very tough. But they are not. So, you always have to be careful with a Fjord. Especially for their legs. Their legs aren't as tough as warmbloods. And it's also to be said that Fjords get gall's on their fetlocks in the summer. So, do you really want to start with all of this? All I know, it's been worth it for me!


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## LuckyLady (May 21, 2009)

Well, I don't know much about Fjords but I'd say every horse (not just a Fjord) can have faults in their conformation or can get hurt in a way that makes it less good for certain purposes... 
If I were in your situation, I would go look at the horse, do a test ride, have a vet-check done ... and if it is what you are looking for and if there are no major faults that would make it less good for what you want to use it for - go ahead and buy it. If it's got some issues that you can't or don't want to deal with, then go look for another horse. Sooner or later there will be one that's perfect for you ... maybe it's the horse in the ad ... maybe not. But you won't find out until you looked at it personally.


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## Armani (Jun 16, 2009)

@LuckyLady
Fjords are more sensitive that other horses. But once a Fjord has a problem, say goodbye to the sport. It's not so with warmbloods that much. Because they are built for the sport and recover easily. Fjords not so much. My Fjord took 1 1/2 year to recover. A warmblood needs those muscles more and recovers then easier. We've got to remember that Fjords aren't built for the sport, and get injured more often.


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## Tayz (Jan 24, 2009)

I've read over all these posts and the further through them I got, the worse this horse sounded.
Personally I think you should keep looking. All these faults, all these risk-problems(preggo). They aren't worth it. Then it's 6k for the horse. You could find a beautiful handsome, amazing horse that needs a home for 3k. Or maybe you could save that money and wait and look for another Fjord. But I wouldn't buy this horse. She has too many faults, too many problems that you shouldn't have to sort out.
If you want to go see it, test how restricted it's movement etc is, then go ahead, but don't buy it just because it's such an amazing breed.
 read over this whole board and you'll understand..


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## Scoutrider (Jun 4, 2009)

I think I would pass as well. Between the possibility of her pregnancy and the drive (I like to visit prospective buys at least 2x before I buy, plus vet checks should be done by a vet that the buyer trusts, IMHO. Will a vet you trust drive or ride with you however many hours to check her? How much payment will they require to cover the time away from the practice?), plus the price, I would look a little closer to home. Just a little too much uncertainty for me. As Tayz said, great horses are to be found much cheaper (my new guy: $500 with free tack). Don't let a hangup on Fjords keep you from seeing the gems in your own neighborhood :wink:. 

I do think that even a minor injury can be a serious setback for any breed, and Fjords aren't any more sensitive than any other breed. That being said, they are built a tad more like a draft breed. These horses do need some special considerations as far as how athletic they can be in jumping, dressage, etc. It's not a sensitivity to injury in general issue, it's a how far can the horse go in the sport comfortably issue. A warmblood can bow a tendon or bump his leg just as easily as a Fjord. You just get the same issues with a Fjord as a draft cross (there are some good posts here on a thread about American Warmblood vs. Draft Cross).


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## White Foot (Jun 4, 2009)

Okay so I talked to the owner, the trainer who has her now is trying to breed her, and it is FINE by me. The trainer is going to keep her until she has the foal and keeping the foal. I'm in NO hurry so if she is pregnant then I would wait until everything is over. I have no problem of getting a mare in shape after pregnancy, I just don't want to get another horse and start from scratch. Thanks everyone for the advice.


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## White Foot (Jun 4, 2009)

Armani- I don't think I've ever heard that before.
Tayz- I'm planning to wait and see if she is in foal, then I will wait but she's deff worth a test ride. Even if I don't end up liking her, I've never been to IL!!
Scoutrider- Thanks for the advice. I'll take it into mind


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## roz (Jun 28, 2009)

hey she is beutiful iv never seen one it is most definetly worth the drive id kill to have the chance for that horse your so lucky


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## Jessabel (Mar 19, 2009)

If you don't mind the distance, I think you should definitely go for it. She's beautifully put together (as far as I can see. I'm no Fjord expert) and it sounds like she'd be a nice size for you and good for what you want to do with her.


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## White Foot (Jun 4, 2009)

Thanks everyone.


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## westonsma (May 19, 2009)

ask for videos. lots and lots of videos! get 2 or 3 different people to ride her, and see their videos. make sure they are clear, and have them record her lifting her feet, standing tied, being taken from the herd, etc. everything you want to know while you're there, learn before you go. a 10 hr drive turns to 20hrs there and back, which is a lot of fuel. you don't want to skip knowing as much as you can about her before you go, otherwise you might as well dump the money you'd spend in the river.


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## White Foot (Jun 4, 2009)

True. I want a horse with really good riding manners that is sound. The ground manners are important but right now not as important as riding manners. I know how to fix most ground problems but not riding.


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## horseinforest (May 25, 2009)

Use your instinct! You must feel in deep down you want this horse.If you have the slightest doubt about her, do not go. But let me tell you she looks like she is worth the drive; so, grab the wheel!


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## White Foot (Jun 4, 2009)

Thanks everyone, I'm going to take my time.. even if that means years.


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