This message is from: FJORDING <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Hello. My name is Merek Geiger, and the following is brief
background of my Fjord, Lars.
Lars is an 12-year-old Norwegian Fjord gelding, one of six residing on Long
Island, New York. He lives at a large private stable in Deer Park, as I cannot
keep a horse in North Merrick where I live. There are four other Fjords out
east in suffolk County, and one in the Queens Zoo in New York City. His
original home and place of birth is Valhalla Centre, Alberta, Canada. When
this is combined with the last name of the family who bred him, the Lees, it
gives his full paper name, Valea's Lars. He then was sent to British Columbia,
Canada, for training, after which he came to New England and finally to his
present home in Long Island about 6 years ago.
His most noticeable feature is his six-inch-tall arched and erect
mane. Since he is of the brown dun color pattern, he has a FULL dorsal stripe.
His mane is three inches wide at the crest-an inch of white, one of brown, and
another inch of white. After I form the arch with the clippers, I then use
them to cut out pieces of the white hair along the length of the mane so that
it has a black-white-black pattern resembling a zebra's mane. Most people
think I dye it!
He is 14 hands tall. His weight is 1260 pounds, according to our local
truck scale. The rest of his features include a white muzzle, white around the
eyes, and zebra striping on the knees and hocks.
Here on L.I., I march him in parades around the area on many
occasions during the year. He also carries me as a Roman soldier in the
Westbury Good Friday pageant held each year by St. Brigid's Church. Then there
are various appearances at horse shows and events to display the Fjord breed,
which many horsepeople have never seen, except in a book. He will be at the
Belmont Horse Fair this year .He is borrowed or rented from me for several
street fairs and the Long Island Pet Expo in November at the Nassau Colliseum.
One of the strangest affairs has to be the time he was used in a Bat Mitzvah
in a catering hall. The 13-year-old girl, who had never been on a horse
before,
was put on him and led through the rear emerency exit of the hall. Wearing a
long white dress, as Dorothy in the "Wizard of Oz", she was led past all the
guests at their tables and across the dance floor to her father. Luckily for
the catering hall, Lars never wears horseshoes, as his large, very hard hooves
do not need this protection.
Finally, his longest event is his yearly stay at the Old Bethpage Restoration
Village for their October Festival. He is on display for the entire 2-week
event, and may be seen at the stable area or being ridden around the village.
This Nassau County facility recreates an American community of the mid 1800's,
using actual homes and shops of that period which have been moved from
locations around Long island and situated on the grounds as they would have
been over a hundred years ago. A cast of people dressed in period clothing
performing labors that were common in those days completes the scene. They
have various family participation events scheduled throughout most of the
year, being closed only during the Winter after the Christmas festivities.
After years of procrastination, this year I finally made the big
move and bought a horse trailer. With this new freedom from dependence on
others for transportation, I hope to have Lars at many more events in the
coming years. A short time ago, I took him home to N.Merrick and rode him
around the area of my home, causing so considerable surprise to the local
residents, who could not believe that a horse could be walking down these
residential streets. It will also make it much easier for me to go to the
Westbury Street Fair, where I do pony rides each year, and allow me for the
first time to begin doing some pony work at children's parties.
. If you have any other questions you would like to ask, just send
them to me here at:[EMAIL PROTECTED] or [EMAIL PROTECTED], which I use for
public inquiries about his services. I will answer them as soon as possible.
Thank you and goodbye. Merek
