Canterbury woman promoting rare ancient horse breed
Riding Norwegian fjord horses at a beach near Warrington yesterday are (from left) Ariana Hampton, on Poppy, Emma Bartlett, on Caroline, and Shaleena Wilson, on Nanakia. PHOTO: STEPHEN JAQUIERY
If the mythical Norse god Thor and his trusty hammer were to ride into town on a horse today, they would probably be on one of these - a Norwegian fjord horse.
The breed has very old roots and is quite rare in New Zealand.
Owner Megan Hopkinson, of Timaru, was at a beach near Warrington in Otago yesterday to photograph some local fjord horses for a promotion of the breed.
"We took our Norwegian fjord horses, one of the world's oldest horse breeds that nearly went extinct 140 years ago, to the location for Norwegian and Viking-themed photos, to help promote this rare breed of horses.
"New Zealand Fjord Horses is a new organisation, so we're just in the first couple of years of trying to build up our photos to promote the breed at A&P shows and horse events."
There were only about 70 fjord horses in New Zealand.
The breed comes from the mountainous regions of western Norway, and they were one of the world's oldest domesticated horses.
They were valued by the Vikings 4000 years ago for their strength and courage to carry them to war over difficult terrain.
She said in more recent centuries, they were popular because they were intelligent, docile, long-living, very strong with muscular compact bodies on short, lightly feathered legs, and they had tough black hooves.
It made them versatile, strong enough for heavy farm work such as ploughing and hauling heavy loads, but they were still agile and sure-footed enough to be used for most disciplines of horsemanship, especially driving, dressage, showjumping and endurance.
These days, their gentle cool-headed temperament makes them excellent mounts for disabled riders or riders lacking confidence, and they love people and companionship, making them very loyal friends.
"In Norway, they call them `the true people's horse' because of their personality," she said.
"They are just very friendly and very loving, and they will go everywhere and do anything for you."