Kiger/Fjord cross?

[angelsdream]

I found this on craigslist here in Ga. I think this one is a kiger/fjord cross because she said she got him from oregon and he looks alot like kiger....never thought about that cross before

athensga.craigslist.org/grd/979373568.html

[fantasykiger]

He does not necessarly have to be Kiger as Fjords have fabulous dun factor and wonderful shades of dun. They are also wonderful characters. I did visit a Fjord farm once just outside of Redmond OR, to meet the dun drafts and they are indeed a nice breed.

[canadiankigers]

I agree with Tiffany, the Fjord is a wonderful breed. They have great minds and as a rule are quit kind, although I would tend to question the Kiger influence in this horse. Both the Fjord and Kiger carry the dun factor and both breeds have bi-coloring in their maes and tails.

This horse appears to have either a very thin dorsal stripe or even possibly counter shading and no bi-coloring in the mane or tail. There is also no sign of barring or masking that can be seen in the pictures. He does however show the influence of Fjord in the main body area but I would guess more towards the Q-Horse influence as Fjords tend to be shorter coupled and this guy is a bit longer in the back.
JMHO,
Kelly

[Michelle Clarke]

I had bought a Fjord in Chicago and he went through 4th level dressage - nice guy! I sold him to a teenage gal in Ohio to show, she quickly lost interest, and he was used for therapy in a Natural horsemanship program. He is a wonderful horse and has taught alot of lucky people to ride. We had trained a few others...I really did enjoy the breed.

[desperatehorsewife]

I think he looks Kiger...more Kiger than Fjord in those top two. Not that it matters much...he's just another cross bred horse looking for a home. Although I've never seen one with a dune strip before

[JoanMRK]

Definitely looks dun to me... I can see the bi-colored tail as well. I don't know about his cross, people could say anything and happen to believe that any mustang that's dun is Kiger. I also agree with Tracey, he does look Kiger in the top two. But we'll probably never know... Interesting though.

[angelsdream]

My friend who is looking for a horse called about him - she was the one who sent it to me thinking he could be kiger, but after she called the lady, she said his sire was a Norweigen Fjord and his dam was a cross of warmblood/tb of some sort. I sure don't see it in his pictures, but oh well. He was already sold - my friend was very sad, she got very excited when she saw him.

I have heard great things about the Fjord horses as well.

[mustangdara]

HUMM i think if he would of had the fjord mane then he would have looked more like the breed but that soft black mane surely makes him look a bit like a kiger...must just be the dun colorthat throws us off. I worked for a gal that had a REALLY nice team of fjords...i helped her with "the boys" lots for wagon rides...and man o man were they cool, nicest horses i have ever met!
I now we dont need any more crosses...but....i always thought a kiger and fjord would be a great cross,esspesialy ones with very strong dun factoring. IMO

[lindaf]

I just found this thread. It's interesting to me because I have 4 Fjords and one Kiger. I knew I loved each breed, then I realized that they have a lot in common, specifically, the dun factor and the historic significance. I would expect the cross to show more of a bicolored mane, but the 2 lower pictures in the ad do look chunky like a Fjord.
LindaF

[angelsdream]

Hi LindaF. I've heard great things about the Fjords. Since you have 4, maybe you could share your experiences and knowledge about them. I knew someone that was looking for one at one point, but the ones she found were out of her price range. They are pretty and have a draft look to them, although Im not sure of there history.

[lindaf]

Hi,
I love to talk about Norwegian Fjord horses. I hope it's not too OT for a Kiger board.

Fjords are definitely draft horses, just small. The breed goes back at least 4000 yrs, and they have been selectively bred with records for some 2000 yrs. They are the horse of the Vikings and the farm and utility horse in the western fjord region of Norway where sturdy, calm work horses were required. Today, they mostly pull wagons.

Due to a decline in numbers awhile back, the modern Fjords descend from a few stallions and are now all duns, mostly brown but also red, gray, white, and yellow.

Versatility is their strong point (the strong point for our Kigers, too). I have one that jumps, does Western and English, trails, and is working on driving. There is even a Fjord entered in Craig Cameron's Extreme Cowboy competiton (I think that's what it's called.) A few do ranch work. They are just an all around nice horse. Plus, I think they are very cute!

It dawned on me that I loved Kigers for many of the same reasons I love Fjords. They both have the dorsal strip, zebra stripes, bicolored manes and tails. They both are very versatile even though they might not be the best in everything. They both have made important historical contributions. They both typically have nice personalities.

Here's the URL of the Fjord registry in the US if you want to find out more. www.nfhr.org/

Since a Fjord was my first horse, I wasn't aware that they were pricey, but you could consider a trained Fjord expensive. $6500 would be reasonable for a trained adult. A youngster would be $1500 or so. Like with all breeds, there is a range. I've seen some for $20,000!!!! Two of my 4 are special needs horses and were much less. You rarely find a Fjord in an auction or rescue situation. There are only about 5000 registered Fjords in the US. In TX where I live there are about 60. Crosses are strongly discouraged but do exist as well as Fjord mules which are very neat animals!

If you know someone who is interested in Fjords, send them my way. I can help them find sources. Again, I hope no one minds going off topic. I do look at my Kiger Mattie and the Fjords and love how 2 such different breeds can have so much in common. I love them both.

Linda