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FJORD HORSE
Norway's national animal. The Fjord horse is the horse breed
from the western Norway. It is known as a calm and solid working horse. The
horse is faithful, beautiful, clever, modest and enduring, and is mostly used as a
riding horse.
The Fjord horse is special, because it has kept its original shape and colours.
Its origin is probably the Nordic horse breed. It is supposed that the Fjord
horse is a relative of the wild horse from central Asia. On the contrary for
other horses, the Fjord horse has kept the wild horses colours and shape.
The Fjord horse is the symbol of Nordfjord, because of Njål, the father of all Fjord horses in Norway and abroad, comes from Oppstryn.
At the end of the 1800, Njål was sold and the stallion Rimfakse, witch is from an other breed, Døla horse, was bought to be used in breeding. The mixture from the Fjord horse and the Døla horse was to create a more solid and powerful horse that could be used in farming. But after some time, the mixed offspring from Rimfakse showed weaknesses, as bad temper and ugly colours. In a meeting in Innvik in 1907, it was decided to take all the horsed with Døla horse blood out of the breeding program. The fjord horse Njål was bought back and put into the breeding program to save the Fjord horse breed from extension. That is why Njål is reckoned as the father of all Fjord horses all over the world.
For 12 years lived Njål at Rasmus L. Sundes farm, until he died from pneumonia. Njål was berried on the farm, but later moved to Bergen museum. Every year at Nordfjordeid city, there is a Fjord horse stallion exhibition and here lies the Norwegian Fjord horse centre.
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