Horses form strong, long-term attachments with their family groups and with their human partners. It's important to them — and therefore, to us — that we place each individual leaving our family into another situation that is both a good match and is intended and anticipated to be long-term, ie, for life if possible.
Part of the process of a custom breeding contract is ensuring the outcome will meet the primary needs and desires of a buyer, and also ensuring that particular buyer is truly committed to the resulting foal for the long haul.
Please read carefully. Ask for clarification, if/where needed. Ask other questions! That's what we're here for. :-)
We anticipate offering Hallie, Nyota, and Roslyn for occasional commissioned breeding.
____________________________
Hallie (b. 2012) is significantly older than the other two and has already produced four foals, so it's possible that we could retire her from breeding at any time if we discern that would be in her best interest.
Hallie has exceptional talent and breed type. Her temperament is one of astounding responsibility, care, and protection for her herd and her humans. Hallie is very sensitive, and it is easy for her to perceive cues as too hard or too harsh. We also see this latter tendency in Nyota, Hallie's foal here.
Even before Horse Speak®, we knew Hallie held fast to her perspectives, especially when the subject is perceived danger. Hallie can execute amazing moves to keep her rider on, but she will not proceed into situations she thinks could be dangerous (because, protecting the rider!). She will agree to trust humans who pay attention to what concerns her and who directly address that concern — relationship and dialogue are key with Hallie. Pushing horses like Hallie through any resistance is a sure recipe for unhappy horse and unhappy human. The flip side is that synchronizing and partnering with horses like Hallie can be exquisitely rewarding.
Depending on the stallion selected and for the right person, Hallie has the potential to produce anything from a top CDE prospect to a therapy horse, and of course a best friend for at home and on the trails.
____________________________
We will not breed Nyota (b. 2023) or Roslyn (b. 2024) before they are six years of age to allow full physical, mental, emotional, and social maturity. Because Nyota was born rather late in the year, we will delay any breeding until the following spring — in other words, neither mare will not be bred sooner than spring of 2030.
More information to come on Nyota and Roslyn as our two delightful fillies mature and develop into adults!
____________________________
For clarity:
Winny is retired from breeding, and (DOH!) is not available to commission a foal from.
Chestry is NOT available for commissioned breeding for multiple reasons, some of which we are prevented from disclosing (including the nature of the disclosure restriction itself). PLEASE DO NOT INQUIRE. We thank you for understanding.
Our horses are kept together as a herd in a bare-ground track paddock for weight control and hoof health.
Hay is fed in NibbleNets several times per day. Each portion is weighed. Hay flakes, even from the same bale, can weigh out very differently. Weighing facilitates weight management and allows us to tailor the amount of hay to the current weather (we're still amazed how much more hay is required for warmth at 35-40° and raining compared to much colder but dry!). In the process, we discovered that weighing hay greatly improves the emotional wellbeing of our Fjords — when horses get fed a lot one time and then expect but don't get as much the next, they can get quite dysregulated. This isn't just in their heads, but is also physiological. Think about your own meal portions, and how you would feel if those portions varied randomly (and not in your control) ...
We don't have the type of acreage to practice 24/7 grazing of mature forage nor the type of climate that ever allows 24/7 hay availability. We'd rather this wasn't the case, but we have to deal with our reality and not force round pegs into a square fantasy hole ... so ... meals it is.
That being said, whenever it's safe, our Fjords do get some daily pasture time for grazing and cavorting, which they resoundingly enjoy.
We have several tube-panel-front stalls in the large run-in paddock shelter. Using these stalls, we provide each horse's individually-tailored ration balancer along with tailored private hay access once each day. The horses feel they are still with the herd, yet they don't feel defensive or that they need to compete for their special food (and they have absolutely no idea that some are getting more or different or tastier stuff that the others; they just know THEY are getting their very own special stuff!). These brief daily periods of stalling also allow us to monitor each horse's intake, mastication, and appetite regularly; they also allow us to individualize intake and diets so all horses maintain healthy weights. Periodic hoof care (by Gwen) is coordinated to happen during each horse's regular stall time when the pedicure recipient is quite happy to acquiesce without being tied or held.
Mane trimming (also by Gwen) is done once per month, and usually occurs after "breakfast". All horses remain out in the paddock and are not restrained or tied; manes are trimmed in whatever order the horses volunteer. Chestry often offers tangible support and protection to lower-ranking herdmates while they stand still for their trimming session.
We now have a mini-track paddock around the outdoor arena perimeter and adjacent to the main paddock. We use this area for acclimating new horses, providing extra rations overnight for a lactating mare and her foal (usually only necessary during winter), mare separation quarters during weaning, and limited emergency horse-holding in the event regional horse-owning friends have to evacuate during a wildfire.
We also have a round pen in the center of the track paddock, which we haven't used for round-penning in eons. Its primary purpose is to give us a place in the center of the track so that short-term separation — no matter what the purpose — doesn't feel like isolation, yet allows us to interact with and school an individual horse without interference from any of the more assertive horses who would also like to get our time and attention. Our mares give birth in the round pen (weather permitting) so they are surrounded by the herd, and yet we (and they) don't need to stress about any of the other horses maintaining whatever new-mom-hormones decide is a safe distance from the newborn foal. Mares will typically stay in the round pen with their foal for a few days. We let the mare tell us when she is ready to rejoin the herd with her precious new one.
From that time forward, foals grow up immersed in the herd environment. Adult horses are in the majority; those adults constantly teach and reinforce cooperative and respectful equine social skills within the herd from a variety of adult equine roles, not just "my tired mom" and "someone else's tired mom". We are constantly awed at the male-specific lessons the geldings impart, and the interesting lessons that only come from the mares who don't currently have foals of their own. As the foals mature into weanlings, yearlings, and two-year-olds, they continue to learn new lessons from the adults ... and they also begin to practice teaching other young horses! Equine society is absolutely fascinating ...
We have had both pairs of foals and single foals. Our observation is that the foals themselves find it more important to have multiple socially-functional adult horses around than to have foal friends to play with: Even when an agemate is present, we see most foals spend most of their time observing, mirroring, and communicating with other adults, and the amount of time that foals actually play together is small. In the absence of an agemate, a foal's irresistible impulse to test its limits through play is well-met through cooperative maneuvers and running fests with the other members of the horse herd, and this is much to everyone's benefit.
Foals join their moms in a stall once a day for the tailored rations. When ready, foals will get an adjacent stall of their own for "special ration time" and their own portion. The open panel stall fronts mean that foals don't have to strain themselves up into "bad banana" posture to see out; they can instead stand normally, with good posture. Until the foal is acclimated to being stalled, one of us remains present in case displacement behaviors or signs of discomfort appear. If so, we take whatever steps are appropriate to ensure the stall remains a "happy place" for the youngster while still facilitating and increasing resilience. We find this useful preparation for the even-smaller-confined-space of a trailer stall.
When foals are to be weaned from milk, we move the mare into an adjacent area for about three weeks — the length of time her udder needs to completely reduce cease milk production. She typically has a common fenceline with her baby and the rest of the herd but we did have one sneaky mare-foal pair who needed to be separated by two fencelines! In this way, the youngster whose world has just shifted can still see and talk with mom, or s/he can go to his or her adult friends for advice, comfort, and diversion ... and the other horses take turns doing just that. Our experience is that mom will be more unhappy about weaning than her youngster!
Once mom's milk is dried up, she returns to the herd, and most often (but not always) we see her continue a close relationship with her now-weaned offspring. Continuing to keep weanlings and yearlings with the herd allows the young horse the natural opportunity to develop physically, the natural opportunity to differentiate from mom, AND ongoing manners lessons as well as corrections for new social blunders happen consistently and in the moment, meted out in age-appropriate ways by mature horses of both sexes.
This natural herd lifestyle gives our youngsters a solid foundation in life lessons, and thus a higher likelihood of their next home being a successful and permanent one with a well-matched (and ecstatic!) human partner.
_________________________
Our horsekeeping style certainly has consequences; horses who leave our farm will not do well in some horsekeeping systems. We do respect that other people have differing ways that work for them, or that they are constrained to. We appreciate when people respect our current choices even if they disagree, and we also greatly appreciate those people who don't judge us based on practices that we used to follow, but do not and would not employ now. :-)
Our own horses are handled and trained to be partners and respectful friends, using Horse Speak® and incorporating some modified natural horsemanship methods, principles of both Lynn Acton and Emotional Horsemanship®, and judicious use of R+, both with and (more often) without food rewards. The reason we have moved to limit use of food rewards is that equines in general and Fjord horses in particular easily become dysregulated in the presence of (or even under the expectation of) high-value food. Limiting food rewards means we maintain better emotional regulation in our horses, and also that we give ourselves more leeway in the event of timing and judgement errors on our part (everybody makes mistakes!).
Our foals are handled regularly and at an individualized pace. That can look very different from one foal to the next, even as all eventually end up as good citizens with solid basic skills. Boundaries are an ongoing conversation — foals cycle through different questions and testing phases as they progress through developmental stages. We also respect foal boundaries by waiting to touch them until they consent, just as we want them to seek our consent before touching us. Medical needs and safety do take precedence over consent, of course ... we aim to avoid those!
We emphasize synchronizing with us during daily interactions and do not pursue formal lead training for awhile; this means foals learn leading not by force, but with their understanding and their consent ... and with much less physical risk to all involved. Some are quicker to agree than others. When an individual has concerns, we do our best to address and resolve them before proceeding rather than blowing past those concerns. This lays the foundation for all later training: We want to let the young horse know we are listening to their polite requests so they never feel they have to start with high-intensity or dangerous behaviors to get our attention.
Some foals have taken over a year to get to the point where it's the right time to learn to load up in a trailer (Chestry and Nyota); others did it with mom or a buddy at under three months and never missed a beat (Wynston and Tolliver). Some trustingly surrendered their feet, every time, at an eye-poppingly tender age without ever-EVER being tied up (Chestry, Wynston and Roslyn). Some really, really struggled emotionally (and thus physically!) for a long time, tied up or not (Linus and — to a lesser degree because we had acquired better skills — Nyota). One was great with front feet but felt his back feet should not be public property (Tolliver, who shared this viewpoint with his Uncle Yamsi). Nobody cares what you got on your December fifth-grade math test as long as you do any necessary calculations accurately now. So we don't care how fast (or how slow) an individual horse progresses ... as long as they DO arrive.
"Arrival" entails: Being haltered, being led, picking up feet for daily maintenance and for more lengthy hoof rasping and trimming, polite maneuvering with a human in restricted spaces, entering and exiting a stall, being comfortable for up to an hour in a stall equipped with food and water, loading in a trailer, traveling in a trailer, and doing core crunches (aka baited stretches). Youngsters do receive basic vaccinations; they may never like them but we aim to make the experience tolerable.
Eventually our foals get to meet other humans, dogs with varying levels of self-control, mountain bikers, other horses, llamas that aren't ours, frisbees, roller skaters, cars, trail obstacles, water crossings, and things that surprise even us at nearby Elijah Bristow State Park. Some have made the trip to Oregon Horse Center to explore the Indoor Mountain Trail course in-hand. For off-site outings, we bring an experienced horse buddy along, and we let the foal tell us when they're feeling OK about going out on their own. We do pay close attention to micro-signs of stress and tailor our "asks" so youngsters' experiences will result in building both confidence and resilience. When we realize we've made an error (that happens; we're only human!), we correct it ASAP and in a way that prioritizes restoring any shaken trust.
_________________________
Our horse handling / training style has consequences for horses who will leave our farm; they will not be suited to all people and endeavors, nor will all people and careers be suited to them. We can respect that other people have ways that work for them; we encourage people to shop around for the right match. We appreciate when people respect our current choices even if they disagree, and we also greatly appreciate those people who don't judge us based on practices that we used to follow, but do not and would not employ now. :-)
Custom-breeding means we will be making breeding choices in collaboration with others — because we know our mares intimately, and because we have some background knowledge of Fjord bloodlines, trends, and tendencies. We recognize that potential customers will want to know in advance if the Venn diagram of their goals overlaps with ours ... or not.
________________________________________________________
We take breeding extremely seriously. Distinct from the many misuses and abuses of animal production, responsible breeding is essential to maintain and (if appropriate) improve any established breed.
Whenever we do agree to breed our mares, consent for choices will be made using the knowledge gained from more than 45 years of experience in selective animal breeding coupled with Gwen's lifelong, intense study of genetics and quadrupedal biomechanics. We are committed to actively refining and continually updating our knowledge.
Responsible breeding includes both good quality and sustainable quantity.
________________________________________________________
Health and soundness are non-negotiable baselines.
We are committed to keeping our own horses out of the Fjord gene pool if any genetic health or soundness issues are revealed ... with the caveat that the likelihood of heredity MUST be grounded in current science. To that end, we have had DNA panels run on all of our mares by Etalon Diagnostics (which is far from perfect or complete, but it's a start, and what's currently available).
Conditions that are expressed only after exposure to environmental triggers — including but not limited to stress, neglect, malnutrition, toxins, parasites, and pathogens — are almost always avoidable, and thus are inappropriate as reasons for removal from the gene pool (especially in an already small and restricted gene pool such as Norwegian Fjord horses).
Science-based understanding of health conditions is constantly evolving. Equine sarcoids used to be considered 100% genetic ... now they are known to be 100% environmental (the bovine papilloma virus is responsible). Why one horse expresses sarcoids and another does not when housed in an identical, virus-and-vector laden environment was then theorized to be genetic ... and now it's looking more like individual horses' total stress load at the time of initial exposure is the greatest risk factor.
Bottom line: We do not condone "blacklisting" individual horses as being genetically defective when that's not clear. We DO follow the science, and apply it when adequate evidence is present. Example: Tolliver would not exist if we had not bred Willow again, knowing that many placental retentions in equines are one-offs, and thus not genetic. But Willow's second placental retention, especially after we improved all factors that might have inadvertently led to the first one, was the rest of the evidence we needed to make the correct decision to pull her from breeding, and to geld Tolliver.
________________________________________________________
Norwegian Fjords are clearly distinct from other breeds in their appearance, but also — even more importantly — in their temperament and versatility. We are committed to preserving these breed characteristics (see below).
________________________________________________________
We are also deeply committed to reducing the need for rescue, including not adding to the existing and overwhelming number of horses in rescue. That may seem to be in conflict with breeding at all, but Norwegian Fjords are a very unique breed of horse — when properly bred to existing breed standards, Norwegian Fjord horses meet the demands of people and organizations whose needs absolutely cannot be met through adopting rescued horses. That doesn't mean that Fjords are immune to winding up in rescue — although it's unusual, they can and do — and we take that very seriously.
From over 45 years of animal breeding experience and 35 years of animal rehab and rescue, we can tell you:
• It costs the same to feed a fun and easy individual as it costs to feed a challenging or difficult individual ... and, invariably, the cost is less to house the cooperative individuals.
• It costs more (a lot more) to feed unhealthy individuals
• Rescues (and slaughterhouses) are overwhelmingly populated with those challenging and/or difficult and/or unhealthy individuals.
• Many if not most of the challenging and difficult and unsound individuals produce mostly more of the same. These individuals should not be in the breeding pool, no matter how attractive or athletic!
• Training and healthy equine socialization can make or break an initial placement, and also future placement prospects for any animal should it be necessary to sell that horse again after it leaves its birth home. A good foundation of horse-manners-taught-by-adult-horses and manners-in-proximity-of-humans are vital responsibilities of the breeder.
________________________________________________________
A portion of our sales income is donated to Fjord rescues (both Canadian and US).
Temperament — Nobody enjoys a fearful or unconfident or dominant (control freak) horse ... including the horse! Our first priority when making breeding choices is to pursue pairings most likely to maintain or improve confidence as well as willingness to be with and do things with humans. A Fjord friend who prioritizes being as gentle and conscientious as desired or required under tack is a priceless gem.
In the case of extraversion / introversion (or outgoing / stoic), one person's nightmare can certainly be another's dream horse. Fjord temperament is on a spectrum, often described as "stoic" or "left brain introvert", but not radically so. The complexity of traits that comprise "temperament" is never inherited as a package; avoiding the extremes and aiming for the center in our breeding mares means adequate extra / intro variety can result organically ... something for all human preferences, just not all in the same horse ... and that's a good thing! We humans are not all alike, either.
Going beyond fundamental temperament, we also look at how an individual horse is wired to engage with the world at large, and what will give any planned foal the best chance at success when grown, with emphasis on and tested through trail riding (solidly our lane since 1985). Once again, middle-of-the-road in herd dynamics and potential role tendencies mesh best with the most humans and the most careers.
Solid knowledge of how humans can detrimentally influence mental and emotional states in horses is crucial to accurate assessment of temperament. Solid knowledge of how temperament and mental / emotional state affects posture and movement is absolutely critical to avoid errors when making selections and choices regarding both type and talent (next).
Type — A Fjord should be a Fjord! That should be a big DOH, but you'd be surprised how many people are pushing or even blowing past the boundaries of the existing standards and losing breed type in the process. If one doesn't breed Fjord-like Fjords, the rationale for even having Fjords (not to mention breeding-instead-of-rescuing or breeding-instead-of-adopting-and-taming-mustangs) goes right out the window.
The North American Fjord standard does recognize a range of body types, from "drafty" to "sporty" (without universal agreement about what aspects constitute either one). Historically, the most desired point on the type spectrum has depended on current use and demand ... form follows function. We don't need (or want!) to re-learn the lessons that history has already amply taught — versatility and health are compromised whenever extremes of type are actively pursued — so Lost Creek Fjords' goal is to aim for the middle of the spectrum with emphasis on inclusion of the traits that result in a comfortable, functional riding horse (because that is the current use and demand for the majority of modern horses in general and Fjords in particular).
That being said, when making breeding choices we tend to err on the muscular-and-substantial side of center (but with rider-friendly rather than draft-specific conformation and angulations). The established and historic Fjord size range is 13.2-14.3hh; erring on the side of substance better ensures that mature offspring can handle virtually all adult riders. Our observation is that when lighter build is sought and achieved in Fjords, the lower end of the size range becomes best suited for older youth and rather lightweight adults, neither of which describes most riders in North America today.
Emotional and mental state (see temperament, above) influences posture, which is nearly always perceived as "type" (and conformation). Although alertness and well-defined muscling at-the-ready are undeniably eye-catching, those very traits are a huge red flag that the horse needs to be evaluated for mental stability. True Fjord type excludes edgy-ness and anxiety.
Talent — As long as the horse is confident and is fully willing to allow the human 51% of the partnership to define the parameters of mutual activities (temperament first!), there is no such thing as "too athletic" or "too talented"! A Fjord friend capable of expanding, not limiting, the horizons of the human part of the equation is an amazing opportunity for anyone of any age — truly a long-term equine partner to grow and learn with.
Our primary measure of talent is quality, ease, and harmony of movement within and in transition between all three gaits. Ideal movement tells us that conformation and physiology and mental state are working together successfully for balance, versatility, and soundness over a lifetime. Unlike some other animal breeders who also focus on movement, we do not consider unnatural or eye-catching extremes of movement to be good in any species, but rather an indicator that something is out of harmony with the whole. Displays of attention-grabbing movement may be exuberant showing-off (ie, from mature stallions or confident, well-educated Fjords of any sex), but in all horses (perhaps most especially Fjords), extreme movement is more often driven by anxiety — that is, an instinct-driven display of prowess that serves to make other horses in the immediate area look like easier dinner targets. An anxious Fjord does not meet the breed standard for type or temperament.
All the talent in the world is useless (or even dangerous) in a horse who is fearful, unconfident, or dominant. Breeding for temperament first means a horse's innate talent can be expressed and actualized.
First, the five accepted Fjord colors:
The most common Fjord color by far is brunblakk or brown dun (bay + dun); CFHA estimates around 90% of all Fjord horses are brown dun. Linus is an example of light phase brown dun; Hallie is a dark phase brown dun
Fjord breed standards around the world specifically provide for and encourage preservation of the "rare colors":
• grå / grey dun (black + dun, aka "grey dun"; called mouse dun or grullo in other horse breeds)
• ulsblakk / white dun (bay + dun + one copy of the cream gene) Nyota is an example of a dark phase white dun
• rødblakk / red dun (chestnut + dun) Winny, Chestry, and Roslyn are examples of red dun
• gulblakk / yellow dun (chestnut + dun + one copy of the cream gene)
The first three colors listed above — brown dun, grey dun, and white dun — have BLACK mane center stripes and dark lower leg markings.
The last two colors — red dun and yellow dun — have lighter, chestnut (red) mane center stripes and lighter red lower leg markings
In part because of the accuracy, ready availability, and affordable cost of DNA color testing in horses, there is now more attention placed on the "rare color" Fjords than at any time in the past history of the breed. ("Breeding for color" is now widely practiced in the US, and is also openly disparaged — notably by those who are actively doing it and receiving considerable financial benefit from it. Once the rare colors are no longer rare, the higher prices and greater profit associated with those horses will vanish.)
Genetics are reaaaaally interesting ... and complex in real-life. In order for the "rare color" Fjords to be preserved let alone come up to the same standards as brown duns instead of being poorer-quality novelties, breeders such as ourselves who own any of the rare color Fjords (or even Fjords who carry one copy of any rare color gene) need to pay close attention to the unwanted traits that — although not part of the color genome itself — tend to be inherited along with a particular color.
Sometimes observed trait grouping has to do with the physical location of the color modifying gene on the chromosome, a phenomenon known as genetic linkage. Red (aka chestnut, and actually pheomelanin), for instance, is close enough to the locus controlling white markings that the two traits often end up being inherited together in all equines, not just Fjords.
This specific example of genetic linkage — chestnut and white markings — creates considerable prejudice against red duns among those Fjord breeders who aim to maximize the likelihood of producing higher-priced breeding stock and minimize production of non-breeding horses (which includes all colts with white markings, and any mares with more white than a small star). Red dun Fjords are already less popular due to lacking the high-contrast black center mane stripe. Identifying the gene or genes for white markings in Fjords (as yet undiscovered) followed by DNA-informed breeding choices would be a better solution, allowing for the preservation and improvement of red dun Fjord horses as per breed standards.
Other times, observed trait grouping is an inevitable byproduct of the difficulties inherent in any recessive rare trait preservation without the assistance of modern DNA testing options: Precisely because rare traits are typically recessive, there has been far too much reliance on the far too few obvious (that is, homozygous) sources of those traits. Even with careful (but non-DNA-informed) attention to breeding choices, the undesirable flaws incidentally found in that small ancestral pool are given outsized opportunities to perpetuate along with the desirable rare trait. Thanks to the availability of DNA testing, the latter issue no longer needs to be a problem for modern Fjord breeders.
A particular complexity for Fjord horse breeders who adhere to the breed standard is the incomplete dominant action of the cream (aka cremello) gene. One copy of the gene produces the accepted "rare colors" uls (white) or gul (yellow). Two copies produce an undesirable pink-skinned "kvit" — unacceptable and un-register-able in every Fjord registry (except NFHR, go figure). A further challenge is that a grå (grey dun) can have one or two copies of the cream gene, but usually will not show any clear outward indication. Once again, DNA testing allows modern-day Fjord breeders to avoid accidentally producing kvit Fjords by testing for the presence of a cream gene in their grå (grey dun) breeding horses, and to not pair any cryptic cream + grå (grey dun) horses with other cream-genome individuals. However, many owners of grå stallions do not test for the cremello gene, leaving those desiring to breed an ulsdun or guldun mare in an awkward position ... do they ask for (and offer to pay for) the Cr gene test for the stallion and risk getting widely blacklisted as "only breeding for color", leaving them with few options for breeding at all? Or do they limit themselves to stallions who have been DNA confirmed as lacking any Cr gene(s)?
One additional quirk about the cream gene that has been observed in Fjords — white and yellow dun mares are more likely to pass on their cream gene to a foal than are white and yellow stallions. In a comprehensive database study ending in 2021*, stallions with the cream gene produced 48% white or yellow offspring. OK, great, not too far off the expected 50%. BUT! Mares with the cream gene produced 65% white or yellow offspring! This is significantly — even outrageously — higher than the statistically-expected 50% outcome. A very interesting genetic puzzle for someone to unravel ...
*Note: cream x cream and all untested grey dun x cream pairings were excluded from the above statistics.
Our mare herd is, collectively, capable of producing any of the five accepted Fjord colors. That was accidental (keep reading), but we're totally OK rolling with that.
_____________________________
We purchased Winny and obviously knew she was red dun when we bought her. Our other two red dun mares are the result of good fortune. In the case of Chestry, the roll-of-dice genetic outcome came out red dun, yay (the pairing was equally likely have produced brown dun). With Roslyn, it was all about the timing: Having an exceptionally high-quality and complimentary stallion — who happens to be red dun — available to us and in close geographical proximity during the time when reproductively-aging-out Winny was to be bred for her final foal.
We do really enjoy the red dun color (and it's a good thing! there's three of them!). Because of that enjoyment, we also care a LOT about quality in red dun Fjords. We take seriously the responsibility to breed our red dun mares to the overall best-match stallions we can find. That means our breeding selections are made without first filtering for stallion color and regardless of the potential resulting foal color or color genome, but rather with the priority of improving quality in our red dun mares' offspring (who will carry red even if they do not express it themselves).
Having red dun mares means we do incur and accept a higher level of responsibility in our pre-breeding research and eventual breeding choices. We pay close attention to the physical flaws that are historically found in red dun Fjords, and we do our best to choose stallions that neither express those flaws nor have them in their immediate ancestry or progeny.
Our red dun mares can produce brown dun and red dun; when bred to a white or yellow stallion, they also might produce white or yellow in addition to brown and red.
Chestry alone has the potential to produce grey dun.
Although our red dun mares don't have the more popular high-contrast black mane stripes, they can definitely produce offspring with black mane stripes as long as the stallion has one. A foal with a black mane stripe cannot be guaranteed when paired with a stallion carrying a copy of the red gene.
_____________________________
Hallie purportedly made the breeding decision that resulted in our white dun Nyota, who also carries grey (inherited from her sire). We definitely enjoy her different color, and we just as definitely didn't breed for it! The significant downside to Nyota's color is that any otherwise complimentary white dun and yellow dun stallions out there are not a viable option for her, and we also have to cautiously but thoroughly screen all grey dun prospective stallion matches in order to avoid those with one or more cream genes when making breeding decisions ... which can lead to damaging political push-back (see above).
Hallie can produce brown dun; bred to a white or yellow stallion, she can also produce white dun.
Nyota can produce brown dun, white dun, and grey dun; paired with a white or yellow stallion or with a cryptic-cream grey stallion she could produce an unregisterable, pink-skinned double-cream or "kvit", so we will not agree to breed to those stallions.
These two mares will ALWAYS produce offspring with the black center mane stripe and dark legs.
_____________________________
For any of our mares (other than Hallie), inquiring about a non-brown dun stallion if the outcome would produce a color other than brown dun is taking the risk that we will be rejected by the stallion owner on the assumption that we would be making the pairing just to be "breeding for color" (committing the sin of eventually making rare colors less rare and equalizing prices). So even if a particular color outcome isn't important or desired, color potential is ALWAYS going to be a part of our breeding decision deliberations.
While it is true that a GOOD horse is never a bad color, humans do have preferences of varying kinds ... including color.
We definitely do not discourage others from pursuing their own personal color preferences — if they have them — any more than we'd discourage people from enjoying their preferred gender of horse, or horse breed, or riding style. Life is too short to settle; everyone draws their own personal "settle" line in a different place. If someone's preferred Fjord color — whether brown dun or anything else — spreads an involuntary rip-roaring grin across their face every time they go out to see their horse friend, that's a truly wonderful thing! Our customers can be honest with us about any color preferences they might have and we will respect those preferences.
In practice, we find that more people care less about the coat color and more about getting a black mane stripe! Sometimes that's because the black stripe allows different mane cuts, patterns, and styles to show up well and they aspire to such creativity; sometimes people just associate "black mane stripe" with "Fjord horse". It's all good as long as you're also OK with us liking our red duns and their plain-cut manes. :-)
Although we are solidly versed in Fjord color genetics and are aware of the potential color genome of any unborn foals, we cannot guarantee a particular color outcome in most cases. We can more often state that a particular mare or pairing will (or will/might not) result in a foal with the more popular black mane center stripe.
All of our horses and foals are or will be microchipped, DNA tested, and registered with CFHA.
Full payment is required before any horse leaves Lost Creek Fjord Horses.
Coming soon — Download an application for a commissioned breeding (pdf)