Tools
We use Fiskars Easy Action 8" Titanium Scissors; they're probably the top recommended mane trimming tool overall. Advantages include complete portability (no electricity or cords or batteries required) and a low learning curve (who can't use scissors?). Unfortunately they do not come in a left-handed version. :-(
Fiskars will last a long time ... as long as you hide them so they don't ever get used for other things!
If you are already an ace with electric clippers, you may prefer them; some people do ... but be aware that Fjord mane hair is very coarse and can dull clipper blades rapidly.
Patience is THE most important tool to have when trimming manes!
Basic ("Flat Top") Trim and Mourning Stripe Trim
Trimming the Fjord Mane — our own tips and tricks
YouTube tutorial from Norway — the basic "flat top" trim on six different horses, each with different challenges
Popular two-part YouTube tutorial on the mourning cut from Bluebird Lane Fjords:
Part 1
Part 2
Fancy Trims
The darker center strip of the Fjord mane — the midstol — permits a wide variety of creative designs, whether as an artistic statement or just to help people quickly tell which horse is which. Some of the fancy trims can be used to improve aesthetics when portions of a mane get rubbed down and mangled by an itchy Fjord. For resources, ideas, and techniques, see:
The New Norwegian Fjord Hair Care Group (private Facebook group)
Norwegian Fjord Hair Care (private Facebook group, the predecessor to the above — Admin got locked out, so you'll need to get a member to "invite" you to the group so you can view past posts)
Knowledge about horses and horse keeping isn't standing still!
Now that horses are not our sole source of transportation (and rarely serve us in a true working capacity), humans have the luxury of keeping horses because we like them. We no longer need to conform to past norms, activities, or timelines that were first based in raw survival and then, over time, altered to minimize effort and maximize profit for producers and service providers.
Some resources and "rabbit holes" that we've found exceptionally useful in our ongoing quest to be better humans for our horses:
24horsebehaviors.org — Dr. Sue Dyson, who developed the Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram
calmingsignalsofhorses.com — Drs. Rachaël Draaisma, researcher and author of Language Signs and Calming Signals of Horses
Horse Speak® — Precise Equine Body Language Skills (PEBLS)
Lucinda B — Being Herd® and Horse Speak® practitioner
Lynn Acton — author of What Horses Really Want: Unlocking the Secrets to Trust, Cooperation, and Reliability
Emotional Horsemanship — a horse-human relationship and training philosophy
Shawna Karrasch Equine — solidifies and supercharges use of R+, especially when using food or treats as the reward
First and foremost, we endorse and practice the "3Fs" — Friends, Forage, Freedom — to optimize mental, emotional, and physical well-being
Overall Health and Wellbeing
Insight to Equus
Latest AAEP deworming recommendations and guidelines
Natural Balance Dentistry® — this overview says it best. We personally use Randy Erickson, Crowning Performance Equine Services based in LaPine, Oregon because he's our local provider (and he's good). There are numerous practitioners world-wide; use your search engine to find someone local to you.
Equine Hanna Somatics® — a gentle, effective bodywork method that addresses issues at their source and retrains the brain so the bodywork "sticks"
The Masterson Method® — another gentle, highly effective method to release tension in the equine body
Track Paddocks, aka "Paddock Paradise"
Paddock Paradise — book by Jamie Jackson
Track Paddocks — book by Amy Dell
Slow Feeders
Slow feeders provide horses with a closer-to-natural feeding speed, force, and quantity. They also significantly reduce parasite transmission and hay waste.
There are issues to consider: Your local weather, seasonal feeding needs, dental health, postural effects, horse attitude (enriching, neutral or frustrating?), ease of use for the human, and whether the selected feeder height can be within ideal range the majority of the time.
Probably the most important issues to consider when choosing slow feeders is ensuring there will be no abnormal dental wear. Knotted haynets and anything with metal are big offenders for incisor health, but our equine dentist has seen severe gum damage from knotless string haynets as well.
Another aspect to consider when evaluating slow feeders is entrapment — hooves, shoes, and/or jaws — in openings that are too large and especially when those openings are rigid. Foals in particular have small jaws and feet, and some types of slow feeders that are perfectly fine for adults may not be safe for them.
Any slow feeder placed too high or too low (causing horses to primarily eat above wither height or below knee height) leads to negative physical and postural compromises when horses are stalled (this is backed by a formal study). These effects are not seen when slow feeders are used in larger areas and especially with multiple horses in the area so that horses move regularly ... and, hey, we have just circled back to friends, forage, freedom!
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We use NibbleNets — they check all our situational boxes, and get the two-thumbs-up from our (seldom used anymore!) bodyworkers and (regularly used) equine dentist. They are made in the USA and they really last — our first two were finally discarded after six years of daily use! We most often use both the 1.25" and 1.5" openings — 1.25" for regular use with mature horses, and 1.5" when we want to increase eating speed and amount (eg, in the trailer or for a lactating mare). We have found that horses coming here from a farm that feeds loose hay (um, never found in nature, not even close!) are initially very frustrated with the smaller 1.25" openings, so we would now give a newcomer a NibbleNet with 2" openings and a small pile of loose hay to start out, and then reduce both the loose hay and NibbleNet opening size over time during their quarantine/intro period. Foals born here think this is just the way things are, and most end up eating calmly and at a slower speed as adults, even when their hay is fed loose.
When the ground is dry (summer/fall) and we do not have small foals present, we also use hayballs (both Equi-Essentials and Burlingham Sports), but only in areas of the track where there is no manure. Our observations have been that naive adult horses initially found the hay balls super-frustrating ... the first day. By the third day they had things sorted out and all frustration micro-markers were gone. Youngsters born here who have only known NibbleNets see hayballs as a cool new puzzle from the get-go.
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Remember, like any tool, slow feeders can be misused. That doesn't make them bad. Neither using one or more of them nor criticizing them equates to having expertise on slow feeders. Please do your OWN research and make your OWN choices about slow feeders for your own individual situation!
Fjord horses are frequently kept barefoot ... because they can be!
Barefoot horse keeping in general has increased exponentially, and with it, knowledge about hoof function ... and thus there has been significant evolution in trimming tools and techniques. Evaluating and keeping up with evolving knowledge while earning a living (often putting in long hours meeting increasing client demands) is a pretty tall order for any hoof care provider. That reality means that most farriers whose education has focused on applying metal shoes are often not qualified to perform a true barefoot trim, nor are they informed about cutting-edge alternative (non-metal) horse shoes and hoof boots.
Caretakers of barefoot horses need to — at minimum — learn the essentials of evaluating a trim so they can intervene on their horses' behalf when a trim could or should be improved, and to discern when a professional is not a good fit for their horse and situation. Many barefoot horse owners end up taking over trimming themselves for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is a low supply of any hoof care professionals (let alone good ones) in the face of increasing demand. Quite a few more learn enough and procure basic tools for those times when their trusted professionals can't make it, or when minor issues occur between scheduled trims. Regardless of where you might land on the scale of hand-off to all-in, it always pays to be educated.
If this shoe (hoof boot?) fits you, you might find the following valuable:
Barefoot Trimming educational resources
Barefoot Basics (online course)
Premier Hoof Consultation Services (online service)
Hoof Talk for the Barefoot Horse (private Facebook group)
Premier Hoof Consultation Services (private Facebook group; currently inactive but well worth looking through past educational posts)
Hoof boots
A Fjord would most often be booted to recover from previous hoof compromise, such as after a bout of laminitis or when transitioning to barefoot from regular shoeing (yes, some people do keep Fjords shod because it's the only way of horsekeeping they can fathom). Fjords could also need hoof boots if they fall victim to overzealous and under-informed trimming. Last but not least, Fjords will benefit from at least front hoof boots if their regular living surfaces are more yielding and/or not as abrasive as where they are used for riding or work.
Hoof boot brands and considerations are individual to each horse and situation. The barefoot trimming resources above can help you get started, and — although inherently biased — hoof boot manufacturers have a wealth of information on their websites, allowing a lot of pre-purchase research and comparison.
Not every hoof boot works for every horse or every environment, and as horses' hooves improve, sizing and even shape will change. That can be frustrating and expensive! Buy used and/or resell outgrown and wrong-sized boots here:
Hoof Boot Exchange (private Facebook group)
Hoof Armor®
Hoof Armor® is a product that might be used in conjunction with hoof boots or instead of hoof boots. Although it was developed for endurance competition, it can be invaluable in many other situations. As with hoof boots, the situations in which a Fjord would most likely benefit from Hoof Armor are when recovering from previous hoof compromise, or when their living surface is softer and/or less abrasive than where they are ridden or worked. Individual Fjords might also benefit from Hoof Armor® when, due to wet climates or extended wet seasons, hoof wear is exceeding hoof growth rate.