Ponies!

You didn't think I could do a whole summer of posts without featuring horses? Well, here it is. I try to ride in the various countries I visit, and I was especially interested in finding more about the Norwegian Fjord Horse.  My previous barn had a Norwegian Fjord named Sven. Everyone adored kind, gentle, elderly Sven. He passed earlier this summer, so I wanted to honor his memory by visiting his kin. Miss Rumphius shares some of the markings of the Fjords: her tricolored mane and tail, stripe down her back, and markings on her legs. These markings harken back to ancient times. The Fjord Horse is one of the oldest and purest breeds. Scientists have found evidence of their existence at the end of the last ice age. Excavations at Viking burial sites show that they were domesticated and used as war horses. They were buried or burned with their warrior owners. For hundreds of years they have been used as draft animals on farms, some of them very steep! 

I was thrilled to find The Norwegian Fjord Horse Center in Nordfjord on the internet, so we made it a point to stop there. We sailed all the way down to the end of the fjord and tied up in a shallow marina with the wind barreling down full force. 

The next day, we eagerly hiked to the center only to reach the drive and find, to our dismay, a sign saying they were closed due to the heat. We walked up anyway, and there was not a soul around. We did find a couple of horses in a pasture, which made me happy. 

Although they are called horses, they are mostly pony-sized with a stocky build.

Although the center was closed, there were some pictures on an outdoor bulletin board. This was a prize-winning stallion.

There are five different shades, and the genetics is quite complicated. It is the same with Grulla coloration (Miss Rumphius, my pony, is a Grulla).

It took a strong horse to do work on some of these steep farms.

Since the center was closed, we kept walking up the hill to a collection of huts about a thousand feet above the fjord. I think they might be used as ski huts during the winter. 

Many had sod roofs and traditional stone foundations.

The heather was in bloom high in the hills.

Just above the huts was a high mountain pond with a lovely rowboat tethered to an outhaul.

Nico gave it a whirl, and then the two of us had a row in the clouds.

There was a little low stone structure by the edge of the pond, probably used as a shelter. It also housed emergency gear if someone fell through the ice.

The road down was steep and must be challenging on skis. I'm glad I don't have to negotiate some of those turns. The pond was a reservoir, and there were a couple of pump houses along the way. They were painted red and had sod roofs like the huts at the top.

The town below. At the left is a farm where a Viking burial mound was found with a burned ship. Later, in Bergen, we visited a maritime museum that had a fascinating video about what scientists have learned from the remains. Three Norwegian Fjord Horses were buried alongside the local king, killed in a nearby battle. His ashes were in a cauldron with the caps from the warriors' shields covering them.

The Center - It had two huge indoor areas, a carriage track, a dressage ring, and a gigantic barn.

I thought my friend Jeannie should do something like this on her trailer.

There were some more horses on the way back to the boat. I think I should do this to Miss Rumpius's mane because she has worn patches off by rubbing against her paddock fence, trying to get to the tasty grass beyond her reach.

Back to the boat. We love the old fishing boats that have been converted to yachts.

The town had some lovely traditional architecture.