Petunia and Fritz Join One Heart

Hi Gang;

After meeting Petunia and Fritz at their home in South Dakota, we were pretty convinced that they would suit our program.   Due to the milage, the owners agreed to meet us 1/2 way to make the exchange.   This looked like Sac City.   Due to the suppressive heat, the owners were interested in making the exchange early in the morning.   Earlier than I wanted to drive....so, Jennifer, Dani, Lucy and I drove to Storm Lake the night before.   This is because - unbelievable as it might seem - the Sac City Motel was full!   Storm Lake was the next closest.   We arrived late Sat., July 16th - so late the innkeeper had called to tell us to find our key in they mailbox and to check ourselves in.  We were to check out in the morning but left before seeing anyone.....It was quite a stay.  I won't say it was terrible, but it didn't help convince Jennifer that motels were a step up from camping!
We met the Christensens, the owners of Petunia and Fritz in Early, Iowa.  They unloaded and reloaded perfectly and we were on the way.  We made it to the barn and got them pastured to rest.  The picture I have of them is when they arrived.  I jumped out of the truck into the heat and humidity and when I snapped the shot - I found the lens had fogged over from the drastic change in temp.  
Last night we gave Fritz his first haircut - The Fjord Buzz.  He looks awesome!   He also started in lines last night.  Can't wait for you to meet them.

Chat soon;  Kris

Full Fjord Immersion

Hi Everyone;

Dani, Jennifer, Lucy and I started out July 16th at the Midwest Fjord Horse show held this year in Cedar Rapids.  I was really glad I was not grooming for this one!   It was HOT and muggy!   It was really fun watching so many Fjords showing.  It was also fun watching the trail class to see who might be able to work in therapy.  There is a really neat class - Walk - Trot trail.  The horse starts out the obstacle course being led through different stations.  The rider then mounts 1/2 way through and completes the course.   I had never seen this aspect added to trail.  It was a good addition.  It seemed most like a therapy class to me. 
The most impressive classes were the driving.  So nice and elegant.  To me the highlight was wandering back in the barn and visiting with owners.  The stall that stopped me was a lovely grey dun stallion with a pedigree plaque on the door.  It caught my eye -"Anvil's Fjellrosa" - that was our Rosa!  She was this stallion's paternal grandmother!  Made me feel at home - made me miss Rosa.  
We stayed at the show as long as we could.....

How we've spent our winter break

Here's an update from Jen, Dani and Katie since Kris has been swamped with trips to Kansas City and back. She'll blog later, once she has a chance to catch up. But we just had to show off the new Fjords, fresh from Minnesota!!!

Sofie (age 6, darker face) and her son Boomer (age 3, in the front of picture) are both trained to ride and drive. Many thanks to Silver Leaf Farms and all the friends of One Heart who made this possible!

Sofie and Boomer are a tad bit lighter, shorter, and narrower than our previous Fjords, which the therapists will love. Sofie and Boomer both have relatives that were bred at the same farm that imported Rosa. They are young, have lovely hooves, and are friendly. They arrived Tuesday morning and quickly settled in. It was kind of sad when they were turned out. Bri came galloping up with a look of complete joy. We usually don't try to attach human thoughts/experiences to the horses, but we think that Bri thought that Alma and Dagmar were back. A quick sniff during the meet and greet proved that they were new Fjords. After a few minutes of running around everyone settled in. While the new pecking order is being finalized things are back to being peaceful. As far as Sofie is concerned, she's ready when the herd is ready to follow her. It's so nice to have an alpha mare again!

Eleven 4-Hers joined us in cleaning tack today- the earliest we've ever been able to cross that off the list

In Loving Memory

Hi Friends;

It has been a few days since I have checked in. Last time I told you about the loss of Patch. Today will be an update of the memorial list.


Not many folks at One Heart realize that the very first Norwegian Fjord horse donated to One Heart was Rosa. Rosa was the result of me internet surfing and finding a Fjord affectionato and "broker". This was the summer that we were working so diligently with the Sons of Norway to locate the more infamous Alma and Dagmar. Through the internet contact we were referred to the McCollum family in northern Minnesota. They had an older mare who was no longer having foals. Her primary function was as a producer of fine, Norwegian Fjord foals. When those days appeared to be finished, they considered donating her.


Again, as no example to anyone with basic sense.....I accepted this old mare sight unseen over the phone/internet. Shock of shocks, I also found her a free ride from close to the Canadian-US border all the way to Iowa. Our friend Meg was taking her trailer to the Minnesota Horse fair and the McCollums always made a point to come to the same fair. The transfer was made in the late spring and Rosa arrived at the Jungle in 2004 - Several months prior to Alma and Dagmar.


Being the first Norwegian Fjord horse for One Heart met with such honor that the true royal nature of Rosa was hidden for years. Our interest was if she was ready to go to work in the therapy arena. She passed immediately and went to work immediately. She was well suited to the task although when we asked if she was trained to ride or drive, the donors didn't know. There is a good chance that she had never been trained for either.

Rosa's registration papers did not indicate her suitability for the therapy arena so were simply filed away.