Jamie Heistad of Rindge has found her forever horse.
It wasn’t an easy search; Heistad had to go all the way to Ohio to find Gustav, one of about 6,500 Norwegian fjord horses living in the United States today.
The breed has been made popular in recent years after being featured in the Disney movie “Frozen,” but that’s not what drew Heistad to seek out a fjord horse – although she said her daughters, 3 and 4, do appreciate the connection. Rather, she was simply looking for a trail-riding horse, saw a picture of the distinctive Norwegian fjord horse, with its dun color and striped mane, and knew she had to have one.
“He’s so calm. Nothing ever spooks him, and that’s really what I wanted, especially around the kids,” Heistad said.
Norwegian fjord horses are at once incredibly strong and elegant in their diminutive appearance, with bright blonde manes marked black down the middle with the horse’s dorsal stripe, which extends all the way down the back. It’s a traditional Viking breed, according to the Norwegian Fjord Horse Registry, first imported to the United States in 1888 and again in a 1988s undertaking called “The Big Lift,” which brought 40 horses to the United States from Norway by air; many of the 6,500 living in the country today are descended from that operation. By comparison, the American Quarter Horse Association’s most-recent report claimed about 3 million of that popular breed living in America.
Heistad said she brought 5-year-old Gustav home to New Hampshire in June with no formal training to speak of; after training with Rachel Hennessey at Silver Ranch Livery in Jaffrey, Gustav was ready for the saddle in August, and Heistad was the first to ride.
“I feel a special bond with him, because I was the first person to ever ride on him,” Heistad said. “Horses, throughout their lives, do so much carrying of people, and to be the first one to sit on him – I don’t care if something happened and I couldn’t ride anymore, I would never get rid of him. He’s my once-in-a-lifetime horse.”
Those interested in learning more about Gustav can visit Heistad’s Facebook page at facebook.com/maplebrookbarn.