"Best Buy" Workhorse

Best Buy Workhorse LIVESTOCK Horses/Mules “They can pull a carriage be used for field work or you can ride them ” says John Sluss about his “best buy” Fjord horses The biggest attraction for the Brooten Minn farmer is that the Fjords are work horses but not as big and intimidating in size as most draft horses Fjords are typically shorter than a quarter horse – 13-2 to 14-2 hands – but have a more muscular build and are in the 900 to 1 200-lb range Their gentle temperament was what cinched the deal for his wife Bev when the couple purchased their first Fjords in the late 1980’s on a trip to Wyoming The plan was to look at crossbred geldings but they returned with four pregnant Fjord mares instead “The lesson is never travel with a four-horse trailer ” Sluss laughs In talking to others and reading books he learned how to work with them “They don’t need to be broke They just need to be trained ” he says noting that his 11-year-old daughter rode a stud that had never been ridden “Working with them is a partnership type thing They’re very willing and forgiving ” Sluss notes that Fjords are very smart and like mules they know their limit and will just stop working when they need to rest If they receive calm consistent and fair handling Fjords develop a partnership with a trainer and forge a trusting and loving relationship Besides using his Fjords to pull carriages he has used them to haul bales and manure on his organic farm “You have to keep them on a diet so they don’t get fat ” says Bev Sluss “We put them on a dry lot at night so they can’t eat ” The only disadvantage to the breed is that because of their smaller size and shape work harnesses must be custom made for them Since he had a knee replacement surgery Sluss notes he hasn’t been able to work with the Fjords as much as he would like to The couple currently has 10 Fjords and they are willing to sell some of them While Sluss says he has seen Fjords sell for $12 000 or more in his area they typically sell for $700 to $3 000 When markets are high the range for purebred registered Fjords runs from $1 500 to $8 500 depending on bloodlines ages and level of training They come in five “dun” colors have a dorsal stripe zebra markings and sometimes a stripe over the withers For more information about the breed go to www nfhr com Contact: FARM SHOW Followup RuraLife Farm Fjords John and Bev Sluss P O Box 475 Brooten Minn 56316 ph 320 346-2538; jsluss@tds net

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