Viking and Mount will Gallop in Extravaganza
There’s a Viking on the loose at the University of Minnesota, Crookston. No, he’s not a combed and coddled football player. This is a wild and woolly, hard-riding Viking. He will be charging into the University Teaching and Outreach Center Arena this weekend on his sturdy Norwegian Fjord Pony.
Beneath
the horned helmet, animal skins, and unkempt whiskers is Andrew Hinrichs,
a mild mannered UMC student from Rose City. His equally mild
mannered mount is Spruce Hill Maria, a six year old registered Norwegian
Fjord Pony.
They will be premiering the Viking act at the Second Annual Equine Extravaganza at UMC. “It’s like an equine variety show,” says Hinrichs, who is the chairman of this year’s show.
Performances will be Saturday, February 16, at 6 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. in the UTOC Arena. Tickets, which are available at the door, are $6 for adults and $4 for children 12 and under.
“Our act is part of a breed demonstration. I’ll also drive Maria through an obstacle course. I brought her to Crookston just for the Extravaganza since Fjord Ponies are pretty unique in this area. In fact, there are only 268 registered Fjord Ponies in Minnesota and only a couple thousand in the United States.”
The
breed originated about 2,000 years ago in Norway. Vikings rode these
surefooted mountain ponies, and when they went raiding, the ponies went
along in the Vikings’ longboats. Hinrichs speculates the stocky
ponies gave the Vikings both mobility and a psychological advantage in
their conquests. “When the Vikings went to pillage, they were more
impressive when they were mounted,” he says.
The ponies are hardy, bred to survive on little hay during long voyages and whatever vegetation grows on rocky hillsides in Norway. This may also account for the relatively small size of Fjords, who usually stand between 13 and 14 hands (54 to 57 inches).
Fjords have very distinctive characteristics shared by only one modern breed of horse. “They are direct descendants of Przewalski’s Horses from the Russian Steppes and have remained virtually unchanged since the last Ice Age,” Hinrichs says. The Fjord Ponies still have the primitive markings of the ancient horses. The thick, light colored crescent shaped manes have a dark stripe down the center that extends into a dorsal stripe.
The manes stand straight up because the ponies originated in places where there was very little rain. According to Hinrichs, “Since the manes don’t need to shed rain, they don’t lie down.”
Color may also have been an adaptation to blend in with the landscape. Fjord Ponies range in color from light dried grass tan to a deep, rich golden brown.
“Fjords are very versatile because they have such mild, willing dispositions,” Hinrichs continues. “Maria is a perfect example. I ride her hunt seat and use her for jumping. We do a lot of trail riding.”
He has shown her in some open shows and Norwegian Fjord breed shows. “We enter everything from obstacle driving to skidding logs. Last year we won the barrel racing, English pleasure and pleasure driving classes at the Blue Earth show,” Hinrichs says.
His little mare has also been used for therapeutic riding at Benvelle Equestrian Center in Pequot Lakes.
Hinrichs says Maria is a typical Fjord, very quiet, friendly, inquisitive and loves attention. It is the quiet disposition that first attracted him to the Ponies. “I worked for a gentleman back home who raised Fjords. I bought Maria from him when she was 15 months old. She was the first horse I trained. She had to put up with a lot of stuff because I wasn’t sure what I was doing sometimes.”
Andrew Hinrichs grew up in Rose City and graduated from Parkers Prairie High School. “I came to UMC because it’s the only college with a four-year equine program in the area,” he says. Now a junior, Hinrichs is majoring in equine industries management with a minor in music.
He plans to graduate in the spring of 2003. “After that, I’d like to work for an equine center, some place that has different disciplines and a variety of activities,” he says.
Speaking of variety, Hinrichs put in another plug for the Equine Extravaganza. “It’s entertaining, educational and plenty of fun for everybody. It’s a good way for people to get an overview of the equine program at UMC and its related clubs and activities.” About forty UMC students will ride the college’s horses and some privately owned animals in demonstrations, skits and contests. The audience will be encouraged to take part in judging costume classes and a game called Chuck-A-Shoe, similar to Chuck-A-Puck at hockey games except this one is played with horseshoes.
Written by Twylla Altepeter for University Relations
Posted 02/15/2002
Contact: Andrew Svec,
218-281-8435