“Is that a horse?” the cyclist called, breezing by the group making their way down Canada road. “Yes!” the rider called back after a moment’s hesitation. She gave the gelding a pat, running her hand over the dorsal stripe that ran from his forelock down through his tail. She’d heard it all before. Donkey, mule, heck, they’d even joked about him being a rare arctic zebra. But no, Sebastian was a horse, or more specifically a Norwegian Fjord.
Sebastian was born on May 16, 1997 at Old Hickory Farm in New York State. Bred by Julia Wills, Sebastian was the result of a careful cross between the great stallion, Erlend, and a Montano daughter. The following year, Mary Blatz purchased him as a future family horse, hoping he might someday grow to be a babysitter to her 4 kids. Sebastian far exceeded her expectations, becoming not only a solid riding horse, but a steady driving horse as well. For nine years Sebastian flourished under Mary’s care, but a day came when she could no longer juggle the demands of a growing family and caring for a horse. So she turned to Patti Jo Walter of Francis Creek Fjords. Known for selling top quality ridden Fjords, Patti Jo agreed to consign Sebastian at her farm in Two Rivers,Wisconsin. Upon arriving, Patti Jo barely had time to advertise Sebastian before prospective buyers were lining up for the opportunity to purchase him.
Then NCEFT came along looking for a horse to act as the foundation in their new veterans program. Now, as a non-profit most of NCEFT’s horses are donations. But the staff recognized in Sebastian something worth investing in, and managed to put together the money needed to buy him. Then came the countless preparations for his cross-country trip from Wisconsin to California. After passing all the necessary exams and earning his health certificates, Sebastian loaded onto a trailer and began his trip to his new home here at NCEFT.
It’s been almost five years since Sebastian joined the herd and he couldn’t be a more vital part of our programs. He is one of our steadiest Hippotherapy horses, just as happy to stand still as to move out in a ground-covering walk. Therapeutic riding patients find him sweet but opinionated enough to be a fun challenge, and on Wednesday nights our Interactive Vaulters enjoy playing games both with and on him. Throw in his role as introductory driving horse for our barn staff, trail pony, and competition horse, and you can bet we’ve seen our investment back and then some!
Norwegian Fjord Horse Registry www.NFHR.com
Interested in donating a horse? E-mail our Barn Manager at Bonnie@nceft.org
