Fjord Horses in Horse Illustrated Magazine

What is it about Horse Illustrated magazine, with its glossy photos of gorgeous horses, that makes you feel like a horse-crazy kid again? You can just see a young version of yourself cutting out the centerfold, pinning it to your wall, and immersing yourself for hours in an imaginary tale that you, Alec Ramsey style, are the only person that is able to tame and ride that magnificent and noble beast.

Well, I’ve got the flip side of that story. Imagine opening up Horse Illustrated and finding your very own home-bred, raised, and trained horse strutting his stuff in the magazine’s centerfold!? That’s what happened to me this month. Right now my inner horse-crazy kid is doing the happy dance!

Bluebird Lane Helix in the centerfold of the December 2012 Horse Illustrated

Helix is two years old in the photo, enjoying a canter in one of our big grass fields here on the farm. He is seven now, all grown up and filled out, and still lives here at Bluebird Lane. He is one of my favorite horses to ride! Helix was sired by our former stallion Felix, imported from Norway, and was the last foal out of our First Premium Dutch imported mare, Cindy.

With this photo Helix joins three other Bluebird Lane horses who have been honoured to have been featured in Horse Illustrated. I know, I can hardly believe it either! Bocina was on the magazine cover in January 2010, with Bluebird Lane Kestrel as the centerfold in the same issue, and Bluebird Lane Sparrow appeared in an article spread in December 2006. The photo of me riding Sparrow at the Ontario Fjord Show was taken by Christina Handley, the other three are by Bob Langrish.

A Horse Illustrated collage of Helix, Bocina, Kestrel, and Sparrow (clockwise from top left)

I get so much joy from the beauty of our Fjord horses, and sharing it with others is just the icing on the cake.