Mill Spring, N.C.—Sept. 3

Two years ago Lisa Samuel knew nothing about the Norwegian Fjord breed. But when she met two Fjords owned by Tracey Bienemann, she was hooked.

“She saw these Fjords and went crazy and was like, ‘Oh my God! I love it! I want it!’ I was like ‘OK, sure, great,’ ” Samuel’s trainer Erika Nesler recalled. “Where am I going to find a Fjord that can jump and do things? I had never dealt with the breed before.”

So Samuel and her trainer Nesler went on a hunt. The result? A now 6-year-old Norwegian Fjord named Corgi Hill Benson (MVF Erlend—Corgi Hill Brynja).

“I happened to mention it to Tracey, who’s a good friend, and she said, ‘Well, one’s for sale.’ I said, ‘No way!’ ” said Nesler. “So I called [Samuel] up and said, ‘Hey, can we try one later today?’ and next thing you know, two days later she’s writing a check for the pony, and we haul it back to Pennsylvania.”

Nesler wasn’t really sure what she had gotten herself into when she first brought the pony to her business in Cochranville, Pa. Benson was originally broke to drive, and Nesler’s son was the first to take him over a ditch.

“He was a good guy, good brain, just sweet and easygoing,” said Nesler. “We brought him home, and Lisa started really riding him. She does the dressage stuff, so she does rated dressage shows at training level, and we’re trying to get her to jump. She likes jumping the small things at home. We’re across the street from Boyd [Martin’s Windurra USA], so there’s a lot of stuff for her to play with over there.”

Lisa Samuel (left) and Erika Nesler with Corgi Hill Benson at the Nutrena USEA American Eventing Championships. Photo courtesy of Lisa Samuel.

“He’s a sweetheart in the barn; he’s a puppy dog,” said Samuel. “You say ‘Hey, Benson,’ he kind of is looking for a treat because he’s food motivated, but if you call him over in his stall, he will look up and walk over and let you pet him. That’s his personality. He’s a puppy dog. That’s why we love him.

“He’s my life pony. We have a bond,” she continued.

Earlier this year Nesler decided it was time to get Benson out to some horse trials. After four good showings at beginner novice, they decided that since Benson was qualified, they should try to make it to the Nutrena USEA American Eventing Championships.

“I was already coming down with a prelim horse and an intermediate horse and another student so I said, ‘Let’s go,’ ” said Benson.

“I definitely prepared him. It’s not my first AEC, so I knew coming down here, especially with Captain Phillips designing the course, that it was going to be challenging,” she continued. “It was not going to be a walk in the park, and I had a bunch of Pony Club kids come down a couple weeks ago, so I kind of got to see what the fences were, not necessarily the placement and location, but what they looked like. We just make sure we schooled him, upped his endurance some on the track at Windurra. It’s a little funny doing little trot sets and canter sets on the Fjord pony, but he’s great. He loves it.”

Benson cruised around his dressage test to the tune of a 34.3 penalties and added nothing on cross-country, but he had two rails in show jumping.

Erika Nesler out on cross-country with Corgi Hill Benson. Photo by Kimberly Loushin.

“He’s great,” said Nesler. “I’ve never dealt with that breed before, and I’ve dealt with Halflingers, and this breed is amazing. I would say it’s comparable to a Connemara—great brain, very athletic. When we started jumping this thing, and I’d see pictures, his little knees are tucked in, and I’m like, ‘Really?’ He’s got springs.

“It’s just fun! It’s as much fun as my intermediate horse, and at the end of the day that’s what it’s all about,” she continued.

While Samuel wasn’t the one in the tack this weekend, she still admitted to having a case of nerves when he went out on course.

“I had to come at the very end,” she said. “I’m a nervous wreck. I was almost close to tears, and then when he went over the third jump with the flowers and everything, I was like, ‘Oh my God, he’s going to do it. I can’t believe it. That horse is going to do everything.’ ”

While Samuel is still unsure as to whether she’ll tackle eventing with Benson, she’s considering making the GAIG/USDF Dressage Regional Championships a goal for next year.

“I like the dressage because it’s my mind and my body,” she said. “I’m a yoga teacher, so I understand when she says sit down and back. I like that whole thing, but the scary part of the eventing? I know he loves it, so I don’t want him to not to do it.”

Owner Lisa Samuel on Benson at a dressage show. Photo courtesy of Lisa Samuel.

For Nesler, the notoriety that comes with riding a Fjord was a bit of a surprise.

“We have people following me on Facebook and reaching out to me. ‘Thanks for what you’re doing for the breed. This is awesome. I think it’s great.’ They’re tough,” said Nesler. “I think they’d be good kids’ ponies because they’re not going to get a buck in them, they’re not going to be naughty that way, but they’re going to make a kid ride. They’re going to teach them how to sit up and push on to a fence, but if the kid’s off balance, they’re going to be like, ‘Oh, I’m just going to stand still.’

“I did feel weird the first couple of shows,” she added. “I’m not out there putting my opinion out there, and I’m very quiet and reserved. So the first time I have all these people coming out to me and reaching out to me on Facebook, and I’m like, ‘It’s a pony!’ Now I’m like, ‘Oh, thanks, do you want to pet him?’ And the kids love it. I’m on a pony! I walk around, and I’m smiling from ear to ear.”

Want more Fjords? Meet Sven, the Norwegian Fjord who competed at last years US Dressage Finals.

Want more from the American Eventing Championships? There’s a live stream of the intermediate and advanced action, which can be found here. Don’t miss any of the Chronicle’s coverage, which is located here.