Wången!
I’ve already told you about my meeting with Bertil when I was a child. He was so happy to find someone who could share his immense passion for horses, especially the Nordsvensk (North Swedish Horse), that he started taking me along to various events. There were local evaluations, driving competitions, and other gatherings, but if you were passionate about the Nordsvensk back then, there was one place that was the heart of it all for breeders: Wången. That was where the evaluations for 3- and 4-year-olds took place early in the spring, and people came from all over Sweden. Yes, even someone from Denmark!
Not only was I from “abroad,” but I was also a girl! There weren’t many girls who shared an interest in Nordsvensk horses at that time, so I was unusual in every way. I was allowed to go with Bertil all the way to Wången in Östersund, which meant a train journey of over 12 hours. Naturally, all the Nordsvensk enthusiasts traveled together, and they had a lot of fun on the way. They had prepared well with their flasks, and there wasn’t much sleeping – but there was a lot of laughter! By then, I was a bit older and even got to have a schnapps or two along the journey.
I remember when we arrived at Wången. We had barely slept, and when we got off the train, it almost felt like we were still moving.
At Wången, people gathered from all over the country, and the variety of dialects was incredible. I was Danish, but by that time, I could speak fluent Swedish. Since I had learned the language and how to listen, I often ended up translating for the men when they couldn’t understand each other! Things usually got better after a couple of schnapps, and ultimately, everyone agreed that the Nordsvensk was the finest horse to ever walk on four legs.
I remember one man from Dalarna who had a wonderful dialect and a gift for storytelling. He would sit and humorously reflect on how strange it was that the evaluation judges – often limping with canes, wearing glasses, and using hearing aids – could stand there and criticize these perfectly created horses, saying they were “too short in the back” or “a little pigeon-toed.” We laughed until tears rolled down our cheeks!
There were so many debates and opinions when one of the stallions wasn’t approved, and the pride that radiated from breeders and supporters when a stallion was approved was incredible.
I visited Wången three times, and each experience was amazing. My love for the Nordsvensk remains strong. I think they are wonderful, versatile horses. I’ve been a lucky owner of three of them, and I would love to have another one someday.
The picture is from Wången 1979 when one of the 3 years stallions is showed.
