Friesian horses

[TrakHack]

I moved my horses to a farm with a small Friesian breeding program (The Friesians of Freedom Farm, website is a little out of date) this year. I had been trailering in for lessons with my Fjord for two years, so decided to make the move.

I think so much depends on the quality of the animal and the quality of the training (not just for Friesians, for any breed). The Friesians where I am were carefully selected and imported to build the breeding program, and the foals by their main stallion and out of the Dutch mares are a home run, every time.

The trainer and owner of the farm studied with Ray Hunt, so the training approach is different than most dressage training. Each amateur who has bought a Friesian from this program has started the horse themselves, and this is my next big goal in life. I could do it with another breed, but the Friesians make it easy. I should also note the breeding stallions are ridden in groups just like geldings are. We just had a mini-clinic over the weekend (I was on the only non-Friesian!), and even with my mare in heat both stallions were impeccably behaved. I think that is more about how they are handled and trained rather than the breed itself, though.

The horses at this farm don’t have the health issues others have mentioned, which I suspect is due to very careful selection of breeding stock. They all have the “puppy dog” personality and get very attached to their person. I have been working with one that “needs a person” for a couple months, and he hears my voice and comes trotting up to the gate. My Fjord and Trakehner, whom I’ve owned for years, watch from a distance…

My only reservation and why I haven’t purchased one of the foals already is their height. I really, really like 14.2-15.2 size range, which is too short for breed standard and not what is produced from this breeding program. I have been thinking about getting a foundation-bred Morgan filly and eventually crossing her with their sport stallion, but I’m still thinking through all the options.

[netg]

[QUOTE=Draftmare;8823453]
I haven’t read through all the posts here, but I am really surprised that nobody has mentioned yet all the health issues that friesians have due to being from such a small gene pool. Dwarfism, Hydrocephalus (rare in other breeds, but not so in friesians), aortic ruptures high in the aortic arch which lead to a slow bleed, and a few other problems that are rare in other breeds, but seem to pop up frequently in friesians.[/QUOTE]

You obviously didn’t read all the posts, and therefore shouldn’t be surprised you missed the multiple posts which did mention this.

[Megaladon]

[QUOTE=Derbyhorse;8811307]
Tell me about your Friesians! The good, the bad, and the ugly. I’m becoming more interested in the breed, and would like to know about other amateurs’ experiences. According to pictures on the internet, it looks like they cross nicely with other breeds as well.[/QUOTE]

I love Friesians. They have such an old world presence about them, perhaps due to the fact that they haven’t been heavily modernized. They are very intelligent! My favorite line would be the Jillis line. Very nice horses for dressage. The Wander and Barteld lines offer good temperaments as well. Not all Friesians are created equal. Certain bloodlines will offer differ qualities or quirks, strengths, weaknesses, suitability and rideabilty. Some are more oriented for professionals (with both temperament and rideability being factored in here) and others are perfect for beginners and up. They are a wonderful breed.

[Hollywood87]

Generally, carefully bred and selected Friesians that are imported by reputable breeders are quite healthy with limited issues. They have solid feet and many don’t require shoes. An investment in a well-bred Friesian is worth it when you save on vet and farrier bills over the years. Like another commenter said, they have a strong sense of self-preservation and don’t tend to injure themselves easily. They’re docile, calm, and patient and love people. The Friesian in the field is one that will come to you at the gate. They can be less sensitive (which is great when you want to slap a horsefly from their bum) but that doesn’t necessarily bode well for you in the saddle if you need to give subtle clues.

If you want a sound mind and gentle spirit, and don’t mind spending 3 times as much time on grooming than anyone else, you might be happy. Friesians are prone to skin irritations and scratches. You would also need to work with a trainer that knows the breed and what motivates them. You don’t ride a Friesian the same as a thoroughbred and you can’t push them too hard - they generally don’t have the same kind of stamina. Once they learn something, they’ll keep giving it to you - they’re very honest and try. And they also LOVE to eat and can be hard to keep in an ideal weight. Their strong food motivation can make for easy trick training though.:lol:

[Foxtrot_s]

Scratches is a condition that is common to draft-type horses, those with a lot of leg hair and legs that have folds around the fetlocks and pasterns. It can be very difficult to deal with and can internalize…constant vigilance and living conditions that are not wet can control this, along with antibiotics taken internally if a case of it should appear.

So, yes, it can affect Friesians, but not particularly only that breed.

There is quite a bit about it on Google. I think it would be an nightmare to have a bad case on one of these draft-types.

[MysticOakRanch]

[QUOTE=Foxtrot’s;8830202]
Scratches is a condition that is common to draft-type horses, those with a lot of leg hair and legs that have folds around the fetlocks and pasterns. It can be very difficult to deal with and can internalize…constant vigilance and living conditions that are not wet can control this, along with antibiotics taken internally if a case of it should appear.

So, yes, it can affect Friesians, but not particularly only that breed.

There is quite a bit about it on Google. I think it would be an nightmare to have a bad case on one of these draft-types.[/QUOTE]

And it even affects non-hairy horses. If a horse has white legs, it is also more susceptible to it. We had an area barn where several of the Warmbloods got scratches - and it took them MONTHS to get over it.

In a dry climate, it isn’t such an issue - I have known a lot of Friesians, and none of them have ever gotten scratches. I also know a trainer that specializes in Gypsies (talk about hairy!) and I think she’s had ONE case at her barn. But we are in a dry climate. In a wet/humid climate, it is much more of an issue - or in stalls that are not cleaned enough, or don’t use absorbent bedding, or with horses who stand out in the mud during the Winter.

Hollywood, I generally agree with your statement - but would add, my experience is that they are very intelligent, so once they DO learn something, it really sticks. They can be a bit different to motivate then a TB (or sensitive WB), they are more like the old style WBs - a bit of a slow twitch response, but it is trainable! Also agree, building stamina can be a bit more work then with a Tbred or modern WB.

I’ve had a few, and we taught them early on that leg means forward, and boy, they learned it and we had it! But if you just thump on them, they learn to tune it out, and that is where they get the “dull” reputation. And to add to that, many less-experienced riders are drawn to them because they are so sweet and pretty, and so they HAVE to learn to tune things out. A good rider can make them into a performance horse, a not-so-good rider can make them into an easy going, slow and steady horse - and that is part of the appeal, they don’t shut down and get angry like many Warmbloods would.

[Megaladon]

A really great thing now is that breeders can get testing done on their breeding stock which helps prevent the defects. Will it deplete the unwanted defects, I don’t know, but it’s a wonderful step forward. So it really is good to go with responsible advocates of the breed if one plans on purchasing a Friesian.

[Hollywood87]

Agreed!

[Hollywood87]

Agreed!

[QUOTE=MysticOakRanch;8830542]
And it even affects non-hairy horses. If a horse has white legs, it is also more susceptible to it. We had an area barn where several of the Warmbloods got scratches - and it took them MONTHS to get over it.

In a dry climate, it isn’t such an issue - I have known a lot of Friesians, and none of them have ever gotten scratches. I also know a trainer that specializes in Gypsies (talk about hairy!) and I think she’s had ONE case at her barn. But we are in a dry climate. In a wet/humid climate, it is much more of an issue - or in stalls that are not cleaned enough, or don’t use absorbent bedding, or with horses who stand out in the mud during the Winter.

Hollywood, I generally agree with your statement - but would add, my experience is that they are very intelligent, so once they DO learn something, it really sticks. They can be a bit different to motivate then a TB (or sensitive WB), they are more like the old style WBs - a bit of a slow twitch response, but it is trainable! Also agree, building stamina can be a bit more work then with a Tbred or modern WB.

I’ve had a few, and we taught them early on that leg means forward, and boy, they learned it and we had it! But if you just thump on them, they learn to tune it out, and that is where they get the “dull” reputation. And to add to that, many less-experienced riders are drawn to them because they are so sweet and pretty, and so they HAVE to learn to tune things out. A good rider can make them into a performance horse, a not-so-good rider can make them into an easy going, slow and steady horse - and that is part of the appeal, they don’t shut down and get angry like many Warmbloods would.[/QUOTE]