Friesian Longevity/health advice

[Wendaeho]

Looking at buying a 17-year-old Registered Friesian gelding. Thinking I would have him for 10 years. At first sight, he looks old and tired. Seems he hasn’t had real consistent work for 7 years. Got a trot out of him with the help of spurs. Once he gets moving he seemed sound. and moved nicely. I happened to mention this potential purchase to one of my friends who owns/breeds $$$ Friesians. Absolutely do not buy him!!! You will not get many years out of him??? Health Issues, etc. How long do Friesians live? Am I stupid?

Also, if I go through with this. What pre-purchase exams should I get? Organ test? X-rays, etc?

[joiedevie99]

What do you want to do with him over those 10 years? What is his purpose intended to be?

[Nestor]

To be frank… yea Friesians suck health-wise. You could get lucky and have one who doesn’t have the weird stuff, but generally they come up with the weirdest ways to get sick (or worse). Things that the big vets don’t see for decades, leave it to a Friesian to come up with that stuff.

When I’ve talked to vets about friend wanting a new Friesian, they all have the same response. DO NOT buy a Friesian, they have the craziest health issues.

[Scribbler]

Could this be due to a restricted gene pool?

When you get a breed where the horses are so identical down to color, there must not be a lot of genetic diversity.

[Wendaeho]

joiedevie99 - I’m an older (50+) looking to do practice learning basic level dressage and a lot of trail ride, maybe a hunter pace (at my pace). no real jumping other than a down tree. How many more years does he have left 2, 5 or 10? I understand it’s always a gamble.

[Scribbler]

@Wendaeho

joiedevie99 - I’m an older (50+) looking to do practice learning basic level dressage and a lot of trail ride, maybe a hunter pace (at my pace). no real jumping other than a down tree. How many more years does he have left 2, 5 or 10? I understand it’s always a gamble.

Only your vet can even start to answer this.

All horses can have arthritis and other issues in old age. I’m not familiar with Friesians personally so I’d suggest researching specific health issues and whether they show up early or late.

If he has been in a field he is likely out of shape and also maybe hasn’t had as much wear and tear on his joints. But why was he dumped there? Did he have an issue injury?

Are there any hereditary diseases for Friesians like HYPP in QH or PSSM in draft horses? Or a given like melanomas in grey horses?

Ok I googled and the first hit answered my questions.

https://ker.com/equinews/health-problems-friesian-horses/#content

Some of these are only relevant to breeders. Others might be testable. They aren’t linked exactly to premature aging so they should mostly be present or not in a 17 year old horse.

[2tempe]

No direct experience, but know a couple people who have/had them. Older one (18ish) currently at our barn. He has bad skin issues under all that feathering. Most has now been clipped but damage is done - fetlocks big, crusty, etc. He also has cushings. He also doesn’t sweat. You dont say where you live but Friesians do not do well in the heat/humidity of places like Florida, so if you are anywhere in the south, I’d for sure look at something else.

[rememberthenight]

Friesians definately have shorter life spans. Most our most famous stallions are passing between 15-19years old. (That is just lifespans that are easily traceable and available for everyone to see.) I know most seem that seem elderly at in their late teens. I know a few Friesians in their early to mid Twenties.

I love my friesians, but they are more fragile.

[Toothgrinder]

Get his teeth checked out. In my experience they are prone to EOTRH and other tooth issues. I would think ten more working years from any 17 year old is a lot.

[SonnysMom]

I think they are prone to a congenital heart issues. Somebody I used to board with had a Friesian and he died in his early teens suddenly due to a congenital heart issue that is apparently common with Friesians.

[Scribbler]

The other thing to consider as an older beginner or re-rider is that your riding is going to improve a lot in the next 5 years, if you have your own horse and ride every day.

While you want to buy a horse you can ride right now, you don’t want to buy one that will be in fast decline as you improve. Recipe for heart ache.

I would feel differently about the age if the horse was already staying sound in steady work and was already trained up to the level you want. Then a slight decline in energy or minor maintenance for arthritis could be offset by how much you could learn from him.

If this horse is not fit and it is questionable how schooled he is, you might not get him going well for a year or two, if ever

Also why was he left in pasture? A lot of horses fall through the cracks from a combination of unsoundness, no training, and personal crises with the humans. But usually a valuable, sound and well schooled horse does not end up as a pasture pet when he is 10 years old.

[Amy3996]

I don’t have a Friesian, but I did buy my warmblood gelding at 15. Knowing that he was in his mid-teens and stepping down from a demanding career in the Big Eq/ High Performance hunters, I went in with my eyes wide open.

Maintenance was going to be required to some extent. He was going to need more careful management with feed/farrier/dental care as he got older. I was prepared to deal with those things, because a horse with his level of training and experience could teach me SO much. My riding has improved tremendously in the last three years that I’ve had him. He truly is my once-in-a-lifetime horse, and I’ve often said there isn’t much I wouldn’t do for him.

My best advice would be to do a thorough pre-purchase with a reputable vet. X-rays, bloodwork, flexions, teeth, etc. When I did my PPE for my horse, my vet gave me a good piece of advice: every horse is going to have something show up on a PPE that could be a potential red flag. But the red flags for a Grand Prix horse are going to be very different from the red flags for a horse doing the kind of things you describe. So make sure your vet is considering the PPE results through that kind of lens too, if the exam comes back without major issues.

You say that he seems as though he hasn’t had consistent work in some time. Getting a 17 year old horse fit for regular riding will also be a considerable challenge that you’d want to discuss with your vet.

[mlb722]

IME they do seem to have a lot of issues. A woman I know had two, one died in his late teens, essentially had a heart issue just as the other poster mentioned. Her other has weird problems like very low vitamin E, other issues, colics a lot. My BO says she’s seen a lot go wrong with them more so than other breeds.

I’d be concerned he hasn’t been in a full work program and is really out of shape—will he be able to meet your goals?

when I think longevity honestly it would be one of the last breeds I’d think of.

[Glyphica]

We have one at the barn as he is by far the biggest health issue here. Skin problems, weird allergies, absolutely can’t take the heat at all, funky feet that don’t hold shoes well, has to really have his diet monitored as he’s fenceline IR. He doesn’t have Cushing’s yet, but I bet he will go that route when he gets a bit older. And he’s not even fun to ride – absolutely no work ethic (not necessarily a breed trait). After him, I certainly would not be intentionally looking for one.

[cmdrcltr]

There are Friesians where I board, and my BO’s friend is a breeder. They do seem to have more health issues than your average Joe Steed. I know my BO would consider 17 near the end of a Friesian’s working years. They can be prone to thyroid issues and also something called megaesophagus, which can cause choke.

[GraceLikeRain]

I think realistic is ~5 years for a healthy sound 17 year old horse of moderate bone who passes a robust PPE demonstrating that it is solidly serviceably sound for LL dressage and trails. If I got 7-8+ years instead of 5 I would consider that a wonderful bonus. Buying a 17 year old horse I would also expect that I may only get 2-3 years of regular work.

I would not consider a heavy boned horse from a breed not known for longevity who has not been in active work for most of his career as a smart prospective partner.

[2Below]

I worked for a trainer who had a lot of Friesians for a time, one made it to Grand Prix, several to PSG. Of all the Friesians I’ve known in my life (easily a couple dozen), I’ve only known 1 to live into her 20’s. The majority that I’ve known who have died have been from colic, or complications coming out of colic surgery. Health issues I’ve known to be more particular to them include roaring, megaesophagus and funky stifle issues. THey are kind and beautiful, but yes many health and soundness issues and honestly many are not easy to ride/ hard on your body. If you want a heavier boned horse I would look for a half draft or something sturdy like a Morgan (and talk about longevity-those Morgans stick around a long time!).

[Posting_Trot]

@Scribbler

Only your vet can even start to answer this.

All horses can have arthritis and other issues in old age. I’m not familiar with Friesians personally so I’d suggest researching specific health issues and whether they show up early or late.

If he has been in a field he is likely out of shape and also maybe hasn’t had as much wear and tear on his joints. But why was he dumped there? Did he have an issue injury?

Are there any hereditary diseases for Friesians like HYPP in QH or PSSM in draft horses? Or a given like melanomas in grey horses?

Ok I googled and the first hit answered my questions.

https://ker.com/equinews/health-problems-friesian-horses/#content

Some of these are only relevant to breeders. Others might be testable. They aren’t linked exactly to premature aging so they should mostly be present or not in a 17 year old horse.

Wow. After reading that article (thanks for posting!), I’m amazed that Friesians are as popular as they are.

Given that information, I think that I’d think multiple times before taking on a Friesian as old as 16 and who “looks tired.”

There are a lot of horses out there who could do the job that the OP has in mind, and I’d probably go for a slightly younger horse no matter the breed if you want to have a strong chance of riding the same horse for 10+ years.

Good luck in your horse search.

[AKB]

Think about your plans if you have to retire him in a few years. If you have a way to eventually retire him, and he isn’t too expensive, I would get a good prepurchase exam and buy him. Having a horse who gives you confidence is worth a lot. Can you lease him for a month so you can get him fit enough for a decent prepurchase exam? It is hard to get a good exam when a horse is not in work.

[JLR1]

Honestly you couldn’t give me a 17 year old fresian…one that hasn’t been worked for years generally means one who has been standing around with lameness issues. If you like him enough maybe lease, but definitely wouldn’t buy.