Friesians in Yorkshire in the 1930s?

[Rackonteur]

I’m watching All Creatures Great and Small – Tris and James have been at an “estate” to float horses’ teeth.
The owner has 2 Friesian stallions, and his daughter(?) is out riding another Friesian.
I didn’t realize Friesians were all that thick on the ground in 1930s Yorkshire, especially for hacking.
I’d’ve expected to see such a rich young horsewoman on a TB or a Cleveland Bay or even a cob?
At this rate I’m surprised the Aldersons’ black mare isn’t a Friesian too, in foal to one of the 2 stallions at the “estate.”

Thoughts?

[Larksmom]

Time differences. I am watching it now. I thought it was odd her riding a Friesian. Especially when the horse playing up in the courtyard was no Friesian. it was STUNNING!

Just her turning the horse around she didn’t look good. IMHO

[Rackonteur]

Oops I thought he was.

[Larksmom]

the one in harness was, but the rearing horse called Satan, had clean lithe legs, and my eyes popped out of my head at the sight of him.

Now on to Vienna Blood and the strange Max…

[Rackonteur]

Oh, OK, Whew! I only saw the one in harness in the stable yard and the one out hacking. I didn’t see the rearing one. I was watching and eating supper and trying to keep my sleeping cat comfortable in my lap!

[Larksmom]

you know, I don’t know if I have ever seen a Friesen under saddle. (Armor on) Not impressive. It made his legs look short

they are staggeringly beautiful but maybe better driven than ridden. (and that actress couldn’t ride)

[Rackonteur]

I’ve only seen two ridden. One a beautiful imported mare; the other an imported stallion who I don’t think was purebred since he had some white. He was a handsome boy, though. I boarded with the mare at one barn.

[Scribbler]

I’ve certainly seen Friesians and very typey Friesian crosses under saddle. We have a genuine Dutch farming community here, not Pennsylvania Dutch/Doestch/German which I think has brought more breeding here than in some places.

They are narrow and stiff, they have high heads and lots of loft at the trot and look like they’d be great at dressage but the collection, bend, lifted back part of the equation is not easy. Obviously there are going to be outliers who do better at this I’m sure someone has a Grand Prix Friesian out there, but they wouldn’t be my first choice.

[Xanthoria]

@Rackonteur

I didn’t realize Friesians were all that thick on the ground in 1930s Yorkshire, especially for hacking.

The breed was almost extinct with only three stallions in the Netherlands in 1913 so it’s hard to imagine them being common in the UK just 17 years later?

https://fhagbi.co.uk/breed_history.php

[Scribbler]

I expect that when you are shooting a film or TV show you are limited to the animals on offer from the animal rental training handling companies. I expect Friesians are over represented because they fit Medieval Fantasy Horse so well and that’s a currently popular genre. So that’s what you get.

[Xanthoria]

Oh no doubt. It’s always the same ones too - ridden, in harness, in the background - in every production no matter the time period

[Willesdon]

Friesians are not common in the UK, though in the 19th century they were popular in the funeral trade. There was probably a two way business: horses into Britain and horses going to Europe for slaughter e.g. on the “Antwerp Boat” in Tilbury Docks that used to take unsound working horses from London each week.

Do have a look at “Dales Ponies”. They are a Yorkshire breed, sadly rare today but once the all rounder used by farmers and traders for work and leisure. They can look absolutely splendid with plenty of hair and feather. Dark colours are more common so they can do a mini-Friesian rather well.

But I suspect it is the usual thing of having whatever horses are available to hire from the specialist trainers and assuming all horses are just horses.

I once found a very small yard on the edge of some public open space in London so, being nosey, when I saw a human there I went in to talk to him. “Goodness” I said “I would never have expected to see two Friesians here”. He responded, “And I would never have expected to meet someone here who knew they are Friesians!”

[Moon_River]

TV companies here always seem to want the Friesian look regardless of appropriateness to the work! So partly that’s why they are the type of horse trained to do film work. I think these will have been Ben Atkinson’s horses who is also based in Yorkshire.

[clanter]

which reminds me of my little girl proclaiming loudly in a packed theater watching the Black Stallion …hundreds of kids there with parents… horse that was portraying the Stallion swished its tail to reveal to my four or five year old daughter that He was a Mare…which she loudly told me Daddy THAT is Not a Stallion its a MARE

[B_and_B]

Movies…a 1930’s British estate would not have had Friesians, a)they were extremely rare and b) they were carriage/funeral horses. It would be very lacking in ‘class’ at the time. The horses would have been refined hunters. Mostly Tb with perhaps a little Cleveland Bay thrown in. Exotic and plausible would have been to have an Arabian.
Draft, carriage, or cob…definitely not!

[Rackonteur]

And Cleveland Bays, which are native to Yorkshire, are probably even more scarce there (or anywhere) than Friesians were in the Thirties.
I did wonder if the yard owner might be an undertaker, but it didn’t look like a funeral home.

But you’d think they could have gotten hold of an Irish Hunter (modern ISH) for the daughter of the house to ride.

[Posting_Trot]

Yes I was watching All Creatures last night as well. I saw the young woman riding the horse (towards the end of the episode while Tristan is driving the Rover and sees her and decides to stop to talk). With that head carriage, mane, color and black feathers the horse did look to me like a Friesian.

I also thought a Friesian was an odd casting choice, although I recognize that most people would look at the horse and just say, “that’s a horse.” The niceties of Friesian vs. Cleveland Bay vs. TB vs. cob would be lost on them.

I would have thought that for that time period, a posh stable from which people hunted would have had some TBs or TB x’s (heavy hunters).

[Angela_Freda]

Exactly. Satan in the courtyard rearing, etc was not Satan in stall, getting teeth done, or out on ride.
Plus supposedly family has racehorses, per the relationship to Helens former fiance… so not really good horse casting.
Except for actress was able to complete scene, so…priorities.

[Larksmom]

I’m glad someone else saw that horse! I was beginning to doubt my eyes!

[2DogsFarm]

Not only rearing, he(she?) did a decent capriole… inside the stall… making me

Horse in harness = Friesian
Horse ridden = same (probably same horse)
Horse doing Airs = Not Friesian
& Continuity Oops:
Tristan mentions doing the float when talking to the mounted gal and infers it’s the same horse
Nitpick:
Helen’s mare is said to be ready to foal “in a week”
Nowayinheck that mare was that pregnant.
Might not even have been a mare

Otherwise I love the show & forgive the lapses.

@Larksmom A friend has a FriesianX & a full Friesian.
Both drive & her teen granddaughter rides both (Lord Save Us) in the County Fair Youth Show classes, both huntseat & Western tack.

@Willesdon There’s a lady who brings her 4 of Dales to the National Drive every Fall.
Droolworthy turnout and they drive the water hazards!