| The Friesian Horse, one of Europe's oldest | | | | when their coats are shedding or when they have |
| domesticated breeds, originated in Friesland, a province | | | | become sun or sweat bleached. White markings have |
| of The Netherlands. It is considered to be a | | | | been minimized by selective breeding and the only |
| Warmblood because of its easy-going temperament | | | | white marking that is allowed on a studbook-registered |
| with a companionable nature. The Friesian horse is also | | | | horse is a small white spot or star between the eyes. |
| a talented show horse when it comes to dressage. | | | | The Friesian has a powerful, high-stepping gait, but |
| This is due to its intelligence, willingness to learn and to | | | | aside from its high knee action and elegant |
| please, and readiness to perform. | | | | performance, the Friesian horse was also used as a |
| It is difficult to date the precise origin of the Friesian but | | | | trotting race horse for the short distance of 80 rods |
| it is believed to be descended from the ancient Equus | | | | (325 m). In the 18th and 19th centuries these horse |
| robustus (big horse). Frisian horsemen served in the | | | | races were very popular in Friesland. For important |
| Roman Legions, e.g. the Equites Singulares of Emperor | | | | races the prize was a silver or a gold whip. The |
| Nero (54-68), and in Great Britain near Hadrian's Wall | | | | Friesian Museum at Leeuwarden has a fine collection |
| which was built in 120 AD. There is certainty that the | | | | of them. The races at Leeuwarden ended in 1891 |
| horse was well-known in the Middle Ages since it is | | | | when H.M. Queen Regent Emma awarded the golden |
| found in art work of that era. Breeding horses was | | | | whip for the last time. |
| very important for the Frisians and before the | | | | The Friesian horse influenced the breeding of the |
| reformation, the monks in Friesland monasteries did a | | | | Russian Orloff, along with English and American race |
| lot of horse breeding. | | | | horses. Since these horses were bred and used for |
| In the 1600's it was adopted to carry heavy weight | | | | racing only and were faster, this brought Friesian |
| under saddle. During the 16th and 17th centuries, and | | | | horseracing to an end. |
| maybe earlier, Arabian blood was introduced through | | | | The modern Friesian is slightly taller and lighter on its |
| the Spanish Andalusian horses. This gave them the | | | | feet than its coach-bred ancestors, which has allowed |
| high knee-action, the small head and the craning neck. | | | | the Friesian to re-emerge as both a champion |
| The Friesian horse has had no influence from the | | | | dressage and driving performance horse. |
| English Thoroughbred and during the last two centuries | | | | Driving one or more Friesian horses has become |
| it has been bred pure. | | | | increasingly popular in the past few years. Harness |
| Through the centuries, the Friesian Government has | | | | events in shows are usually driven with a high-wheeled |
| made many regulations in order to safeguard breeding | | | | gig called the "sjees", for singles, pairs, and tandems. |
| and now the Dutch Horselaw of 1939 (modified) gives | | | | The oldest original sjees were built in the late 18th |
| rules for studbook and breeding. Systematic breeding | | | | century. The sjees derives its elegant form from the |
| has restored the breed's quality and its numbers are | | | | two slender, high wheels and the small seat suspended |
| now increasing. The horse is now being exported to | | | | between them on leather straps. The two-person seat |
| other countries and its popularity is growing. | | | | has ornately molded, carved, and painted panels, back, |
| The Friesian horse was originally imported to North | | | | front, and sides, with a bit of a Rubenesque look to it. |
| America in the 17th century but the purity of the breed | | | | An especially impressive show is the Friesian quadrille |
| was totally lost in North America due to crossbreeding | | | | which is comprised of 8 sjees, drawn by Friesians, |
| because due to its splendid action at the trot, the | | | | driven by gentlemen accompanied by a lady, both |
| Friesian was bred to be lighter in weight. This, | | | | dressed in traditional 1850's costumes. Complex |
| unfortunately, limited its use in agriculture and led to its | | | | patterns are driven, showing the drivers' trust in the |
| decline in the early 1900's. It nearly died out before | | | | obedience of their horses. Driving with four-wheeled |
| World War I, when the number of Friesian stallions | | | | show carts is also becoming popular. |
| was reputedly reduced to only three. The breed was | | | | The Friesian Horse Association of North America |
| rejuvenated by introducing the Oldenburg horse. | | | | (FHANA) was founded in 1983 and is the North |
| Thanks to a few Dutch Friesian admirers in the late | | | | American representative of the original Friesian horse |
| 19th and early 20th centuries, purebred Friesians are | | | | association, Friese Paarden Stamboek (FPS). The FPS |
| now seen and enjoyed around the world, with the | | | | is recognized as the world-wide authority on the |
| majority being in the Netherlands and Germany, | | | | Friesian Horse. This studbook is the oldest in the |
| followed by North America where it was reintroduced | | | | Netherlands. It was founded May 1, 1879. There are |
| in 1974. The result has been the establishment of | | | | more than 45,000 Friesians registered worldwide in the |
| "daughter" societies of FPS around the world. | | | | FPS with approximately 4,000 of those horses in North |
| In conformation, the Friesian horse resembles the | | | | America. Tongue-tattooing, once voluntary, became |
| ancient western European horse and the knights' | | | | mandatory in 1989. |
| horse called destrier. Most memorable is their | | | | The rules of FHANA strictly forbid the breeding of |
| impressive stature. Friesian stallions must be at least | | | | FPS registered Friesian horses with other breeds and |
| 15.3 hands by age four with mares and geldings | | | | only Approved Studbook Stallions can sire horses that |
| reaching at least 14.3 hands in order to be registered in | | | | are eligible for entry in the main studbook registers. |
| the adult studbooks. Many are 16.0 hands or more, and | | | | There are approximately 75 Approved Stallions in the |
| weigh 1300 + pounds. | | | | world today and about a quarter of those are in North |
| The fine head of the Friesian is carried quite high on an | | | | America. The selection and testing requirements are |
| elegantly curved neck with outstanding crest, but | | | | so rigorous that only a handful is approved each year. |
| compared to the body, the head seems relatively small | | | | Four years after approval, the stallion's offspring must |
| and either straight or slightly concave. The face is | | | | demonstrate to the studbook inspectors that the |
| expressive with big eyes, and small ears are typical. | | | | Approved stallion is making a positive impact on the |
| The breed has a broad chest with lightly accentuated | | | | breed or his approval will be withdrawn. This insures |
| croup. Tough legs with good bone structure, and hind | | | | that only the very best stallions will influence the future |
| quarters that are muscular yet smooth, result in an | | | | of the Friesian horse. |
| enduring and surefooted horse. | | | | The naming conventions for the Friesian Horses are |
| The modern Friesian has long, heavy, luxuriant mane | | | | quite involved and often require a foal to be renamed |
| and the extra-long tail; these are never cut and often | | | | with a Friesian word when it becomes an approved |
| reach the ground. The breed also has abundant | | | | breeding stallion. Names of fillies cannot be duplicated in |
| feather and long Shire-like leg hair reaching from the | | | | the same calendar year, but its ok for colts to have |
| middle of the leg. When performing, these features | | | | the same name as other colts. Each calendar year a |
| combine with the feathers and the low set of the tail | | | | foal's name must begin with specific letters of the |
| to emphasize the breed's powerful and elastic gait. | | | | alphabet as designated by the FPS. For example, |
| Up until the turn of the century about twenty percent | | | | names for foals born in 2008 must begin with the |
| were chestnut or bay, and gray also occurred in the | | | | letters A, B, or C, and should be relatively simple, |
| breed, but black is now the only recognized color, but | | | | consisting of a single word. Explicit details for all naming |
| this may range from very dark brown or black-bay to | | | | rules can be found on the FPS website. |
| true black. Many Friesians appear to be black bay | | | | |