Horse Care For Beginners

My dream horse, a true black beauty.

Like many in the early years of their riding career I had this great desire to own a big, strong and beautiful pure black horse. Are you the same? Circumstances were in my favour and I found Midnight , a Percheron/Thoroughbred cross who turned out to be just what I knew I really wanted.

In those days, now some years past, I’d never heard of a breed known as a Friesian. Had I known what I know now, the Friesian would probably have been the first on my list.

Their origin.

I should mention here that as I have personally had little contact with owners of Friesians, I’ve drawn some of the following descriptive information from Wikipedia.

The Friesian (also Frisian) is a horse breed originating in Friesland, a province of the Netherlands. Although the breed’s conformation resembles that of a light draft horse, Friesians are extremely graceful and nimble for their size. During the Early Middle Ages and High Middle Ages, their size enabled them to carry a knight in armour. In the Late Middle Ages, heavier, draft type horses were needed.

It’s interesting to note that although the breed nearly became extinct on more than one occasion, the modern day Friesian horse is growing in numbers and popularity. They are popular in both Europe and the United States, and are often now used today for dressage competition, pleasure riding, and driving. Friesian horses can do well in dressage competition due to the breed’s movement, trainability, appearance, power, and body control. The breed is particularly known for it’s brisk, high-stepping trot.

The purebred Friesian

A hallmark of a purebred Friesian horse is its black color.  While small numbers of them are known to occur in additional colors such as chestnut.  Although the typical purebred Friesian horse does not bear any markings, some have a small star shape located on their foreheads.

Others have more elaborate white markings.  Typically only plain, unmarked black ones or the ones wearing only the small star are selected for registration.

These handsome horses have, in addition to their typical gleaming black coats, a thick mane and tail, and “feathered” hair on the lower legs.  This distinctive hair is not cut, but left on the legs to feather gracefully, giving the horses an attractive and unique look.

Along with their genuine beauty, these horses are sturdy, dependable animals who have routinely functioned both for “harness work” that is, as hitched to a wagon or plow for farm work or other device, or “saddle work,” being ridden as seen at shows and horse races.  Well disciplined, these horses are able to perform well in both types of use.

Friesian horses were typically raised with dairy animals.  Part of their early work was to help with the dairy farms.  When mechanization became a way of life on the old farms, replacing the use and dependence on the horses, these elegant horses began to fall out of use.  However, their well-known attributes enabled them to survive and continue as a viable breed.

Where to locate a Friesan horse.

While these beautiful animals are of European extraction, and enjoy a good market on the continent, there’s a booming Friesian sale market for the breed and you can usually find a local Friesian horse sale at well-advertised breeding farms that can be found on the Internet.  This online listing of Friesian horses gives a comprehensive amount of detail of  well-known horse farms and the horses they breed at those farms.  The farms also share additional information about the breed, such as Friesian Sale

Breeding developments.

Friesian in a playful mood.

The breed continues to flourish today both as its conventional durable form, and with at least two new breedings, both of which are lighter, agile, attractive horses in the same form as the traditional purebred Friesian horse, which has graced the horse world for ages.

These newer breeds of the horse may be found under the names of the “Friesian cross” and the “Friesian Sportbreed.”  These two outstanding horses are imbued with both the most valuable attributes of the well-loved Friesian breed but now carry the benefits of newer genetics from a well-chosen cross breed.   However, that being said, ‘true’ Friesian enthusiasts will only own and invest in an ‘approved’ Friesian.

Should you think that a Friesian horse could be what you’re looking for, you could start your search at Friesian Sale  Or you may care to email karen@FallsvaleFarms.com

Recommended reading:  Torden, Hear the Thunder by Christy Kirkham

“This book is both timeless and ageless and very heart warming. I found myself going back to my childhood and my love of horses and reading the adventures made me feel as though I was there living them with each page. I applaud C. Kirkham for bringing the history of the Friesian horse into such a GREAT read and look VERY forward to the sequel. I highly recommend this book to everyone, young and old, it’s OUTSTANDING !”    Ronda

Sipke’s Son – The Story of a Friesian Colt  by Ruby Wooten and Rebecca Dennett

“This heartwarming, so wonderfully written & illustrated book is by far one of the best new books for children I have had the pleasure of reading in a very long time. I bought a copy as soon as they were available as my Grandson’s first book & will soon be ordering one for my very own. The love Ruby & Rebecca have for these amazing horses shines through in every page. I feel such joy every time I read it to my grandson & will have to buy him another copy too because this book will be well-worn! Thank you so much Ruby & Rebecca!”

Review by Lora L. Brewster

Related posts:

1. Remembering “Black Beauty”.
2. How To Own Your Dream Horse!
3. The Percheron Horse ~ A Breed Worth Knowing.

Tags: black horse, easyhorse care, Equestrian, friesian, Friesian horse, Horse, Horse breeds

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