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Friesian Buying Guide


Jasper 366


History of the Friesian Breed
Ritse 322

The Friesian horse dates back to ancient times and is said to be a direct descendant of the ancient horse, Equus Robustus. The first Friesian horses are believed to have originated in Friesland, a small province in the Netherlands, in the early 16th century. The horse was heavy in build and quite strong. Even so, it was considered to be fairly light on its feet for its size.

During the Dutch Independence war against Spain, the Friesian performed its duties as a war horse. During this time (mid 1500s to mid 1600s), the Friesian was a heavy draft-like breed. Andalusian horses were bred with the Friesians to lighten the body of the Friesian and added to its distinctly animated trot. This resulted in the warmblood Friesian of today.

From war horse, the Friesian changed vocations to become an indispensable partner in agriculture. The strong, hearty constitution of the Friesian made it an excellent horse for performing work on the farm. This was perhaps the introduction of the horse to harness work.

With the mechanization of the farms, the role of the Friesian horse changed once again. Already a well-loved member of the family, the Friesian horse was used to pull the family carriage - to the market or to church on Sunday. Even then, this magnificent horse was appreciated for his beauty as well as his role in the life of his owners.
In the early 1800's Friesians were introduced into sport and became quite popular as trotting horses over short distances. Trotting races were done both on horseback, and in front of a Friesian carriage (sjees). These races became very popular in Friesland during this time and the prize for winning the race was often a silver or golden whip. There is still a collection of these whips displayed at the Friesian Museum in Leeuwarden.

Most recently the Friesian horse has become a valued riding horse. The breed is experiencing considerable success as a dressage horse in the United States. Its popularity has grown tremendously in the last two decades, and there are over 8000 registered horses currently residing in the US.

There has often been controversy around the registration of the Friesian horses, due to the high incidence of cross-breeding. In 1879, the solution was to form two books - the A book for Friesian horses and the B book for crossbreds. Cross breeding became so common that, in 1907, a change was made that would allow the registry of all horses in one book. This could have been a disaster for the Friesian horse and could have caused the loss of the unique breed entirely had it not been for a small group of purists that believed the qualities of the original horse should be preserved. In 1913, these purists created the society "Het Friesche Paard" (The Friesian Horse). In 1915, two books were again created. Evaluations were instituted to ensure the breeding of quality horses.
Today, the Friese Paarden Stamboek (FPS) is one of the strictest breed registries in the world; and the future of this unique breed has been assured. Within this book, Chapter 4 contains more detailed information about FPS, which is the original Dutch registry from which all modern day registered Friesians originated. In 1979, a German registry, the FFZV, was created. This book is also covered in Chapter 4.

More detailed information about the history of the Friesian horse can be found in the Dutch book, "Het Friese Paard" by G.A. Bouma, 1979, printed by Friese Pers Boekerij, bv., in Drachten and Leewarden, the Netherlands. An excerpt from this book is translated into English and provided with permission from the author on the website of the Friesian Horse Association of North America. ( www.fhana.com)


Text derived from an excerpt from:
The Friesian Horse
by Laura Beeman @ Stoney Wood Friesians

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