Friesian Horse

As one of the world's oldest equine breeds, the Friesian is native to the northern province of Friesland in The Netherlands, where it is deemed a national treasure. With powerful muscles beneath its lustrous black lacquered coat, and a gentle disposition that endears the animal to those of the two legged kind, the Friesian has enchanted Europeans for centuries. Experts suspect that the Friesian's most influential ancestor was the prehistoric Equus robustus, an enormous horse that once roamed the region now known as the Netherlands.

The monks where well known for their horse breeding in the middle ages, and reputedly crossed the draft type Equus robustus descendents with lighter horse breeds. The result was the Friesian, a horse with incredible strength and agility, coupled with a willing, kind, yet lively disposition. These skilful monks created not only one of Europe's first pure horse breeds but also one of the world's first warmbloods.

The Romans were among the first to acknowledge the Friesian as a powerful working horse. Despite being ugly in their eyes, the strength, docility and endurance was proved when carrying the German Knights to the Crusaders. Later the Friesian became better looking, contact with the eastern horses improved the Friesian, as did the infusion of the Andalusian blood when the Spanish occupied The Netherlands during the Eighty Years' War. The descendents of this heavy horse were valued as saddle horses by the medieval nobility and are portrayed by many of the Old Dutch Master-Painters.

In turn the Friesian was used to improve other breeds such as the Oldenburg that was mainly founded on Friesian blood (and in later years Oldenburg blood was used to re-establish the Friesian breed). The New Forest, Dale, Fell Ponies, the Morgan Horse and from there the Standardbred, Orlov Trotter, Swedish Warmblood, Kladruber and the Norwegian Dole Gudbrandsdal were all influenced by the Friesian. Through its derivative, the Old English Black, the Friesian also influenced England's Great Horse, now known as the Shire.

Content from www.horsetalk.co.nz/friesian/

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