Magnificent Friesian/Saddlebred mare with an elastic stride and high-set neck. Cindy Bellamy/Friesian Heritage Horse & Sporthorse International
Friesian Heritage Horse and Sporthorse International
133 E. De La Guerra, #159
Santa Barbara, California 93101
www.friesianheritage.com
Commanding attention wherever they appear, horses of Friesian heritage have impacted the American equine world in a manner that will not soon be forgotten. Friesian Heritage Horses are the product of Friesians interbred with various other horses. This crossbreeding frequently results in intelligent individuals deserving of their stellar reputation. Proving their capabilities in all types of events, they are distinctive horses, commonly displaying athletic ability, proper balance, and an elegant appearance. They can offer the best of both worlds since some of the Friesian’s distinct characteristics, agreeable disposition, and presence are often retained and can blend well with traits from other breeds.
Known for their versatility, Friesian crossbred horses can be suitable for anything from the show ring to the family camping trip. They have achieved popularity and success in many performance disciplines, especially dressage, eventing, driving, and combined driving. They are also commonly found in exhibitions, costumed events, parades, jousting, renaissance fairs, and are becoming increasingly more popular as western riding mounts, both for leisure and showing.
History
For centuries, the primary purpose of the Friesian was as a carriage horse and sometimes as a light agricultural animal. It was often a popular candidate for cross breeding and the original stud books provided for crossbred Friesians. In 1880, the first stud books in the Netherlands were created; Book A was a registration book for Friesian Horses and Book B was for registration of Friesian crossbreds. In 1907, books A and B were combined into one book to register all of the horses.
Eventually, modernization led to a dramatic decline in the Friesian population and the breed nearly became extinct. To preserve it, a small group formed the Friesian Horse Society, or Het Friesche Paard, in 1913. This society worked toward improving the Friesian horse by buying quality Friesian foals and awarding horses of good type. In 1915, the Society again opened two registration books: Book A for Friesian horses and Book B for crossbreds or “Upland horses.” In 1943, Book B left the Stud Book, leaving the Friesian Stud Book to register only purebred Friesians.
In the United States, the popularity of the Friesian breed was ignited by the 1985 film Ladyhawke, which created interest in the Friesian. However, when Friesians were initially imported to America, the breed was rare and quite expensive. This resulted in the development of the Friesian crossbred horse.
Initially, the goal for many breeders who crossbred Friesians was to produce a Friesian “look-alike,” primarily because ownership of a purebred was cost prohibitive for the average horse owner. However, as these crossbred horses matured and started entering the competition world, some were recognized for their sheer talent and athleticism. Also many breeders noticed that when crossing Friesians with another breed, better individuals with increased health and stamina often resulted. Not only were these crossbreds talented, but they also tended to maintain the agreeable temperament and trainability that the Friesian breed is known for. This allowed them to become popular with, and well suited to, amateur horse owners and exhibitors as well as professionals.
Characteristics
The Friesian crossbred has been known by many different names: Friesian Heritage Horse, Friesian Cross, Friesian Sport Horse, Friesian Blood Horse, and Friesian Derivative—all meaning a horse that is partly Friesian and partly another breed or breed combination.
The secondary breed(s) selected depended on the goal of the individual breeder. Currently, due to the relative rarity of the Friesian breed as well as the fact that it is more cost effective, Friesian crossbreds are primarily the result of breeding Friesian stallions to mares of other breeds. Purebred mares are seldom used for crossbreeding.
The type and suitability of Friesian crossbreds vary widely, depending on what the Friesian is crossed with. In many breeding programs, crossing with Friesians is used to improve temperament, increase bone, improve joint articulation, achieve a higher neck set, or attain a curved body shape. Often the emphasis is placed on retaining the easy-going disposition and the regal presence of the Friesian.
The purebred Friesian has historically been bred as a high-stepping carriage horse. Therefore, some breeders cross it with more athletic, more forward moving breeds to develop a horse that can seriously compete in the sport horse disciplines.
Since the purebred Friesian is almost always solid black, for some cross breeders, the goal is to have a horse that strongly resembles the purebred Friesian, but with different coat colors and/or spotted patterns. Although Friesian crossbreds can be black, a great number of them are also bay. The chestnut (red) gene rarely occurs in the purebred Friesian and therefore is also rare in the crossbred. Any color is acceptable for crossbred registration.
Friesians crossed with Arabians, Morgans, Thoroughbreds and Saddlebreds are popular and typically result in a horse that has Friesian-like traits, yet has more refinement, agility, and stamina than a purebred Friesian. When baroque type breeds, such as the Andalusian, Lusitano, and the Lippizan have been used, typically the goal is to keep the “baroque look,” but increase the stamina and collection of the horse. Friesians bred to American stock horse breeds, such as the Quarter Horse, Paint, and Appaloosa, are often used to produce pinto and appaloosa patterned horses or those with variant colors, such as buckskin, dun, or roan. These crossbreds rarely retain the typical stock horse look, build, or movement. Generally, they are built more uphill, have longer, higher gaits than the stock horse, tend to have a stronger hindquarter, and again, have more stamina than the purebred Friesian.
There are various Friesian-crossed horses. This is a superb young Friesian/Appaloosa stallion. Cindy Bellamy/Friesian Heritage Horse & Sporthorse International
Tennessee Walkers and other gaited horses have been used with the goal of producing offspring with Friesian traits that are gaited—although they do not always inherit the intended gait. Draft horses crossed with Friesians are immensely popular as pleasure companions. In this situation the Friesian horse is commonly used to refine the draft horse characteristics and add the Friesian presence and showiness while preserving the easygoing temperament of both breeds.
Like Friesians, Friesian crossbreds tend to have quirky, very sociable, and clever personalities. They like to play in water and love attention. They are extremely curious, often investigating everything. They typically get along well with other horses and truly seem to enjoy the company of people. Even the stallions tend to be more tolerant of one another and are often seen working together without the typical stallion-to-stallion aggression. Their friendliness is often described as “puppy-dog” like.
Wonderful Friesian/draft stallion. This is a nice blend, producing a colorful, eloquent horse. Cindy Bellamy/Friesian Heritage Horse & Sporthorse International
Registry
There are many different Friesian based registries in existence, but they have different requirements and restrictions and sometimes vary greatly in their philosophies of what constitutes a registerable Friesian crossbred.
The Friesian Heritage Horse and Sporthorse International is an inclusive registry for Friesian crossbred and purebred Friesian horses that provides support and respect for both. The registry is casually referred to as “the Friesian Heritage Horse,” “the Heritage Horse,” or simply “the HH.” For the purposes of the registry, “Friesian Heritage Horses” refers to all HH registered horses of 25 to 99.9 percent documented Friesian heritage (blood). Purebred Friesians registered with HH are simply referred to as “purebreds” or “Friesians.” For crossbred registration, the secondary breed may be any breed or breed combination of horse or pony. Mules are not eligible for registration, even if they are part Friesian.
The HH maintains five separate books for horses (and/or ponies) of Friesian heritage. For entry into four of the five books, eligibility is based simply on the percentage of documented Friesian blood, except for the pony book, which also requires a mature height of under 15 hands. The fifth book, which is the Heritage Warmblood book, is the only book that requires inspection prior to entry. However, the HH encourages all breeders to utilize optional tools and inspections to help identify performance type and suitability for horses within any of the HH books.
For horses that earn the designations through inspection scores or accomplishments in Open showing, the HH provides performance designations, such as Sporthorse (SD), Park Performance (PD), and Utility (UD). These earned designations are recorded on the registration certificate. Participation in the suitability designation program is optional. The three suitability type designations of SD, PD, and UD may be earned by horses within any of the HH books, except for the Heritage Warmblood book, which is strictly for horses of sport horse type.
The five separate HH registration books for horses of Friesian heritage are:
Crossbred Friesian Book: 25 to 75 percent Friesian heritage
Crossbred Friesian Pony Book: 25 to 75 percent Friesian heritage with a mature height under 15 hands
Faux Friesian Book: 75.1 to 99.9 percent Friesian heritage
Purebred Friesian Book: 100 percent Friesian heritage
Heritage Warmblood: These horses cannot have a purebred parent, but must have 25 to 75 percent Friesian blood with Friesian lineage on both sides of the pedigree. They must have full DNA verification and meet strict inspection requirements on a sport horse (SD) standard prior to being accepted into the Heritage Warmblood book. It is hoped that the Heritage Warmblood will eventually evolve into a breed of its own.
Second generation and successive generations of Friesian Heritage Horses, which are not deemed to be sport horse in type or that score lower than the sport horse requirements of the Heritage Warmblood book, are still eligible for registration in the other three crossbred books and may still earn designation as PD, UD, or SD in their respective books.
Registry Requirements and Standards
To maintain integrity, the HH follows current horse industry standards by utilizing DNA testing and keeping updated and proactive on genetic issues. Horses registered with HH must submit a DNA hair sample before their subsequent offspring can be registered with HH.
Horses with Quarter Horse ancestry related to the stallion, Impressive, or horses with unknown lineage, must be tested for HYPP (hyperkalemic periodic paralysis), or the notation “Not HYPP Tested” will be clearly marked on their registration certificate. (HYPP is an inherited muscular disease.)
In order to fortify breeding programs and increase quality, the HH registry strongly encourages inspections be utilized in order to evaluate the conformation, suitability and movement of the Friesian and the Friesian Heritage Horse, particularly those used for breeding. Equally important is the inspection of horses of non-Friesian heritage that are utilized for breeding to Friesians.
The HH offers optional inspections through the services of Federated Equine Inspection Tours, LLC (FEIT). FEIT is an American based inspection circuit that is open to all breeds of horses. FEIT inspections are judged by licensed, highly experienced, USEF (United States Equestrian Federation) judges. In most cases at inspection locations where HH horses are attending, the judge is also accredited by USEF to judge the Friesian breed. Horses are presented individually, in-hand, and at liberty and the quality of the horse’s conformation, walk, trot, and canter are evaluated, discussed, and scored by the judge.
Horses are scored 40 percent on conformation and 60 percent on movement. For horses that qualify, first (blue), second (red), and third (yellow) premiums are given and ribbons and certificates are awarded. All horses scoring 7.7 and over have their quality further acknowledged by also receiving an award of “High Merit.” Horses with an overall score below 6.0 are not eligible for a premium and generally should not be considered as breeding prospects.
For the Friesian Heritage Horse, good, sound conformation is key, regardless of the type or suitability of a horse. Good conformation is basically the same for all types of horses. However, a few minor variations in structure, such as shoulder angle, may influence what a horse moves like and therefore becomes the determining factor in what discipline the horse may be suitable for.
FEIT currently offers a choice of four different standards that horses may be judged against:
• Sporthorse Standard (traditional Olympic disciplines)
• Park Standard (for riding or driving horses with high knee action)
• Utility Standard (for horses that do not move like a sport horse or a park horse. The movement may be flatter, making them more suitable for something like hunter work, jousting, or western disciplines)
• Purebred Friesian Standard (equivalent to the FPS standard in Holland)
Breed Quality
The goal of the HH is to promote horses of Friesian heritage in a manner that will secure and further improve the value of these wonderful horses, both now and into the future. It believes that in order to enhance the quality and credibility of the Friesian Heritage Horse in the equine community at large, the following Friesian myths should not be propagated.
Myth: Purebred Friesians are all dressage horses.
Truth: Friesians are, by and large, carriage horses and only a small percentage are truly suitable for the higher levels of dressage and other sport horse disciplines.
Myth: All Friesian crossbred horses are sport horses.
Truth: Any horse, regardless of breed, could be sport horse in type, but not all are. The term sport horse, by horse industry standards, does not simply mean a crossbred horse, but actually refers to a certain type of horse whose build and movement are suitable for the sport horse disciplines of dressage, jumping, and combined driving. Friesian crosses are capable of excelling in a variety of disciplines, but only some of the population has the type and movement necessary to excel as sport horses.
Myth: All purebred Friesians are high quality animals.
Truth: Friesians have faults and weaknesses just like any other breed of horse and not all of them are appropriate for breeding; this is why inspection of horses used for breeding is important.
Myth: All horses that have titles such as Qualified, Approved, or Ster are automatically better breeding candidates or better quality animals than those who do not have titles.
Truth: There are many things to be considered before accepting a title as the mark of a superior horse. Sometimes, depending on their accomplishments and offspring, there are horses that do not have registry titles at all, yet are equal in quality to horses that do have titles. Titles such as Qualified, Ster, Approved, Model, and Preferent, can be important, and depending on the registry and other factors, can be an indicator of superior quality. But when pertaining to the quality of a horse for purchase or for breeding potential, such titles alone don’t qualify a horse, nor do they always address the specific suitability of a particular animal. Many additional factors other than titles need to be evaluated and considered. Questions such as, “Qualified for what?” and “What standard was the horse evaluated against?” are critical to ask as well as understanding the judging criteria on which the title was earned. (It is common for titled Friesians to be heavily invested in and later they are discovered not to be suitable for the discipline they were chosen for.)
Until very recently, Friesians were historically not given titles based on their dressage or sport horse potential, but are traditionally awarded for how high and flashy they can lift during the trot—which is not ideal movement for a sport horse. Many “titled” Friesians who fit the breed standard for high action, and therefore score high, have poor quality canters and are generally more suited for harness than for riding. This is acceptable when the intended use for the horse is harness or saddleseat, but is disastrous when the intended use is for sport horse activities, and uncomfortable at best, when the intended use is leisure riding.
Sometimes titles are awarded based on competition scores alone with no formal conformation judging or inspection. This practice can indicate a good horse, but conformation is almost never judged during performance competition and many in-hand classes that do judge conformation don’t evaluate the canter in any way. Since different registries have different requirements, the meaning of the same title can be completely different from one registry to another.
Furthermore, simple marketing ploys can sometimes take advantage of awarded titles by assigning titles simply based on the fact that the horse’s owner paid to register the horse and nothing more—the horse was never actually evaluated by anyone, yet could still have titles, like Approved or Qualified.
Myth: Only purebred Friesians and Friesian crossbreds of certain registries can produce quality horses, and foreign-bred horses and foreign-based registries are better than their American counterparts.
Truth: Good horses exist in many different registries and can be either American-bred and born or imported. Evaluation of the individual horse first, before consideration of the registry or birthplace, is important. Frequently, Friesians are imported when they are mere babies—long before an age-appropriate appraisal of their breeding quality can be assessed. Furthermore, foals are often shipped in groups, because it is more cost effective. These groups usually contain one, or maybe two, breeding quality individuals and those remaining are filler for the load—something to resell to pay for shipping costs. The fact that a horse was imported should never be considered as an automatic breeding qualification.
Friesian/Thoroughbred gelding performing at Prix St. George–level dressage. David McWhirter Photography
Myth: More hair (mane, tail, and feathering) indicates a better quality Friesian.
Truth: Mane, tail, and feathering are simply icing on the cake. Sometimes an overabundance of hair can be regarded as more grooming work and some owners opt to shave it off. Excess hair can lead to increased incidence of bacterial skin conditions and can cause other problems as well.
When evaluating an extremely hairy Friesian, it is advisable for the hair to be braided up and out of the way in order to clearly see the conformation and traits underneath all the hair, which can hide a multitude of faults. Unfortunately, in Friesian and Friesian crossbreds, abundance of hair is often the sole consideration in choosing a breeding horse. In terms of importance, hair should be the last thing considered, after it has been determined that everything else is suitable and/or superior.
Myth: Bigger is better and Friesians are always enormous.
Truth: The mature height of both Friesian and Friesian crossbred horses can vary significantly—anywhere from 14 to 17-plus hands. However, the vast majority of horses of Friesian heritage, on average, fall somewhere in the range of 15 to 16 hands tall. Although, due to their extremely high neck set and their substantial build, they often appear taller and their heights are frequently exaggerated—sometimes by quite a bit. Mature horses are typically measured during inspection and it is advisable to look for a verified record of height.
Factors taken into account when considering a very large size horse include the fact that excessively big horses can be harder to handle. They can potentially be more complicated and expensive to fit for saddles, tack, and trailers, particularly when they are big-bodied along with being tall. For the average size rider, they can be more arduous to ride, especially if the intended purpose is dressage. Sometimes size and athleticism can be a trade off—very large horses can be heavier in their movement and sometimes lack agility.
Furthermore, the stamina of big horses is not always the best. Since they often have a lot of extra body weight to carry, they can tire more easily and this can effect how competitive they may be. Additionally, more size can sometimes cause extra strain on the joints and consequently could lead to increased soundness issues.
Credit: Friesian Heritage Horse and Sporthorse International