Friesians peoples experiences of the breed please thank you :)

There are 2 Friesians which live near me, with different owners. AFAIK, neither of them has been ridden for at least 2 yrs and not much before that. The mare had a foal last yr but hasn't been brought back into work and the gelding is not good in traffic - definitely not horses for novices.
 
I have a young friesian, and he is the complete opposite of the stereotype.

He is gentle, quiet in all ways, perfect to hack, I think he has spooked once in the time I've had him. He works beautifully on the flat and jumps well and does xc. He is beautiful too!
 
I own a Friesian mare - she is absolutely delightful - traditional build - bred in Scotland - intelligent, curious - broken and produced classically so less upright and bouncy than imported ones. She turns her hand to anything - is hardy and a good doer. Some Friesians can react badly to the midges and develop sweetitch - fortunately she hasn't although she does have sensitive skin. There aren't many foreign breed classes if you want to show - and it depends on the personal preference of judges how they look at Friesians in riding club horse classes etc. They can be fabulous at dressage but sitting trot has to be mastered and made to look effortless and the canter can be real big. I would suggest trying and riding as many Friesians as you can (breeders and suppliers offer experience days) and make your own mind up.
 
Funny you should say about the midges as mine has had a very bad reaction this year. Maybe because they are black? Her trot is fab, as is her walk, her canter is not! very bouncy :)
 
AngieandBen said:
Funny you should say about the midges as mine has had a very bad reaction this year. Maybe because they are black? Her trot is fab, as is her walk, her canter is not! very bouncy :)
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Im sorry to hear that AngieandBen - was much damage caused to mane/tail? The flies have been terrible this year and during those long hot days I was bringing mine in out of the way of the blighters. We did an unscientific straw poll of all the different colours of horses on the yard and believe that this year the bays have been plagued by flies the worst - the greys the least so black was at neither extreme. My mare has great walk and a lovely trot -we can really cover the ground and out on hacks others have to canter to keep up.

I have to admit to not relying on "received knowledge" too much when I horse searched - its a bit like reading tripadvisor for holiday/hotel advice. I just tried horses I liked and could ride and she was the one...spect I could've found something less expensive to buy tho!
 
I (have) know(n) a couple op people with Friesians and rode a couple myself in the past. They are not my type of horse but everyone has their preferences !
The ones I rode was because of the owner was afraid to, they became spooky with them. They didn't put a foot wrong with me so I guess they are sensitive to who they are dealing with. With their natural head carriage it is harder to let them flex their necks in the proper downwards way, they tend to creap behind the ledline.

I have known 2 that had the same aorta problem and litterally dropped dead while seeming fine before, it is definately a weak point of the breed. Another one that was pts at 19 with symptoms resembling emnd but never confirmed (though he spent months in the university of Utrecht)

Nowadays they crossbreed them with arabs to upgrade the stamina and improve lung capacity.

Be very careful because there are a lot of unsound friesians out there.

Another weak point is the hoof quality, I don't know any friesian myself that is barefoot, their hoofs are prone to chipping and being too dry (sorry don't know the english phrase)
 
Not my choice for a first horse. Don't tend to make great dressage horses, tend to be quite sensitive/spooky and I find them uncomfortable.... Not my sort of horse though. If you like the black/lots of hair look then I'd look at a fell or a dales instead. Or a good Connemara if you're not wedded to that look, mine is an angel.
 
leggs said:
I have known 2 that had the same aorta problem and litterally dropped dead while seeming fine before, it is definately a weak point of the breed.
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That's interesting. I'd not heard about it since anywhere, though I'm not in touch with many people with Friesians, but it was horrible when it happened. Horse was okay one day and in the morning was dead in his stable in a massive pool of blood and he had a burst aorta. I think he was 4. At least 3 of his offspring (and he didn't have all that many) died the same way around the time they started being worked. It was a real shame about the one that dropped dead hacking out as he was a lovely young horse.
 
it is a very common thing, I just had a look on the studbook site in Holland and apparantly now they are asking owners who's horse died to supply the bodies for autopsy. I'll post the link here that is obviously in dutch but maybe you can translate the page ? http://www.fps-studbook.com/Nieuws.aspx?NewsId=1385

in a nutshell; aorta rupture happens in many breeds but Always typically on where the aorta leaves the heart. In Friesians it is in the aorta bow, which is a little further from the heart.
 
Very interesting to know it is a common thing. This happened quite a few years ago now and this is the first time I've heard about it being a common defect in Friesians.
 
Well I for one wasn't saying they're all bad, at all. Not my cup of tea, no, but what I was saying was...is this a horse for a nervous novice first time owner? No, I don't think it is. Any more than the 5 year old Andalusians the OP was also asking about. Just because there's one at WEG makes no difference that I can see.
 
I've only ever had first hand experience of handling one - there was one at my old yard where I worked. Let's just say he wasn't the sharpest tool in the box!
 
I've had dressage lessons on a friesian which was working at advanced. He was so bl....y wide I found him very uncomfortable, he was quite lazy but had a huge walk and the trot was interesting, I didn't try to sit to it. However, the canter was vile!!!!!! My first horse was a little rather elderly TB mare but i bought her for her temperament not her breeding. She was kind, sensible, good in traffic and in company, happy to hack on her own and an angel to handle. She never put a foot wrong even though I was a real novice. There are horses out there who are suitable for novice riders but they aren't a particular breed and they are hard to find. Deciding on a breed in advance just narrows your chances of finding that gem.
 
Interesting article in english covering insect hypersensitivity, aortic rupture and sadly many more conditions with a possible genetic link more prevalent in freisians:
http://www.equinews.com/article/health-problems-friesian-horses

Obviously indiscriminate or careless breeding* is not unique to friesians but the evidence here references quite a few points raised in this thread.
*and indeed overly selective, restrictive adherence to bloodlines and purity can be just as harmful to welfare.
 
BW - very interesting article.

This caught my eye
Studies have found excessive laxity of tendons and ligaments in dwarf Friesians compared to other pony breeds. Normal Friesians have tendon and ligament stretch properties in between those of dwarfs and normal ponies. It has been suggested that the high-stepping gaits of the Friesian are caused by this increased laxity which affects weight-bearing in the limb joints. Thus, the collagen-linked disorders common to these horses may actually be the factor that produces their showy way of going.
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So they aren't good candidates as weight carriers.
 
Faracat said:
BW - very interesting article.

This caught my eye

So they aren't good candidates as weight carriers.
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Hundreds of years of selection for a non-ridden discipline with associated reduction in genetic diversity will do that! :)
(taking opportunity to point out that not all carriage horses are for the same purpose; look at a cleveland bay vs hackney)
 
Faracat said:
That's true.

The using dwarf mares as broodmares in the past, made my jaw drop.
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a) we once had a basset hound (gifted/ rescue). Our vet advised very strongly to have him castrated asap: "everything that makes him a basset: dwarfism; excess skin; cherry eye; ears that drag in his food; tendency to yeasty infections; incidence of bloat,... is a cruelty no other dog deserves" So sadly the use of dwarf mares doesn't shock me as much as I would want it to nowadays.
b) let us be thankful this did not result in a "desirable" mini-friesian for kids.
c) I do find it interesting that breeds which have been selected in harsh or specialised conditions or by nature at some point, say shetlands, arabs, menorquina etc are so much better and healthier than our created breeds.

Sorry for slight derailment of this thread folks.
 
RE b) maybe the fact that the legs sound like they are pretty knackered from day 1 in dwarves due to the long hoof structure and extra lax tendons, was the thing that saved them from that fate?

RE c) I'm sure that I once read that the bedouins would breed their arabian horses father to daughter, so they surely can't be that much less inbred than Friesians? Maybe the harsh environment just culled the ones that had any negative effect due to the inbreeding?
 
Faracat said:
RE b) maybe the fact that the legs sound like they are pretty knackered from day 1 in dwarves due to the long hoof structure and extra lax tendons, was the thing that saved them from that fate?
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indeed, although the timing of it may have been prior to the prevalence of friesians in popular culture: films/ youtube. 101 dalmations effect.

Faracat said:
RE c) I'm sure that I once read that the bedouins would breed their arabian horses father to daughter, so they surely can't be that much less inbred than Friesians? Maybe the harsh environment just culled the ones that had any negative effect due to the inbreeding?
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Exactly, selection could not be entirely manmade due to the effects of the environment. Likewise a horse without any endurance would not be capable of surviving there without unfeasibly intensive support.
 
Hi,
I know a woman who, just for fun, did a bit of endurance riding with her Friesian over 20km. She loved the horse but said each breed has its speciality and endurance for Friesians doesn't work because, coming from the Netherlands, they have smaller hearts and don't do long distances with any success if there are hills involved.
Just in case you wanted to do endurance... :-)
 
I love friesians, my mare is half friesian and infoal to a full friesian. So fingers crossed I will have a 3/4 Friesian foal next year. To me its not the breed its the way there handled and trained and brought up.
 
Any horse with decent conformation and the correct training will manage all the requirements for medium level dressage. I took up riding late in life and have found through experience that having a horse that fills me with confidence and is forgiving of any mistakes I make is much more important than the actual breed, but living in Southern Ireland, you should be spoiled for choice with breeds native to Ireland, so that's where I'd look first.
Tomandlaura said:
The reason I posted up about Friesians as I would like to get into Dressage. And previously about Andalusians as I was dealing with a dealer whos intentions I thought were wrong as she was trying to sell me a horse that she said was suitable and I knew in my hearts of hearts that was not. Ive seen at least two Friesians advertised who are in there teens who have temperaments that i feel would suit my needs. After reading various things about Andalusians even though there is always exceptions to the rule i feel they maybe too hot and sensitive for me. Thank you flyingcircus that is sound advise, There are lots of Connemara/ish here as I am living in South Ireland!
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I have a friesian and she's lovely - very dependable in temperament, sweet natured, though not as sharp as my tb x qh. Does everything asked of her if she can though has a mental block re lateral work - although has been a happy hack for the first 12 yrs of her life in all fairness.
 
SKY said:
I love friesians, my mare is half friesian and infoal to a full friesian. So fingers crossed I will have a 3/4 Friesian foal next year. To me its not the breed its the way there handled and trained and brought up.
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This is my plan/ dream with my part bred Friesian Mare. Fingers crossed for you getting a very Friesiany foal :)
 
From the article
"In other Friesians, aortic rupture leads to an aortopulmonary fistula that allows blood to leak from the aorta to the lungs. Blood slowly accumulates from the increased flow over a period of weeks or months, and affected horses may develop a dry cough, poor performance, swelling of the chest and legs, and intermittent fever, colic, and lameness. The signs may be mistaken for other problems, especially because they often occur in young (average age of aortic rupture is four years) and otherwise healthy horses."
Interesting. The one that we I knew that died of an aortic rupture did so as a 4yo and his offspring that died were a similar age, however reading this makes me realise that another one that died from a respiratory problem was probably suffering from the same thing, but in a less severe form.
 
As long as healthy I'm happy. Dam is half friesian and half heavy irish cob. Sire is full old type friesian. Keeping foal for myself I've always wanted to put her to a full friesian. Touch wood all goes well. Thanks

Geminismum said:
This is my plan/ dream with my part bred Friesian Mare. Fingers crossed for you getting a very Friesiany foal :)
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I ride a friesian x Welsh d mare, 6 years old. She's forward going, high-strung and is slightly hard to train in the sense that it kind of blows her brains if you ask her to do anything sideways. But she's also very intelligent, sweet and inquisitive and once she picks things up she really picks it up. We compete low level dressage, and although she can get quite spooky, we do get lovely comments about her potential. Her brother is also friesian x Welsh and nicely jumps 1m courses. Her other brother is a plod, but has the potential to go nicely. Her dad is a full friesian and absolutely nothing spectucular, but competes low level dressage and rides a nice test. He's very sweet and workable. From what I've seen, friesians are lovely horses, but need a firm hand sometimes and need to be treated well. They are typically bred to be carriage horses, so full friesians are typically weak backed but very flashy. Friesian x's tend to make really nice horses though.
 
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