Friesian horse

The Friesian (also Frisian) horse is a breed of horse from Friesland, a province of the Netherlands. Although the breed's conformation resembles that of a light draft horse, Friesians are graceful and nimble for their size. During the Middle Ages, the ancestors of Friesian horses were in great demand as war horses throughout continental Europe. Through the Early Middle Ages and High Middle Ages, their size enabled them to carry a knight in armor. In the Late Middle Ages, heavier, draft type animals were needed. Though the breed nearly became extinct on more than one occasion, the modern day Friesian horse is growing in numbers and popularity, used both in harness and under saddle. Most recently, the breed is being introduced to the field of dressage. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 253 KB) Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 253 KB) Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Capital Leeuwarden Queens Commissioner drs. ... Two pairs of Shire horses and a pair of Suffolk Punches A draft horse, draught horse, or harness horse is a large, strong horse bred for heavy work rather than speed. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... War horses are horses specially trained for use in battle or individual combat (see also: Jousting). ... This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ... Justinians wife Theodora and her retinue, in a 6th century mosaic from the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. ... The cathedral Notre Dame de Paris, a significant architectural contribution of the High Middle Ages. ... The silver Anglia knight, commissioned as a trophy in 1850, intended to represent the Black Prince. ... Armor or armour (see spelling differences) is protective clothing intended to defend its wearer from intentional harm in combat and military engagements, typically associated with soldiers. ... Dante by Michelino The Late Middle Ages is a term used by historians to describe European history in the period of the 14th and 15th centuries (1300–1500 A.D.). The Late Middle Ages were preceded by the High Middle Ages, and followed by the Early Modern era (Renaissance). ... Two pairs of Shire horses and a pair of Suffolk Punches A draft horse, draught horse, or harness horse is a large, strong horse bred for heavy work rather than speed. ... An upper-level dressage competitor performing an extended trot Dressage (a French term meaning training) is a path and destination of competitive horse training, with competitions held at all levels from amateur to the Olympics. ...

Breed characteristics

A Friesian stallion in show stance

The Friesian is most often recognized by its black coat color, though color alone is not their only distinguishing characteristic. Friesians also have a long, thick mane and tail, and "feather"--long, silky hair on the lower legs, deliberately left untrimmed. The official breed rarely has white markings of any kind; most registries allow only a small star on the forehead for purebred registration. Though extremely rare, and not accepted for registration in most cases, Friesians are occasionally chestnut. The Friesian's average height is about 15.3 hands (1.60 m), although it may vary from 14.2 to 17 hands (between 1.5 m and 1.7 m) tall at the withers, and mares must be at least 15.2 hands (1.57 m) tall to qualify for a special 'star-designation' pedigree. [1] The breed is known for a fast, high-stepping trot. The Friesian is considered a willing, active, and energetic horse that is also gentle and docile. A Friesian tends to have great presence and to carry itself very proudly. Image File history File links Friesian-stallion. ... Image File history File links Friesian-stallion. ... Friesian horses are one of the best-known breeds of black-colored horse Black is a relatively uncommon coat color in horses, though not so unusual as to be considered rare. ... A hand (or handbreadth) is a unit of length measurement, usually based on the breadth of a male human hand and thus around 1 dm, i. ...

The breed has powerful overall conformation and good bone structure, with what is sometimes called a Baroque body type. Friesians have long, arched necks and well-chiseled, short-eared, "Spanish type" heads. Their sloping shoulders are quite powerful. They have compact, muscular bodies with strong sloping hindquarters and a low-set tail. Their limbs are comparatively short and strong.

History of the Friesian

The breed was developed in the province of Friesland in the northern Netherlands, where there is evidence of thousands of years of horse populations, and this breed is said to have descended from the primitive Forest Horse. It is also said that Romans obtained ancestors of the Friesian horse for riding and also took them to England, where the breed type may have influenced the Shire horse, Clydesdale, Fell Pony and Dales Pony. Capital Leeuwarden Queens Commissioner drs. ... Binomial name Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758 The horse (Equus caballus, sometimes seen as a subspecies of the Wild Horse, Equus ferus caballus) is a large odd-toed ungulate mammal, one of ten modern species of the genus Equus. ... Area under Roman control  Roman Republic  Roman Empire  Western Empire  Eastern Empire Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew from a city-state founded on the Italian Peninsula circa the 9th century BC to a massive empire straddling the Mediterranean Sea. ... Shire draft horse The shire horse is a breed of draft horse. ... Clydesdale draft horse at the Maryland State Fair The Clydesdale is a breed of draft horse derived from the very hard-working farm horses of Clydesdale (now Lanarkshire), Scotland and named for that region. ... N.B. A fell pony may also to refer to a particularly evil specimen of the general all-purpose horse-young. ... The Dales is native to the eastern Pennines of northern Britain. ...

Ancestors of the modern Friesians were used in medieval times to carry knights to battle. In the 12th and 13th centuries, some eastern horses of crusaders were mated with Friesian stock. During the 16th and 17th centuries, when there was less demand for heavy war horses as battle arms changed and especially when Spanish forces occupied The Netherlands during the Eighty Years' War, Andalusian blood was added to lighten the breed in order to lighten its weight and thereby render it more suitable (in terms of less food intake and waste output) for work as a more urban carriage horse. Friesians were also used by riding schools in France and Spain for high-school dressage, and they remain popular today for their gentle temperaments and proud appearance. Combatants Dutch rebels Spanish Empire The Eighty Years War, or Dutch Revolt (1568[1]–1648), was the revolt of the Seventeen Provinces in the Netherlands against the Spanish (Habsburg) Empire. ... Andalusian horse The Andalusian horse or Spanish horse is one of the purest breeds of horses in the world today. ...

The historian Ann Hyland wrote of the Friesian breed:

The Emperor Charles (reigned 1516-56) continued Spanish expansion into the Netherlands, which had its Frisian warhorse, noted by Vegetius and used on the continent and in Britain in Roman times. Like the Andalusian, the Frisian bred true to type. Even with infusions of Spanish blood during the sixteenth century occupation, it retained its indigenous characteristics, taking the best from both breeds. The Frisian is mentioned in 16th and 17th century works... a courageous horse eminently suitable for war, lacking the volatility of some breeds or the phlegm of very heavy ones. Generally black, the Frisian was around 15hh with strong, cobby conformation, but with a deal more elegance and quality. The noted gait was a smooth trot coming from powerful quarters. Nowadays, though breed definition is retained, the size has markedly increased, as has that of most breeds due to improved rearing and dietary methods.^[1]

The breed was especially popular in the 18th and 19th centuries, when they were not only in demand as harness horses and for agricultural work, but also for the trotting races then so popular. The Friesian was used as foundation stock for breeds such as the Orlov Trotter, the Norfolk Trotter (ancestor of the Hackney), and the Morgan.^{[citation needed]} In the 1800s the Friesian was bred to be lighter and faster for trotting, however this led to what some owners and breeders regarded as inferior stock, so a movement to return to pureblood stock took place by the end of the century. Count Grigory Orlov Orlov (Орлов) is the name of a Russian noble family which produced several distinguished statesmen, diplomatists and soldiers. ... The Hackney Horse is a recognized breed that was developed in Great Britain. ... The Morgan is one of the first horse breeds developed in the United States. ...

The Friesian stud registry book, Friesch Paarden Stamboek (FPS) was founded in 1879 by a group of Dutch farmers dedicated to preserving the breed. Friesians had become popular for crossbreeding due to their excellent trot, presence, and color, and as a result, Friesian "purity" was severely threatened. The "Royal Society Het Friesch Paarden-Stamboek" was founded to protect and promote the breed's bloodline. 1879 (MDCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

In spite of the creation of the Society, Friesian horse populations continued to dwindle into the early 20th century partly due to displacement by petroleum-powered farm equipment and passenger vehicles. Due to fuel rationing during World War II the Freisian's farm and carriage use was revived, saving the breed long enough for both its population and popularity to rebound. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

The Friesian also influenced the "Old Black Horse" of the U.S. farm belt (especially the Midwest, where unpredictable and unseasonal weather often paddocked less robust breeds)^{[citation needed]}, influenced the Dole Gudbrandsdal of Norway, and formed the stock base for Germany's Marbach stud, contributing to the development of both the Oldenburg and the Württemberger breeds. The Dole Gudbrandsdal or Dole is a heavy-horse type from Norway. ... The History The Oldenburg was first bred in Lower Saxony, Germany. ... The Württemberger or Württemberg is a light breed of horse from Germany. ...

Today, there are two distinct conformation types. The baroque type has the more robust build of the classical Friesian. The modern, sport horse type is finer-boned. Conformation type is judged less important than correct movement, and both types are common today.

The Friesian today

A Friesian in surcingle, showing at the trot

From the latter part of the 20th century until the present, demand for purebreds, particularly the finer-boned, taller, more agile version of the Friesian increased, so breeders began to produce both purebreds and a lighter-weight crossbred horse with valued characteristics. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x768, 680 KB) Friesian horse File links The following pages link to this file: Friesian horse Trot (horse gait) ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x768, 680 KB) Friesian horse File links The following pages link to this file: Friesian horse Trot (horse gait) ... The trot is a gait of the horse where the diagonal pairs of legs move forwards at the same time. ...

Friesian horses are popular in both Europe and the United States, and are often used today for Dressage competition and pleasure riding. Friesian and Friesian-mixed horses can do well in dressage competition due the breed's strong intellect, appearance, power, and body control. Due to its heavy, muscular physique the purebred Friesian is not as well-suited to aerobic sports like horse racing or endurance riding. This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ... An upper-level dressage competitor performing an extended trot Dressage (a French term meaning training) is a path and destination of competitive horse training, with competitions held at all levels from amateur to the Olympics. ... An upper-level dressage competitor performing an extended trot Dressage (a French term meaning training) is a path and destination of competitive horse training, with competitions held at all levels from amateur to the Olympics. ... Horse-racing is an equestrian sporting activity which has been practiced over the centuries; the chariot races of Roman times were an early example, as was the contest of the steeds of the god Odin and the giant Hrungnir in Norse mythology. ... Endurance riding is an extremely strenuous form of horse racing, requiring the horse to complete, at the top levels, up to 100 miles. ...

The Friesian also remains popular as a carriage horse, as it is a powerful horse and its high-stepping action is eye-catching. It is particularly popular in competitions that require the driving of a team, partly because of its movement and disposition, and partly because it is easy to match teams of black horses. Friesians are also good all-around horses, used for showing, driving, and general riding, and are also used as circus horses.

Due to its striking appearance and mild temperament, the Friesian has become popular in the film industry. The breed owes much of its current popularity to the appearance of a Friesian stallion in the 1985 film, Ladyhawke, which ignited a worldwide interest in these horses. Recent films such as Eragon, The Mask of Zorro, and Alexander have also featured Friesian horses. Ladyhawke is a 1985 film starring Matthew Broderick, Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer, directed by Richard Donner. ... Eragon is a fantasy/adventure movie based on the novel of the same name by author Christopher Paolini. ... The Mask of Zorro (1998) is an American action film directed by Martin Campbell, and stars Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Stuart Wilson. ... Alexander is a 2004 drama/war film, directed by Oliver Stone about the life of Alexander the Great. ...

References

1. ^ Hyland, Ann The Warhorse 1250-1600 UK:Sutton Publishing, 1998, pp 2-3

External links

• Friesch Paarden-Stamboek Netherlands-based organisation that works globally with local and regional organisations to 'protect the interests of the breed'
• Friesian Horse Association of North America
• The North American Friesian Journal