What is a Friesian Horse?
The Friesian, classified a “warmblood,” is a northern horse native to the province of Friesland in The Netherlands. Horses have been in Friesland for over 2,000 years and some of these early horses were the ancestors of Friesians. This horse, the precursor to the modern Friesian horse, was used as a work horse on the farms and as war horses for the knights in armor.. Sometime around the 15th and 16th century, Arabian and Andalusian blood was introduced into the native bloodlines to lighten the breed. By the 1960’s, the Friesian horse neared extinction in Friesland with 3 stallions and a total of only 500 horses remaining. Dedicated breeders rallied to save the breed. Friesians were imported to North America as early as the 17th century. Unfortunately, the breed was not kept pure and was eventually lost to us by crossbreeding. The Friesian breed returned to North America in 1974 where its numbers have been increasing ever since. Two types of Friesians, the “baroque” or heavy type and th
