Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Nonsens
Nonsens
Buy & Sell
News
Sports
Events
Products
Galleries
Advice
Just For Fun
Forum
Shopping Village
More
Search
Type to search
Trending:
H&H Awards
£10 Amazon.co.uk Gift Card
In this week’s H&H
The H&H Podcast
Cost of living
Horses for sale
Sell your horse
AD
Home
Features
The original Black Beauty? All
you need to know about the
magnificent Friesian horse
The luxuriant black coat of the Friesian horse is one of its hallmarks
Friesian
Horse breeds
The Friesian horse looks like it has come straight out of a fairytale. Known for its shining jet-
black coat, flowing mane, tail and feathers, as well as its proud and powerful physique, the
Friesian is an ancient horse breed that has proved its worth in myriad disciplines, from the
battlefield to the circus, trotting races and nowadays dressage and driving. It is considered the
only surviving native breed in the Netherlands (from the province Friesland) – where some
sources believe 7% of the horse population are Friesians.
Looks and conformation
The Friesian is bred to be exclusively black. Around 100 years ago, there was a minority of
bays and chestnuts, but now black is a prerequisite for registration into the studbook.
Chestnuts are still found as a handful of stallions carried this recessive allele, but they are very
rare, and are not accepted by the breed registries. The only white marking permitted is a star.
They typically have a long flowing mane and tail, high-set arched neck, a thick crest and
broad chest. The quarters are sloping with a low-set tail.
0 of 1 minute, 31 seconds, Volume 0%
00:00
00:32
01:31
Friesians are a naturally powerful horse with a high-stepping trot action. The modern Friesian
tends towards the lighter sport horse rather than the heavier draft type – there are two distinct
conformation types, the larger-built “baroque” Friesian and the finer-boned Friesian sport
horse. It is a compact warmblood, powerfully muscled and is ideally at least 15.2hh. They
weigh on average around 600kg. Although they are quite a chunky sport horse, they are
nimble and elegant.
The Friesian is said to be the foundation for the Old English Black, the ancestor to both
the Shire horse and the Fell pony.
The Friesian temperament
All horses have their quirks and backgrounds, but the Friesian temperament is typically
friendly, easy-going and willing to please. Their versatility is one of their hallmarks and as
such can make a useful family horse: an all-rounder that excels in the dressage and driving
arenas, but is equally happy to take friends out for a hack or a Sunday drive.
They are a popular breed for use in film-making – they often look the part in historical dramas
and battle re-enactments, and are calm and trainable.
Friesian horses can be found on every continent, in more than 70 countries, with more than
70,000 registered. There are many rules and regulations governing registration, stallion
selection and young stock inspection. There are also guidelines for naming foals – in 2022,
Friesian foals’ names should start with T, U or V.
Thanks to the KFPS, the breed is now well established in its modern form, but ancient texts
testify that the Friesian has been an important breed for hundreds of years. As far back as
150AD, documents attest to Friesian horses being used in battle as war horses. Variations on
the Friesian were used in the Crusades (probably crossed with Arabs and Andalusians). Some
historians believe William the Conqueror rode a Friesian – it’s the archetypal war horse:
strong enough to carry a warrior in armour, brave, bold and agile in battle.
The first written evidence of the name Friesian came in the 16th century in Germany, and by
the 17th century, Friesians were well represented performing haut-école equitation.
The breed then became concentrated in the Netherlands in the 19th century, where it was used
as a status-symbol carriage horse for wealthy land-owners and the KFPS studbook was
established. However, the breed nearly became extinct – with just three breeding stallions in
existence – as it was no match for the heavier draft breeds working the land. Mercifully a
breeding programme ensued which, despite a few hiccups over the years, has enabled the
breed not only to survive, but flourish.
AD
AD
AD