| The Friesian Horse: History and
Origin of the Breed
The Friesian Horse originated in Friesland, one of twelve provinces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Holland), situated in the northwest of Europe. Friesland is an old country dating to 500 B.C., when the Friesians settled along the cost of the North Sea. They were tradesmen, seafarers, farmers and horse breeders.  The
Friesian horse descends from the Equus robustus. During the
16th and 17th centuries, but probably also earlier, Arabian blood
was introduced, especially through Andalusian horses from Spain.
This has given them the high knee-action, the small head and the
craning neck. Because of his temperament, the Friesian horse is
considered warm blooded. The Friesian horse has been kept free from
the influence of the English Thoroughbred. During the last two
centuries, it has been bred pure. Breeding horses and dealing in
them was very important for the Friesians. The monks in the many
monasteries in Friesland before the reformation did a lot of horse
breeding. Through the centuries the Friesian Government has made
many regulations in order to safeguard good breeding. Now the Dutch
Horselaw of 1939 (modified) gives rules for studbook and breeding.
 From
records of the past we know that the Friesian horse of old was
famous. There is information from as early as 1251 and there are
books in which Friesian horses were mentioned and praised from as
early as the 16th century. Armored knights of old found this horse
very desirable, having the strength to carry great weight into
battle and still maneuver quickly. Later, its suppleness and agility
made the breed much sought after for use in riding schools in Paris
and Spain during the 15th and 16th centuries. Before an elegant
carriage this breed has few rivals, and throughout Europe the royal
courts used them as coach horses.
An excellent trotter, the Friesian was used for racing short distances in Holland, the winners being awarded silver or golden whips. Today in Friesland, there are may carriage events and often the sjees, the Friesian form of the chaise, are seen. This unique two-wheeled cart may be drawn by one or two horses, and aboard are a gentleman and a lady dressed in the traditional costumes of the 1880s. The sjees is one of the few carriages in which the driver is seated on the left; his lady occupies the right-hand side, the place of honor. Four-in-hand carriages are common and as many as ten-in-hand can be seen in front of light carriages. These large, unusual hitches used for demonstration purposes are becoming very popular. The Friesian people take great pride in the natural ability of their black horse in harness.  The
well-known English writer on horses, Anthony Dent, and others are of
the opinion that the Friesian horse influenced the Old English Black
Horse and the Fell Pony. Dent proposes that the Norwegian Døle
(Gudbrandsdal horse), which shows great likeness to the Friesian
horse, must have got there from Friesland either as booty or by
regular trade. The Northern Swedish horse was greatly influenced by
the Norwegian Døle. Dent also suggests a Norwegian influence
on the English Dale pony.
In the Pyrenees in southern France, there is a pony "Ariege called after Merens" (Ariege dit de Merens) that looks remarkably like a small Friesian horse. The resemblance of the types mentioned can be traced back in some cases to the influence of Friesian horses, in other cases the similar way of breeding will have caused the similarity.  As
early as 1625, Friesian horses were being imported to what later
would become the United States of America. The Dutch founded New
Amsterdam in the region they discovered in 1609, but they had to
abandon it to the English in 1664, when the name was changed to New
York. Advertisements in the papers offer trotters of "Dutch"
descent. These must have been Friesian horses. The able writer
Jeanne Mellin proposes in her books The Morgan Horse (1961)
and The Morgan Horse Handbook (1973), the possibility that
this well-known American horse is of Friesian descent. The ability
to trot fast, the heavy manes, the long rich tail and the fetlocks
at the feet of the original forefather of this breed may be an
indication.
The breed was totally lost in North America due to crossbreeding. Tom Hannon of Canton, Ohio did not reintroduce the horse to North America until 1974. By 1983 the popularity of the Friesian in America had grown enough to support a national association and a national show. With the help of the Friesian Studbook Friesian horses have been imported into Western Germany, Scotland and South Africa (1957-58). The imports into South Africa occurred to improve the type of horse called the Flemish Horse, imported long ago from Belgium. Nowadays, this type of horse is not found in Belgium anymore, except when imported from Friesland.
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