Biodiversity
Brain
Genetics
Marine BiOLogy
MicrobiOLogy
PaleontOLogy
ZoOLogy
AnthropOLogy
ArchaeOLogy
Astronomy
Climate Change
Earth
Physics
Water
Friesian
The Friesian is elegant and graceful.
This breed is often used as a carriage horse. Friesians are popular circus horses. They're trained to perform dance steps and other tricks. Friesians also compete in dressage events by carrying out a series of complex maneuvers.
Height: 15-17 hh (horse hands)
Color: Black
Body Type: Light
This breed comes from...
Friesland, Northern Netherlands
Explore the traits of this breed!
SIDE VIEW
The Friesian has powerful shoulders. They are sometimes harnessed for pulling a sjees. A sjees is a 2-wheeled cart used in Dutch trotting races.
See how its muscular neck is arched and held high?
At the withers, this horse is 16.1 hands (5 ft 5 in, or 165 cm) high.
Friesians are always black in color. They were popular in drawing funeral coaches in the 19th century.
Click the circles
to learn
about traits
FRONT and BACK VIEW
The Friesian has a long head and big eyes. And look at the floppy hair on its forehead!
When trotting, their strong legs can perform a showy, high-stepping gait.
Friesians have fringes of hair on their legs. It's called feathering.
Look at its long and luxurious tail. It goes flying when the Friesian is running!
People say this breed has a calm and cheerful temperament.
The Friesian has a compact body and muscular, powerful hind legs. These traits enable it to move quickly.
Click the circles
to learn
about traits
The Friesian Story
The story of this breed goes back to the Middle Ages.
During the Crusades, heavy horses from Friesland (now part of the Netherlands) carried Friesian knights into battle. During the conflict, the horses of Friesland may have bred with Arabian horses and other light breeds ridden by the opposing Islamic armies. Later, when what is now Belgium was occupied by Spain in the 1500s, the horses of Friesland were further crossbred with Spanish breeds.
These waves of crossbreeding are thought to have created a Friesian horse that was lighter and more agile than its ancestors.
During the 1800s and 1900s, Friesians were used as carriage horses, farm horses, and trotters (competing in races pulling a driver in a cart). Today, Friesians are primarily kept as sport and show horses.
Appaloosa | Arabian | Belgian Draft | Connemara | Dutch Warmblood | Friesian | Haflinger | Hanoverian | Icelandic Horse | Lusitano | Miniature Horse | Morgan | Oldenburg | Paint | Percheron | Quarter Horse | Selle Français | Thoroughbred
Credits:
All images, © AMNH