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Blackberry Friesians:Specializing in Breeding
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Friesian beauty is more than skin-deep. Its easy-going temperament makes him a great companion to riders of all ages. The breed is honest and willing to please. But its versatility is what brings lasting value to the owner. Whether you want a dressage mount, cross-country horse, or carriage horse, the Friesian does it all! The Friesian horse has a long and romantic history. The breed developed many centuries ago in Friesland, in Northwestern Europe, which is now a part of The Netherlands. By the early Middles Ages, the horse was already known by the name of the area in which it originated. Because of their strength and agility Friesians were coveted war horses and they carried knights in the Crusades and into battle. Andalusian blood was introduced during the 16th and 17th centuries when Spanish stallions were left on the battlefields during Thirty Years War between the Dutch and Spanish. This gave the Friesian horse higher knee action, a relatively small head and an arching neck. At various times in their long history the versatile Friesians were used in the classical riding schools of Europe, were bred as racing trotters, were included in royal stables as elegant coach horses, thrilled European crowds as circus horses and also had to perform as light draft and all-purpose horses. In spite of its long history the Friesian breed almost died out by the mid-1960. But after regaining some visibility in its native Friesland, the Friesian horse soon appeared on the international driving scene. That fueled a strong revival for the breed and in 1974 the first importations of modern times were made to North America. Friesian horses now number in the tens of thousands and are
found on every inhabited continent. The greatest number of Friesians is still in
its native Netherlands, but Germany has thousands of Friesian horses and the
Friesian population in North America is growing rapidly. We can expect that the
breed will continue to grow steadily in popularity as more and more people
discover the magnificent Friesian horse.
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