# anyone have experience with Friesan horses?



## TedH71 (Jan 19, 2003)

What are they good for? Riding? Draft horse work? They do look cool though!


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## chewie (Jun 9, 2008)

i see both things done with them. i think they are one of the most gorgeous animals on earth. and, you'll pay a hefty sum to own one too! 

seen a guy riding one all western, and he said he was 'choppy'. but a freisen just doesn't look like a cow pony to me tho, either?!


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## malinda (May 12, 2002)

I have a few clients who own Friesians. They mostly use them for Dressage though the breed was originally bred to be a fancy carriage horse. They are a little "drafty" but not as heavy as the common draft breeds.
The breed association is very strict about not allowing crossbreeding and one client who is a breeder was telling me about her troubles finding US stallions that were not too related to her mares. She was looking at getting frozen semen from Holland to diversify her horses' genetics.
I've seen people riding Friesians western and once even saddleseat - it just doesn't look right to me!  Even for Dressage, they can easily go hollow because of their upright head/neck and it takes a skilled rider to help them use their backs and be round. But if you ever see a four-in-hand driving team, that is really neat! 
I've noticed that Friesians generally have superb temperaments and are a pleasure to be around.


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## TedH71 (Jan 19, 2003)

Hollow?


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## fetch33 (Jan 15, 2010)

TedH71 said:


> Hollow?


Dressage term.. the horse raises its head and neck and dips its back. I've seen friesan horses in the saddleseat world and the dressage arena. If you have a skilled trainer they can look awesome. They are very trappy (choppy) at the trot and can throw you way out of the saddle at the posting trot.


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## Harmony_Meadows (Nov 4, 2007)

There is a yearling at our barn but I really wouldn't consider her a good representative of the breed. Real pretty, but brainless and pushy.:frypan: She is a real pain in the you know where at feeding time. She also just about ran over me when I was taking my girl to the round pen to work with her...a good swat with the lunge whip smartened her up, but it was a very dangerous situation. Given that, I would make sure anything you look at has good ground manners....she is well over 15 1/2 hands and not even two yet. Me, I am sticking to my little spotted bottomed angel! :angel: (She is a bit of a pocket pony but is respectful of your space)


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## DoubleBee (Nov 13, 2006)

Michael Bush, who posts here in the beekeeping forum, also raises Friesians- 

http://www.bushfarms.com/friesians.htm


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## Reptyle (Jul 28, 2005)

Wasn't that what the horse in LadyHawke was?


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## HOTW (Jul 3, 2007)

Yeap his name was Goliath


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## SFM in KY (May 11, 2002)

Reptyle said:


> Wasn't that what the horse in LadyHawke was?


Yes ... he rode a Friesian, she rode an Andalusian.


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## Horseyrider (Aug 8, 2010)

Hi, I'm new here, and was just a lurker until I saw this thread. It's great to find other horsepeople here!

I have two Dutch registered Friesians, the result of a long term relationship with a wonderful client. One is a ster mare, the other is her first son. First son is the most awesome horse I've ever ridden. He's extremely intelligent, athletic, and willing, with more heart than any horse I've ever worked with. He's by the late Goffert 369, a grand prix dressage horse that was made into a Breyer model. At six years old, this boy is my go-to horse.

Friesians are the heaviest of the light breeds, and are used mainly in driving and dressage, although you'll see them in the movies here and there. Their long manes and tails and luxurious feathers make them a good photographic subject. They are a very old breed. I have QHs too, and their registry began in 1941; by contrast, the modern Friesian registry began in the 1700s and they date back into the Middle Ages where they carried knights into battle. I can so believe it; they tend to be bold and brave.

They're also very people oriented. They'll meet you at the gate with their ears pricked. My six year old will try to stuff his head into the halter I'm trying to put on someone else. _Take me! Take me!_ he seems to say. 

It's interesting you mention the movie Ladyhawke. My client fell in love with that Friesian and that's how she went in search for them. (Did you know that the horse they used, Goliath, was just a plain old w/t/c horse? He didn't know much at all; the grace you see is natural.) There were only a handful of Friesians in the US at that time, and only two in here in our state; but I went with my client to see that pair of mares. Their proud owner was happy to show us these horses, which just looked heavy and coarse to me-- until I saw them move. And oh my stars, I was transported! They didn't just move, they floated. And at trot, hoooo, did they cover ground! My client was hooked, and finally brought home a stunning yearling mare from an importer in Michigan. And that's how it started for me. My mare is that mare's eleven year old daughter. Gosh, that's been twenty years since she got her mare, I can hardly believe it.

It is true that the Dutch registry is extremely particular about their horses. If you read their by-laws, all Friesians really belong to Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. We're just sort of custodians, I guess. Judges are sent each year from Holland to evaluate each and every horse brought before them, and are rated. They're really picked apart, and every aspect quantified. Stallions are forbidden to breed without an Approved status by the registry. The breed nearly died out at the advent of the gas engine, and the purity and type of the breed is closely guarded. There are about 100 Dutch Approved stallions in the world. I can only breed my mare to these stallions. If I crossbreed, I run the risk of my mare losing her papers and being thrown out of the registry. On the FHANA website, you can key in your mare's name and the name of the stallion of your choice, and come up with an inbreeding coefficient. That helps a lot to not end up with a stud that's too closely related.

There is also a German registry that is not quite so picky. They do allow crossbreeding, and have some lovely horses in their registry. There are stallions there that were gorgeous that didn't make it in the Dutch approvals, so they hop ship and join the Germans. And while there are certainly some duds in the Dutch registry, overall the quality (and price!) of the Dutch horses is higher.

I use my young Friesian mainly for trail. He's showring ready, but I can't seem to make myself go. I've shown for years and years, and I guess I just got burned out right about the time he was born. I trained a half sister to this horse's dam years ago who set the bar high for trail; she had three good gaits and willingness to hop over little x's but her boldness on trail made her the best I'd ever taken out. No horse compared to her for years and years-- until this one. There is nothing he won't climb, nothing he won't cross, nothing he won't do for me, just because I ask it. He stays relaxed and sane. Yeah we have the occasional spook, and he's a cautious sort on ground he's not yet covered; but the bar has risen yet again with him. 

I've been his only rider, and he's never bucked, reared, kicked, bitten, or done any naughty thing. I think he'd like to live in the house.

If you've gotten through this whole long thing, my hat's off to you! I found this board because I was googling Excalibur food dryers. What a great place!


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## SFM in KY (May 11, 2002)

Weren't the Friesians generally grouped in the "carriage" breeds originally? Seems to me I have seen some information that put them in the category of horses that were developed for carriage work in the 1800s. 

There were a number of carriage breeds at one time, in fact many of the European warmbloods were developed using carriage breed mares crossed to lighter hot-blood stallions. 

Now the only "pure" breeds in this category are, I think, the Friesians, the Cleveland Bays, the Hackney Horse and a Dutch breed I can't remember the term for. It's not the riding Dutch Warmblood but a carriage breed ... Gelderlander maybe?.


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## Horseyrider (Aug 8, 2010)

They were first developed to carry knights in heavy armor; they have a tremendous amount of bone. But it's undeniable that later breeding left the angle of the hips of many lines far more suited to pulling rather than carrying. And I have to tell you, there's something unique about the way their hind legs are jointed. When you pick up a hind leg to clean a foot, it feels almost boneless. It can stretch straight behind more freely than any other breed I've ever handled. It's really kinda creepy, but of course you get used to it. 

They were supposed to be versatile so they could be flashy in harness, but also ridden well. Today's horses are falling more into two groups; the baroque and the sport horse. And as Malinda stated, it takes a more skilled rider to keep their back round under saddle. Personally, I think that's because more people ride from the front than from the rear, even when they say they don't; and try to fool around with head position long before the horse has the strength to carry itself properly. Head carriage begins in the rear, not the front. And being such a tractable breed, they'll try for you; but they'll try and find the easiest way.


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## malinda (May 12, 2002)

I wouldn't say that Friesians have some freaky hind leg thing going on - they just have good European breeding that gives the horse flexibility and strength at the same time. Same thing with warmbloods and some American breeds who's breeders haven't made the horse into something it shouldn't be. I've been a farrier for 15 years and unfortunately the preferred type of horses around here are QH/Paint/App. When you pick up a QH foot, it feels like there is a bungee attached and the horse is constantly pulling on you to get the foot back (even if they aren't actually pulling on you). They just have muscle and no flexibility.


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## Horseyrider (Aug 8, 2010)

I don't disagree with you Malinda, and it's true that most of my experience has been with stock horses. But I don't remember any other breed that had such range of hind leg motion-- more so while it extends behind rather than underneath.

I love the bungee analogy; yep, that's the truth!

I'd love to see a dissection of a Friesian hind leg and pelvis. I'd just love to see how those hip sockets are set.


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## TedH71 (Jan 19, 2003)

The prices are eye boggling though.


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## southerngurl (May 11, 2003)

Yes they are, though they have come down a little it seems.


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## Horseyrider (Aug 8, 2010)

Prices for horses overall have come down, at least in our area. The best value in buying a Friesian is to buy it as a suckling before their keuring (the special show where the Dutch judges evaluate them), although there are breeders that will sell babies en utero too. Price can go up or down after the keuring, based on their rating, if one chooses to keur their youngsters. (It's no longer required.) A nice colt, pre-keuring, may go for as little as $8K, where a nice filly that gets a first premie at her keuring may go for $14K. 

w/t/c horses (started, but not finished) certainly go for a lot higher; but those that are 3rd premie as adults or even studbook (low or no ratings due generally to conformation faults, defects of some sort, etc) can be gotten for $15K or so, sometimes less.

A high quality, well trained ster mare can go $30K and up. Approved stallions are usually $750K-$1.5M or so, depending on who has what and where they want them to go. But since the breeding fees are held down by the registry by-laws, and the pool of available mares is small, no stallion owner is ever going to get their $$$ back in breeding fees. It just won't happen.

Of course, the price that's asked and the price the new owner pays are often verrrrry different.


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## ufo_chris (Apr 30, 2010)

There was a filly on our local graigslist recently for $3500.(sorry don't know how to post the link)
Also an Icelandic for about the same,I'd love to have either one but I have my Haflinger and he was a lot cheaper and I love him.
Chris


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

ufo_chris said:


> There was a filly on our local graigslist recently for $3500.(sorry don't know how to post the link)
> Also an Icelandic for about the same,I'd love to have either one but I have my Haflinger and he was a lot cheaper and I love him.
> Chris


I'd rather have a Haflinger! So cute. I'm planning on utilizing my height shrinkage as I age to be able to ride ponies. I want a haflinger and I'm going to name it Apple Pie. I just like it.


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## mayfair (May 7, 2006)

LisaInN.Idaho said:


> I'd rather have a Haflinger! So cute. I'm planning on utilizing my height shrinkage as I age to be able to ride ponies. I want a haflinger and I'm going to name it Apple Pie. I just like it.


I love it! I want a Haflinger, too. I love ponies.


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## Horseyrider (Aug 8, 2010)

The $3500 Friesian is probably either German registered, or Sport Horse registered. The Dutch ones are never priced so low unless they have their legs on backwards or something.

Haffies are also very nice horses! I love their coloring, their beautiful flowing white manes and tails, and sturdy build. They're a great trail choice because they're not very far up off the ground. There are stinkers in that breed too, but overall they're kind and tractable, and do very well in harness too. I can see that attraction.


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## TedH71 (Jan 19, 2003)

I also really like the Gypsy Vanner horses. They look so nice running around. How common are they here in America?


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## ufo_chris (Apr 30, 2010)

Yes I love my Haflingers size! It is so much easier to get on and off as you approach middle age!
They have a saying in Austria (their native country) 'the golden Horse with a golden Heart' !
I'm originally from Germany and they do not call them Ponies there (same with Icelandics and Fjords),they are in a class by themselves called 'Kleinpferd' which simply means 'small Horse' not confused with a mini of course. 
They use all 3(Icelandic a little less) quite a bit at Horse Holiday farms and Horse Trail riding rentals,yes for Adults.
Sorry to get off the original subject here.... 
Friesians are beautiful Horses! So are Gypsy Vanners!
But what would be wrong with getting a german reg. one(or sporthorse)?
I mean if you are not in it for breeding and making money I'm sure they would be just as beautiful.
Chris


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## Horseyrider (Aug 8, 2010)

There's nothing wrong with it at all. Both registries have some really exceptional individuals. But because the Dutch registry is so very particular and so rigorous in keuring, the overall quality and cost of the Dutch registered horses tends to be higher. I have never personally heard of a Dutch registered Friesian priced below $8K, and those are sucklings that have not yet been keured.


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## DamnearaFarm (Sep 27, 2007)

TedH71 said:


> I also really like the Gypsy Vanner horses. They look so nice running around. How common are they here in America?


Pretty common, despite certain breeder's insistance that they're rare. 

And please, they're Gypsy horses, or Gypsy cobs or just cobs. Gypsy Vanner is a term coined by a very arrogant man who purports that he 'discovered' the breed that had been bred overseas for generations. 

Below are pics of both my gypsy and my former friesian/perch cross:


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## Shoupie (Mar 21, 2009)

RamblinRoseRanc said:


> And please, they're Gypsy horses, or Gypsy cobs or just cobs. Gypsy Vanner is a term coined by a very arrogant man who purports that he 'discovered' the breed that had been bred overseas for generations.



Or Tinkers in Ireland. My Irish cousins laughed their heads off when they heard how much a "vanner" was going for in the states. They're kind of like the quarter horse of the British isles.


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## DamnearaFarm (Sep 27, 2007)

Yup... and to think that they were originally (and still are in some areas, i'm sure) raised for meat. And here in the US, they poop butterflies and are majickal


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## beccachow (Nov 8, 2008)

I would LOVE a Fresian, but all I ever do is trails, so a waste of $$. But I am in LOVE with the breed. Our local Mideval Times boasts a Fresian, ridden by the bad guy. So lovely.


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## Horseyrider (Aug 8, 2010)

Beautiful horses, Ramblin Rose Ranch! I can see the Friesian in your cross. And wow, look at the feathers on your Gypsy! Gorgeous, both of them! What sort of things do you do with them?

Beccachow, I can totally understand that paying all that $$$ for a Friesian for trail is kinda silly. There are many terrific trail horses that can be had for a fraction of the cost of a Friesian. But since I'm so weak for my trail horse, I just have to show you a couple of pics of him:



















He will go anywhere I point him, and do anything I ask. His nickname is Goat Boy because he'll climb anything out there. He also does some stupid tricks. He has a red ball that I throw, and he runs after it, grabs it, and puts it in a blue bucket for me. He'll even go over a jump to fetch it if I throw it that way. He pushes a big blue plastic barrel around with his nose at a run (pretty funny to watch), and gives hugs and kisses on command. Oh, and he'll also climb up on this giant cement block thing in their drylot with his front feet, under saddle or not, on command. Isn't it funny what a horse will do for a stinkin' treat?


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## beccachow (Nov 8, 2008)

Gorgeous! (drooling on keyboard).

Gypsys are my second favorite.


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## Harmony_Meadows (Nov 4, 2007)

Gorgeous horses!! Very nice!

The stupid Friesian we are dealing with at our barn...the one with no ground manners!!....ran me over yet again today!! I was taking my girl out and the nasty witch took a run at the gate and pushed her way between my filly and I, knocking me down in the process.:grump::stars::bash: Rotten little cow!!!! I gave her heck and tossed her back, but it will have to be back to carrying a whip to catch again. 
I wish she was one of those docile Friesians you all are talking about!!  She makes it really tough to like them!! 

Oh well, I am happy with my well mannered(okay, most of the time) Appy....wait, isn't that an oxymoron?!? :croc: 

Horses! Sheesh!!


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## DamnearaFarm (Sep 27, 2007)

lol, goat boy! He's a doll, Horsey. 


Ya know, MANY people who've seen the pics of Trace say 'no, that's not your perch/friesian cross- that's your belgian.' I tell 'em no, then show them pics of the belgian. lol
We no longer own Trace- he is ridden by a tiny slip of a girl- not even five feet tall to his 18.2 self!

That reminds me... can you guess this horse's breed?


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## DamnearaFarm (Sep 27, 2007)

Harmony_Meadows said:


> Gorgeous horses!! Very nice!
> 
> The stupid Friesian we are dealing with at our barn...the one with no ground manners!!....ran me over yet again today!! I was taking my girl out and the nasty witch took a run at the gate and pushed her way between my filly and I, knocking me down in the process.:grump::stars::bash: Rotten little cow!!!! I gave her heck and tossed her back, but it will have to be back to carrying a whip to catch again.
> I wish she was one of those docile Friesians you all are talking about!!  She makes it really tough to like them!!
> ...




Well mannered appy? Where? :hobbyhors lol
Show me


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## DamnearaFarm (Sep 27, 2007)

Since we're talkin' favs... my three all time favorite gypsies:


http://www.rarebreeds.co.nz/gypsy4.jpg


http://www.lakeridgegypsy.com/sitebuilder/images/gypsy-vanner-horses-bri-ste-359x396.jpg


http://www.djwwgypsyhorses.com/tp.gif


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## Shoupie (Mar 21, 2009)

Ahhhh!!! 
Must.........stop.............looking...............at...........................pictures

It's a good thing I'm uber broke.


If that buckskin had been a sorrel though I'd be out hawking a left kidney.


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## DamnearaFarm (Sep 27, 2007)

Like Rossa, you mean?


http://www.blarneystoneacres.com/c2/Rossa-c48.html

or Darrig?


http://www.djwwgypsyhorses.com/Darrig.html


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## Shoupie (Mar 21, 2009)

*grabs axe*

Ok who wants a kidney, or 1/2 my liver, or my left toe all up for grabs. lol


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## DamnearaFarm (Sep 27, 2007)

I don't think toes are bringin' anything, Shoupie. If they were then perhaps I coulda sold that half of Greg's finger that was amputated... lol.

When we first looked at this house years ago, we really didn't think we could afford it. I came home from the viewing and asked if anyone knew what souls went for on ebay. 


Greg has a question... do you only have ONE toe left on your left foot? lol


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## Shoupie (Mar 21, 2009)

Maybe if I put it in a bottle of formaldehyde and made up some story about it being possessed I could sell it to a traveling freak sideshow... or some creepy cannibal type.

And as to Greg's question, I don't think you can count anything but my big toe as a full toe, they're midgi-toes. I'd have to sell them 3 for the price of 1 so the buyers wouldn't feel robbed.

I don't think anyone would want my soul its been ----ed a few too many times.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

Perhaps you could use said toe for your own version of the sour toe coctail and it would generate enough revenue to pay for the horse of your dreams.


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## Tiempo (May 22, 2008)

Said in Tiempo's (the person) pathetically meek and slightly whiney voice..."but Paso's are pwetty toooo!!"










And a more recent pic of him (with Tucker our solid paint)


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## Horseyrider (Aug 8, 2010)

Ahhh, Tiempo! They are indeed beautiful. Gotta love a horse that has the capacity to telescope their neck so extravagantly. And the glossy dapples, ooh la la!


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## HomesteadXing (Jul 12, 2010)

Does anyone know if there are any Friesan horse breeders in MO? And about how much they run in $$? I've loved friesans, their beauty, gait and general overall attitude most of my life, I grew up with quarter horses, and when I first saw a Freisan... O.O I was in love at first sight. I am looking for one about 15h high, otherwise I will have to get a ladder to climb up XD.


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## Horseyrider (Aug 8, 2010)

HomesteadXing, check out www.fhana.com for horses for sale as well as a breeders list. And sites like dreamhorse are going to have listings, too. 

The price of the horses varies with their breed registry, age, gender, training, and rating. There are certainly some 15hh ones out there.


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## TedH71 (Jan 19, 2003)

I'm seeing $15k to high as $45k per horse!


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## DamnearaFarm (Sep 27, 2007)

Horseyrider- did you see those pictures I posted of the black horse in this thread?


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## DamnearaFarm (Sep 27, 2007)

Shoup- it IS gettin to be that time o' the year....


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## Horseyrider (Aug 8, 2010)

> Horseyrider- did you see those pictures I posted of the black horse in this thread?


Yes I did! I always feel funny being the first to guess though. To me it looks like a good Morgan. Am I close?


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## Horseyrider (Aug 8, 2010)

> I'm seeing $15k to high as $45k per horse!


Ted, that sounds about right. But you can get one for a little less if you're willing to commit to a suckling that hasn't been keured yet, or an en utero baby.


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## Shoupie (Mar 21, 2009)

I wonder if you could offset the cost of keeping one by making appearances dressed in medieval garb. They wouldn't really have to pay me for that... but I wouldn't talk them out of it. :grin:


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## southerngurl (May 11, 2003)

HomesteadXing said:


> Does anyone know if there are any Friesan horse breeders in MO? And about how much they run in $$? I've loved friesans, their beauty, gait and general overall attitude most of my life, I grew up with quarter horses, and when I first saw a Freisan... O.O I was in love at first sight. I am looking for one about 15h high, otherwise I will have to get a ladder to climb up XD.


I think there is a breeder near Flippin , Ar.


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## DamnearaFarm (Sep 27, 2007)

Horseyrider said:


> Yes I did! I always feel funny being the first to guess though. To me it looks like a good Morgan. Am I close?


Nope. TWH., formerly padded  The first time we had the vet out for him, he made the comment that Gin had a little heart murmur- but it wasn't anything to worry about, since many of the friesian crosses do. 
His partner in the practice raises friesian crosses and I guess he assumed Gin was one. 


Just wondered if you saw what he saw, whatever that was.


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