Are you fond of horses? Have you been known for keeping the rarest horse breeds? Well, you might have not thought of owning a White Friesian horse. The said horses are expensive and rare but they are worth the money and effort. Let’s find out how?
White Friesian is a distinctive horse breed that originates from a province situated in the northern part of the Netherlands known as Friesland (historically known as Frisia).
This Netherland province is known and admired for its lakes, ice-skating, water sports, rich culture, and language.
White Friesian Horse Breed
White Friesian is not a breed but a color, this majestic white horse belongs to a unique big horse breed called “Friesian”.
This breed is named after the province this horse breed originates from. Though this distinguishing breed is unique in all senses it is most known for its friendly temperament, fierceness, super-natural athletic abilities, exceptionally thick mane and tail, and well-muscled body.
Appearance
Friesian horses have been awarded baroque type of bodies, long arched necks, well-chiseled short ears, Spanish-type heads, low-set tails, short strong limbs, thick wavy mane and tail, strong sloping hindquarters, and well feathered lower legs.
In short, Friesian horses, whether it’s black, white, or brown, have got all the unique features to be crowned as the world’s most beautiful horse.
Despite the majestic appearance, it has not yet been recognized as the most beautiful horse officially.
In the eyes of an Italian heartthrob, Fabio Friesian horses are the world’s most beautiful creatures. Due to its breathtaking appearance, the horse admirers take pride in owning the said horses.
Color
As the name suggests, this Friesian horse that we decided to admire today has got a majestic white coat.
The other Friesian fellas have also been blessed with impressive colors; black and brown.
The White Friesian horse is all white, with no patches or markings that make it breathtakingly similar to the horses we get to see in Disney movies.
Height
Friesians happen to be large-sized muscular horses. Though they take time to grow and reach the typical Friesian height the results are worth the wait.
The standard Friesian horse would be about 15.3 hands(60″-64″) at the withers, varying between 14.2-17 hands high.
In simpler more understandable words, Friesian horses are just almost as tall as draft horses. However, they are a bit more graceful and agile.
Weight
When it comes to weight, Friesians are quite consistent. These strong compactly built Friesian horses weigh somewhere around 1200 to 1400 pounds.
In other words, Friesian horses usually weigh around 544 to 635 kgs. If we compare Friesian horses with regular horses, this horse breed attains an average weight.
It’s probably the rough and tough athletic lifestyle that does not let these horses gain weight easily.
Temperament
As mentioned above, this Friesian horse has got a million reasons to be praised for, one is it’s friendly temperament.
The horse admirers describe this Friesian horse breed as gentle, loving, playful, and a little mischievous.
They can be a little stubborn too but it’s quite rare. The White Friesians are often found in a good mood.
Their ultra-friendly nature makes them an easy-to-handle horse for both beginners and advanced horse admirers. The informative books describe Friesian horses as active, docile, energetic, gentle, and willing.
Break the Fact 33 Best Friesian Horse Names
Distinguishing feature
Everything about this majestic White Friesian horse is unique yet we recognize it with exceptionally long thick mane and tail, feathered legs, and long arched necks.
Health issues
White Friesians are reported to have four genetic disorders; Megaesophagus, hydrocephalus, dwarfism, and a remarkable tendency for aortic rupture.
Other than these typical Friesian issues, the said horses can suffer from common health problems other horses suffer from. It can be colic, arthritis, laminitis, and some back and dental issues.
Cost
Friesian horses are quite costly and frankly, there are reasons to be so. Like every other horse breed out there, Friesian’s price can get influenced by age, sex, pedigree, and some other factors.
The white, black, or brown Friesian horse can be bought somewhere between $3000 to$30,000. The White Friesians are a bit expensive than the brown and black ones as the color looks more majestic and quite hard to find.
The stud-approved Friesians would never be cheaper, they can be bought somewhere between $25000 to $50,000.
They might not be able to compete against the Thoroughbred horse as it’s the most expensive horse breed in the world.
However, Friesians have always held a position on the list of the world’s most expensive horse breeds.
They are more or less as costly as the Arabian, Andalusian, Akhal-Teke, Dutch Warmblood, American Paint Horse, Quarter Horse, Clydesdale, Oldenburger, Morgan, Galineers Cob, Hanoverian, Appaloosa, Standardbred, Shetland pony, and Holsteiner horses.
Use
Due to the Friesian horses’ majestic appearance, the said horse breed is hardly used for typical purposes.
This spectacular horse breed is used for pleasure riding, recreational driving, carrying a special high-wheeled cart called sees.
Some Friesian horses have also performed in movies, shows, and competitions. In some parts of the world, the White Friesian horses have also been pulling carriages at assorted ceremonial events.
Everything Else About White Friesian Horses
White is a rare coat color and the White Friesian horses are not purebred
The Friesian horses we recognize are black, brown, and white. However, the brown and the white Friesians are not pure-bred.
The first White Friesian horse that made the world spellbound by its majestic coat color was 25% Arabian and 75% Friesian. As it got more from Friesian parents, we decided to refer to it as White Friesian horse.
Moreover, despite not being purebred White Friesians are quite rare to find. They are even more uncommon than the brown ones.
Whitecoat color is rare but it’s not as uncommon as the rarest things in the world. The reason is that the breed registries accept only one color, which is black.
As the White Friesians are rare and not even pure-bred, the information we found about this majestic coat colored horse is doubtful
White Friesian is not recognized by the breed registries; it’s also the rarest Friesian coat color. So, the information we find about the said horse can be a little doubtful.
The information about White Friesian horses is usually not coming from reliable sources. Even if it is coming from a reliable source, the White Friesian is not even pure-bred; it’s possible that the horse you have been eyeing may or may not have the same characteristics.
True Friesian horses have black coats and they are also referred to as “Belgian Blacks”
It has been mentioned several times that the White Friesian is an outcome of cross-breeding. The true Friesian horses are the ones with black coats. To admire the beauty of their black coats, the true Friesian horses are also referred to as Belgian Blacks.
White Friesian horses are approved to be used for the recreational purposes
Friesian horses, whether it’s black, brown, or white, are gentle, docile, energetic, active, playful, and a little mischievous.
They are most known for their athletic abilities. Despite being active, energetic, and willing White Friesian horses showed poor performance in the fields.
However, these horses have performed well on the sports grounds.
For all these reasons, these horses are declined for agricultural purposes but approved to be used for recreational purposes.
They have been used for pleasure riding and as show horses ever since.
White Friesian horses have appeared in several fantasy movies and historic dramas
White Friesians horses appear unreal, it’s hard to believe that a horse can be so magnificent. Because of their breathtaking beauty, they have been a part of several Hollywood movies and TV shows.
The horse admirers might have grown up watching these White Friesian horses in hundreds of fantasy movies and historic dramas.
Several writers have prized the White Friesian horse as the most beautiful horse breed from the horse world
The White Friesian horses have not just appeared in the movies, they have been mentioned in the books, blog posts, and several other pieces of writings. Most writers admire White Friesian horses as the most beautiful and agile horse breed.
In brief, Friesian’s horses originate from a province in the Netherlands called Friesland or Frisia. The said horses are well-recognized for their thick slightly wavy mane and tail. White Friesians are friendly, active, energetic, rare, and expensive. They hold a prominent position on the World’s most beautiful horse breeds list.
Resources
- Copy number variations in Friesian horses
- https://bmcgenomdata.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12863-018-0657-0
- Breeds of Livestock – Friesian Horse
- http://afs.okstate.edu/breeds/horses/friesian/