The Friesian Stallion Eros
by Amber Kresge
Title
The Friesian Stallion Eros
Artist
Amber Kresge
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
I went out to take pictures of the beautiful wildflowers that are abundant in the Texas Hill Country region. However, when I stumbled upon this magnificent Friesian stallion, I just had to get permission to meet him and take his picture.
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Friesians:
History
A historic image of Alva 113, Friesian stallion
The breed was developed in the province of Friesland in the northern Netherlands, where there is evidence of thousands of years of horse populations, and this breed is said to have descended from the primitive forest horse.
Ancestors of the modern Friesians were used in medieval times to carry knights to battle. In the 12th and 13th centuries, some eastern horses of crusaders were mated with Friesian stock. During the 16th and 17th centuries, when the Netherlands were shortly linked with Spain, there was less demand for heavy war horses, as battle arms changed and Andalusian blood was added, lightening their weights and thereby rendering them more suitable (in terms of less food intake and waste output) for work as more urban carriage horses.
The historian Ann Hyland wrote of the Friesian breed:
The Emperor Charles (reigned 1516 -56) continued Spanish expansion into the Netherlands, which had its Frisian warhorse, noted by Vegetius and used on the continent and in Britain in Roman times. Like the Andalusian, the Frisian bred true to type. Even with infusions of Spanish blood during the sixteenth century, it retained its indigenous characteristics, taking the best from both breeds. The Frisian is mentioned in 16th and 17th century works... a courageous horse eminently suitable for war, lacking the volatility of some breeds or the phlegm of very heavy ones. Generally black, the Frisian was around 15hh with strong, cobby conformation, but with a deal more elegance and quality. The noted gait was a smooth trot coming from powerful quarters. Nowadays, though breed definition is retained, the size has markedly increased, as has that of most breeds due to improved rearing and dietary methods.[4]
The breed was especially popular in the 18th and 19th centuries, when they were not only in demand as harness horses and for agricultural work, but also for the trotting races then so popular. The Friesian may have been used as foundation stock for breeds such as the Dole Gudbrandsdal, the Norfolk Trotter (ancestor of the Hackney), and the Morgan.[5] In the 1800s, the Friesian was bred to be lighter and faster for trotting, but this led to what some owners and breeders regarded as inferior stock, so a movement to return to pureblood stock took place by the end of the century.
The Friesian Today
From the latter part of the 20th century until the present, demand for purebreds, particularly the "modern" style, finer-boned, taller, more agile version of the Friesian, increased, so breeders have bred both purebreds and a lighter-weight crossbred horse with valued characteristics, resulting in the Friesian cross and the Friesian Sporthorse.
Friesian horses are popular in both Europe and the United States, and are often used today for dressage competition, pleasure riding, and driving. Friesian horses can do well in dressage competition due to the breed's movement, trainability, appearance, power, and body control.
The Friesian also remains popular as a carriage horse, as it is a powerful horse and its high-stepping action is eye-catching. It is particularly popular in competitions that require the driving of a team, partly because of its movement and disposition, and partly because it is easy to match teams of black horses. Friesians are also good all-around horses, used for showing, driving, and general riding, and are also used as circus horses.
Due to its flashy appearance, the Friesian has become popular in the film industry. Though Friesians are of dramatic appearance, sometimes their use in dramatizations of actual historical events is of dubious accuracy, given the breed as it is known today only came into being within the last 400 to 600 years. The breed owes much of its current popularity to the appearance of the Friesian stallion Goliath (real name: Othello) in the 1985 film, Ladyhawke, which ignited a worldwide interest in these horses. Films such as Eragon, The Mask of Zorro, Alexander, The Chronicles of Narnia, For Greater Glory and The Wolfman have also featured Friesian horses. An episode of the TV series Lost featured a Friesian/Saddlebred cross. Most recently, Friesians were seen in the 2010 remake of Clash of the Titans, where two horses named "Boech" and "Gallo" each took turns playing the winged horse, Pegasus, and they were also used in the 2011 remake of Conan the Barbarian. Friesians are also used for the Tribute Parade in The Hunger Games and in Catching Fire.
Source: History and information provided by Wikipedia
Uploaded
April 7th, 2013
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Viewed 1,736 Times - Last Visitor from Beverly Hills, CA on 03/12/2024 at 10:49 PM
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Comments (54)
JOHN TELFER
Amber, Fantastic capture of this great looking horse. Excellent details and colors captured in this photo. Nice foreground imagery and I like the shade on the horse's back, nice looking slightly blurred image in the background. Excellent photo, voted, google and tweet promoted
Marie-Line Vasseur
Your sense of equine beauty is fantastic! voted and faved
Amber Kresge replied:
Thank you very much Marie! That's a very sweet thing to say and I appreciate it!