Friesian
Horse Finders is a no-fee service provided through Proud Meadows,
who is a founding member of the service. We are dedicated
to finding you the best horse for the best price.
We are not brokering horses on behalf of
one or two farms (Proud Meadows has very few horses for sale
in a given year). We are not affiliated with any registry.
We are not commissioned salespeople trying to create demand
and high sales of Friesians.
The demand for Friesians is already there.
What Friesian Horse Finders does is manage that demand
for the benefit of the buyer/owner and the Friesian breed.
We always strive to match the right horse with the right owner.
We are lovers of the breed and believe that the breed will
prosper and grow only if people have satisfying experiences
while owning their Friesian.
Our international network of sellers and
experts works together so that all costs are built into the
price of the horse. Only special consultations from outside
experts, travel expenses, and, infrequently, medical and importing
costs are additional to the sale price.
DOES IT COST MORE TO USE
FRIESIAN HORSE FINDERS?
Before
Proud Meadows got involved with Friesian Horse Finderss
we insisted on comparing the prices of FHF horses to current
market prices. We evaluated 10 horses that were immediately
available through Friesian Horse Finders. Using our long
experience to consider the strengths and weaknesses of
each horse, and what they would be good for, we determined
that Friesian Horse Finders’ horses were 10-20%
below the current market price. We then understood that
Friesian Horse Finders is a valuable service for both
buyers and the breed, not an attempt to leverage the marketplace.
It benefits sellers because their horses are sold more
quickly with less effort. That saves them money by cutting
advertising expenses and reducing the regular feed, stabling,
farrier, and medical costs of maintaining a horse for
sale.
WHY PROUD MEADOWS IS INVOLVED
IN FRIESIAN HORSE FINDERS
In
the late 90’s Proud Meadows imported a number
of fine stallions, geldings, and mares from Europe in
order to sell them in the North American market. We
found good homes for all of these horses, even if it
was sometimes in the barn of the second owner, not the
first. It was a learning experience but we ultimately
decided not to become an importer.
During
this time we met many people wanting to purchase a Friesian
from any source, not just us. All too often we ended
up seeing a bad fit between the horse and the new owner.
Some spent too much money on too much horse. Some invested
in a stallion when they really needed a gelding. Some
felt they had gotten the deal of the century when in
fact there was a good reason why the horse was priced
so low. Many new Friesian owners got caught up in bloodlines
and the breeding societies’ different philosophies,
and paid too little attention to what they wanted from
the horse they were buying.
Even
we have made some mistakes. In our earliest days, all
we wanted were a few Friesians for high-level all-breed
dressage competition, exhibitions and demonstrations.
We didn’t know it then but that desire meant that
we were going to need stallions, not mares or geldings.
And fulfilling our desire had long-term consequences
for the kind of farm we would have. We did become a
home for stallions, but if we had known then what being
a stallion farm would involve in time, effort, infrastructure
and expense, we might have chosen to remain at mid-level
dressage.
Since
those days, we, as a Friesian farm of some reputation,
continue to see bad fits between horse and owner. They
come into our training center and to Keurings held at
Proud Meadows every year, not to mention all of the
phone calls and e-mails asking us for advice. Friesian
Horse Finders is our effort to help remedy this problem.
On the positive side, having seen great matches between
horses and owners motivates us to help the good fit
happen as much as possible. We have been partly responsible
for stimulating interest in the Friesian, so we see
this as a responsibility.
Part
of the problem of bad matches comes from the mistaken
belief that all Friesians are the same. Some Friesian
breeders have contributed to this problem by marketing
their horses in a very singular way, meaning “a
Friesian is a Friesian is a Friesian.” And people
believe it.
This
notion is complete nonsense.
Friesian
horses are as individual as their owners. Knowing that
a Friesian is a “legendary black horse”
of “placid temperament, high intelligence, and
dramatic presence” combined with “excellent
abilities in dressage and driving” (all at the
same time being “a favorite family pet”),
is a starting point for interest in the breed, not a
description of the horse being purchased. For example,
did you know that some Friesians are a bit lazy? That’s
fine for a Sunday carriage ride, but is not what you
want from a competition horse. Did you know that a stallion
needs to be trained and ridden no less than three days
a week? A weekend stallion can be a real problem in
the barn. Did you know that the modern bloodlines are
rather recent and limited? That impacts your decision
to become a breeder.
THE SUCCESSFUL MATCH
Finally,
we have had success in finding the perfect horse
for many riders. There is nothing like positive
reinforcement to give impetus to Friesian Horse
Finders. Most notable of these successes is the
horse that Proud Meadows co-owns with renowned
trainer and author, Jane Savoie.
Upon
her request in 2002 Proud Meadows and Sabine Schut-Kery
made an international search for a horse that
had the abilities to go to the highest levels
of dressage, but that was young enough so that
Jane could train him in her own way. We succeeded
only after going to the Netherlands to take advantage
of Sabine's trusted contacts there. The result
was Menno, now affectionately called “Moshi.”
“The
Friesian is unique in its movement and conformation.
One cannot use Warmblood standards to select a
good dressage Friesian. I recognized this as soon
as I decided to train and compete a Friesian.
I also recognized that there was only one place
that demonstrated both a deep knowledge of dressage
and the Friesian breed- Proud Meadows."
"Proud
Meadows took the time and made every effort to
completely understand what I was looking for.
The horse that they found for me was not a close
match- it was a perfect match.”
-
Jane Savoie
“"The
horse Proud Meadows found for me
was not a close match- it was a perfect match.”
It
all starts with what you want your Friesian to do. This
is the first step of Friesian Horse Finders’ three-step
process of matching you up with a Friesian. Step 2 is
your honest determination of your comfortable budget
range. And Step 3 is to provide you with a short list
of horses that meet your needs and budget.
We invite
you to review the following “decision tree”
before you begin your process of working with Friesian
Horse Finders. After honestly determining what you
are committed to do with your horse, let us know so
that we can begin the search process.
THE
FRIESIAN HORSE FINDERS DECISION TREE: Owner Needs and What to Expect
A HORSE AS A HOBBY
• Temperament is most
important.
• Bloodlines do not matter
PRIMARILY DRIVING • Large horses OK
• Traditional high-stepping is impressive
For immediate
use, the buyer must be able to try out the
horse. Do not buy a baby to save money, then
hope and wait.
Broke horses
for hobby should cost no more than $20,000.
Babies are OK to buy,
but the commitment must be made, and the patience
there, to raise and train the young horse.
$9,500 is a realistic price.
Geldings typically are
the most consistent in mood and best for gentle
temperament.
A HORSE FOR SPORT
• Bloodlines do not matter
• Forward Movement most important
DRESSAGE • Training to 2nd
level
DRIVING • Training and Preliminary
Combined Driving
(Driven dressage and cones are the Friesian strong
suits)
Baby Friesians
for sport: There must be an objective evaluation
of the walk, trot and canter. Friesian Horse
Finders recommends hiring a neutral expert
to judge a baby's gaits and their potential
for sport.
For both dressage
and driving, the horse needs to be of the
uphill Forward Moving-type, which might be
only 20-25% of the breed, though the number
is growing.
Avoid lazy horses by taking
a test ride.
$20,000 - $30,000 is a
realistic range, depending on training level.
Important Note:
The Friesian Sporthorse is not necessarily
one of the lighter "sporthorse"
build. It is as much about the horse's mind
and temperament, and the abilities of the
trainer and rider.
• Bloodlines matter?
(The Proud Meadows Performance
Breeding Program is designed to determine
how much bloodlines can predict the potential
for high-level sport)
DRESSAGE • 3rd to FEI Levels
COMBINED DRIVING • Marathon is difficult
due to Friesian endurance limits, but some Friesians
can compete satisfactorily.
Get competition scores before
buying.
Stallions
are favored for high-level competition because
of their spirit and presence.
High-level
competitors are very hard to find because
Friesians are relatively new to Dressage.
Very high commitment in
time to train and compete.
Get advice from an experienced,
upper-level Friesian trainer on any horse
being offered as capable of going to higher
levels of competition.
Never buy a horse without
seeing scores from actual open competition,
e.g. USDF.
$30,000 - $150,000
depending on level and scores.
DEMONSTRATIONS
• Bloodlines do not matter
PARADE AND TRICK TRAINING • High-stepping
traditional horse is good
• Medium training commitment
• Geldings, mares, stallions
PROFESSIONAL DRESSAGE • Forward Movement
required
• High training commitment
• Typically stallions are used
BREEDING
• Bloodlines matter
MARES • Offer best return
on investment
• Easier entry into registry for mares
• Foals must sometimes be kept for years
• Crossbreeding not allowed
• Can compete or breed, but not both
STALLIONS • Special care such
as segregated pasture
• Difficult registry breeding Approval process
• Higher training commitment
• Require nearby breeding facility
• Crossbreeding offers expanded breeding
market
• Tax advantages
• Can compete and breed year round