When Proud Meadows first brought its Friesians into USDF Open dressage competition we had to pass the laugh test. The first reaction among many was to laugh or sneer at “a carriage horse” attempting to compete with the Warmbloods that dominate the sport.

      Thus the Friesian had to prove itself equal to the traditional dressage breeds, and we at Proud Meadows made answering that challenge our first mission. Once Sabine started competing with Jorrit in the USA, it was apparent that at least one Friesian was not to be laughed at.

Jorrit has done more for Friesians in the minds of the equestrian community than any other horse

      Our next task was to prove that more than one Friesian could compete strongly… that Jorrit was not some kind of freak of nature. This became a long and very discriminating selection process that taught us that only about 20-25% of Friesians exhibit the forward movement necessary for dressage. But we did find a number of horses over the years that proved the strengths of Friesians in competition: Tjerk, Drummond, Rampart, Illiad (now at Prix St. Georges), and, most important to date, Tinus, our 4-time USDF Horse of the Year Champion, now competing at Grand Prix.

      Beyond stallions Proud Meadows’ Model mare, Xanadu, was discovered in California during USDF Open Competition. Sabine observes that the mare’s sensitivity, rhythm, balance and gaits are the equal of any great stallion she has seen. Her unbridled recommendation of Xanadu led us to purchase her as our Foundation Mare.

      We also helped Jane Savoie, world-recognized trainer and author, find a horse that could match her reputation. This was Menno (“Moshi”), a seven-year old gelding delivered in 2003. Jane has scored extremely well with Moshi in his first year of USDF competition.

      "Working with Proud Meadows it took a year to find my Friesian. Given the difficulty of finding a good horse it makes sense for Proud Meadows to breed a new generation of Friesians with potential for high-level dressage."

      "I am impressed with the quality and accomplishments of the Foundation stallions and mares in the Performance Breeding Program. I applaud them for this bold new step which will be a great service to the serious dressage community."
                                                                                    - Jane Savoie

Tinus’ great performances in competition and demonstrations have proven that Friesians belong at the highest levels of dressage

Our Model mare, Xanadu, is the Program’s Foundation mare, and is the equal of any stallion.

To answer this question our Performance Breeding Program (PBP) is designed to:

1) produce offspring with a variety of bloodlines from our horses that have proven themselves in competition. We know there are other fine dressage Friesians not owned by Proud Meadows, but we will begin with ours for initial control and continuing management.

2) sell PBP offspring to owners who will commit fully to train and compete the horses, then to document the offspring’s development and performance history,

3) validate for the Forward-Moving competition Friesian the generally accepted principle that equine bloodlines do make a difference.