Question for you Friesian owners/breeders

[buckskingalmelinda]

Ok so I'm pretty excited about this. Finally a chance to own a dream horse. I mean, I'm sure all of us can remember where we were the first time we laid eyes on a Friesian. ;D
So I happened to of met up with an old high school friend and she breeds Drafts/Friesians, and either breeds them back for a purebred foal or crosses them for a sporthorse foal. She has a beautiful QH/Friesian mare that she bred to a very nice Friesian stud. The mare has been preg checked by a vet, and is in foal with a filly. Due date is mid March. In 2 weeks I am driving out to her place to catch up on old times and more than likely, put money down inutero for this filly foal.
She has taken off $1500 of the to be expected high price tag for a Friesian for me, and plus I have the assurance that this is a good friend of mine. My questions are: Should I be looking out for something on this mare since I'm not experienced with the Friesian breed? I am an experienced horsewoman, but I have neither worked with or been around Friesians. I know what to look for generally, but wanted to see if there was something from a Friesian owner/breeder's eyes that they recomend to look for. And obviously for the foal once it's born. I ask this as I just learned that Friesians I guess should not be fed straight alfalfa. We feed alfalfa/grass, but will feed alfalfa only once in a while when it's cold and want to give the horses more calories without having to go to grain. Anyway, thank you for your time.

[devotee]

Hey, Melinda. The only remaining Friesian owner from this group is Aarninks. I miss the others so much! But Meribeth's mare at Aarninks, Franciska Patricia ("Fritza"), will be on cam soon, I hope. She is a very, very sneaky mare - and a favorite of mine. If you want information about Friesians, meanwhile, you might want to PM Allison at Mythic Friesians. Allison has been reading the MB, but I don't think Meribeth has tuned in yet.

[buckskingalmelinda]

Thank you! Guess my question will just have to wait till the Friesian group come back to the board. Till then, maybe I'll do some online research and see what I can find.
Thanks again!!

[teckelx2]

Hi everybody. I have been checking the boards once in a while - but mostly watching the cams. I've been watching Starlight as usual and of course missed Lisa Lou last night My mare's not the only sneaky one LOL

The sneaky lady is getting bigger by the day. About 4 weeks to go. Will probably get her stall in order in about two weeks. The cam's on but not much to see at this point. Her filly from last year, Trixie, is growing like a weed.

As to the part Friesian question, I am no expert on crosses, but if you get the majority of Friesian characteristics, you'll have a gentle and willing partner. They are intelligent and versatile, very smart and friendly. Of course I am partial And I do have some other Heinz 57's, that I love just as much, but the Friesians are just special.

Good luck with your foal!

Meribeth

[devotee]

Hi Meribeth! I've been thinking about Fritza and Trixie all summer and can't wait to watch Fritza on cam again. I'd love to catch a glimpse of Trixie, too, if there's ever a chance for you to show her off. I still remember so vividly watching her get to her feet for the first time and immediately begin to strut her Friesian moves. How amazing to be born with that gait!

[devotee]

I see Fritza! My first glimpse of her since last summer. She's looking grand and pregnant!