Friesians, Dwarfism, and Why We Should Stop Inbreeding Animals

Photo by oranstudio.il on Unsplash

(No, I don’t know for sure that that’s a Friesian horse, but I can’t find a good one I can legally use).

So, the Friesian horse (not to be confused with the Friesian cow that might have made a personal and intimate contribution to your milkshake) is a light draft/carriage horse that originates from Friesland in the Netherlands. It’s often considered to be the closest you’ll see to a Renaissance era war horse.

The breed is known for it’s fairly heavy build, good character, heavy mane, tail and feather…and black coat.

It’s also known for a variety of hideous genetic defects.

The Problems

The Friesian studbook was created, and promptly closed, in the late nineteenth century. In 1913, the breed became almost extinct, but fanciers saved them.

However, they never reopened the studbook. This is contrast to an American breed, the American Creme Draft (which has the distinction of being the only Draft breed created in the U.S.). When this breed was rendered nearly extinct in the 1920s and 1930s, breeders knew that the best way to save it was to reopen the studbook. The American Creme Draft studbook is still limited open, primarily bringing in Belgian horses (the two breeds are very similar) and they are talking…