YOUR AND FRIESIAN QUESTIONS ANSWERED WITH THE EBONY PARK TEAM

Your Top 60 Questions on Friesians and in General... Answered

Table of Contents

“A Pony is a childhood dream, a horse is an adultood teasure” -- Rebecca Carrol Chapter One - General Questions for Ebony Park - Page 4 1. What do each of you love most about Friesians? - Page 4 2. Who is you favorite Friesian of all time and why? If you could pick one foal that you have bred to keep who would it be and why? - Page 4 3. How do you decide of all the colts who are born, who stays as a colt and who gets gelded? - Page 4 4. Is there any breeder who will actually let you have a ride on a Friesian? - Page 5 5. What time do you get up in the morning? - Page 5 6. How did you start breeding Friesians? Did you start with mares, stallions or both? And how many did you start with? - Page 5 7. Is it always about the riding? - Page 5 8. Are you always on the look out for new horses from Europe or are you focussing on your current team? - Page 5 9. I was told by another Friesian owner that is was best to get my gelded standing, and to have him put on antibiotics until the incision in fully drained. Is this fact or fiction? - Page 6 10. How much did it cost to import your horses, and what did it involve... what was the quarantine like, where was the quarantine base - in melbourne or somewhere else? - Page 6 11. Why did you call it Ebony Park? - Page 7

Chapter Two - Training Friesians - Page 7 12. What training method do you use, to achieve the high knee action and forwardness? - Page 7 13. Hi, I have a Friesian and he gets a narky when he's eating ... so is this 'normal' behaviour? - Page 7 14. 14. What age should we start to lightly work (eg. walk and trot) Friesians under and for how long at a time to begin with? - Page 8 15. Do you long rein your breakers or just start them on/from the lunge line? - Page 8 16. Is there anything in particular that you do differently when it comes to training a Friesian / Friesian-x for than say, a warmblood//other breed? - Page 8 17. Do you have any advice on handling my young colt? - Page 8 PAGE 1 YOUR HORSE AND FRIESIAN QUESTIONS ANSWERED WITH THE EBONY PARK TEAM

18. Just reading here that you don't really do any hands on work until 3 years old? What happens if you start earlier with light work? - Page 9 19. My stallion has that typical friesian/baroque head/neck set... how do you encourage them to work long and low when being ridden?? - Page 9 20. Dealing with the friesian high head ... I have a part bred but very much with the short high neck carriage. Do you recommend any additional exercises to help with this? - Page 9

Chapter Three - Friesian Questions - Page 10 21. So, I've been very very lucky to have the chance to do my work experience with you in the coming month. I was just wondering what sort of jobs I'll be required to do? - Page 10 22. Is it common to get stifle lock in young Friesians? Does this disappear with age and how can it be treated? - Page 10 23. I believe Friesians 'bond' with their person, who do you cope/overcome any jealousy when one of them sees you with playing/working/cuddling another 4-legged? - Page 11 24. When I was in Canada it was really common for stables in Summer to keep their horses inside during the day and only let them out to graze at night (Canadians are funny about heat). Since Friesians being from a colder climate is this something you do? Do they go nuts with the heat in Summer? Or do they acclimatize to our environment nicely? - Page 11 25. Do Friesians have a similar lifespan to other horses? - Page 12 26. Do you shoe your horses? - Page 12

Chapter Four - Breeding Friesians - Page 13 27. Can you guys let me know how well your stallions go over a Dutch Warmblood??? Also any info on what the crossed foals are like, do they keep the Friesian movement? - Page 13 28. I was wondering how much you usually charge for a breeding, just so I could get an average and decide the price when the time comes? :) And also, do you allow your stallions to breed with other breeds of horses? - Page 14 29. If I decided I wanted one of your stallions to be the daddy to a foal with my (soon to be possibly) Standardbred mare, would this be ok? Who would be the better stallion to cover with? Why? - Page 14 30. What would you think a foal bred out of one of your Friesian stallions to a full australian mare would turn out?? - Page 15 31. Have you ever bred a Friesian to an appy? - Page 15 32. I’m wondering as Im in QLD do you ship fresh, frozen or both? - Page 15 33. What are they liked when crossed with a thoroughbred? - Page 15 34. What age is recommended for maiden mares to have their first foal? - Page 16 35. What colour foal would you get if you put a friesian over a palomino? And have you ever done a Friesian x Arab/QH mix? - Page 16 36. Are you planning any pony crosses? - Page 16 37. Have you ever done ET? /or will you ever in the future? - Page 16 38. Are there any indicators regarding personality types that are passed on through breeding to focus on besides just looking at conformation strengths and weaknesses? - Page 16 39. How do you train you stallions to collect for AI and what do they wear, halters, , rearing bits etc? - Page 16 40. Do you AI yourself or get a vet to do it? - Page 17

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Chapter Five - Riding Friesians - Page 18 41. What is the recommended dressage saddle for Friesians - are they easy to fit? Also do you compete in the same ? And what sized bridles do you use? - Page 18 42. When riding, do you have to pay attention not to flex the jaw too much so you don't block air? - Page 18 43. Bits? - Page 18 44. Do you work all your competing horses daily or just 3-4 times a week? Do you exercise your mares when they are in foal or just let them relish their pregnant glow ;) - Page 19 45. Is a Friesian different to ride opposed to other horses? - Page 19 46. One of my major riding problems is my sitting trot. I have an illness which prevents me from riding months at a time and I really struggle with holding my seat. Do you guys have any special exercises to keep your back supple?? - Page 19

Chapter Six - Grooming Friesians - Page 20 47. To achieve a fully black Friesian, besides rugging, is there any other way to do this? - Page 20 48. How do you get your Friesians looking as stunning as you do, and how do you get their manes and tails so long?! - Page 20 49. Are there different types of plaiting for different breeds? - Page 21 50. What do you recommend for mane growth? - Page 21 51. Talking of manes... how do you look after them? - Page 22 52. How do you deal with sunbleaching when they are in show work - and do you clip them? - Page 22 53. Do you stable them under lights to help with the coats, or just rugs? - Page 22 54. Now the weather is cooling down what feed are you using and what rugs? - Page 22

Chapter Seven - Feeding Friesians - Page 23 55. What do you feed to keep your boys looking spectacular? Any special requirements? - Page 23 56. What feed do you have your Friesians on as I believe you have to watch their protein intake? - Page 23 57. What supplement feed does a weanling/yearling need in addition to roughage? - Page 24 58.Is there any horse feed/supplement that you use or know about that is good for enhancing black Friesian coats?? - Page 24

Chapter Seven - Friesian Regulations for the Friesian Breed - Page 25 59. When it comes to results in a Keuring, could you please explain how the different rankings are achieved eg ster mare, crown mare, how many second or first premies to jump to the next level? - Page 25 60.At a Keuring, can you onlydo an IBOP test and no running, or is it recommended to do both to get a better score? - Page 25

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Chapter One - General Questions for Ebony Park

“Tere is no secret so close as tat between a rider and his horse” -- Robert Smit Surtes

1. What do each of you love most about Friesians?? :)

Tash - Their raw power!!! They are so beautiful, huge and powerful and they can carry you everywhere!!!!! :):) they make you feel like a princess every time you ride!!! :) Danielle - their temperament, mane, and they are pretty. Loes - THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL!!! ... and I am a Friesian girl!!! Go FRIESIANS!!! :):) Kate - Their presence and they are really easy to handle and sooooo friendly!!!!! :)

2. Who is you favorite Friesian of all time and why? If you could pick one foal that you have bred to keep who would it be and why?

Tash - My favourite Friesian has to be Abe as he was my first stallion, first Grand Prix horse, first everything!!!! :) I have kept a lot of my foals!!! I love them all and see the potential in all of them! But if I know the foal is sold, I don't go out to the stable and I don't bond with them as much as when I know I can keep them!!!!

3. How do you decide of all the colts who are born, who stays as a colt and who gets gelded? We tend to keep all the boys entire until they are three and we can see how they move. Then we decide which ones we like to keep as stallions or which ones would be better geldings!!! :)

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4. Is there any breeder who will actually let you have a ride on a Friesian? As I love the look but want to know how they feel... It's a big decision to spend the money without knowing how they go under saddle. What else do you use your Friesians for?

Hi :) We do have a Friesian we can offer for rides, but it depends on your riding level as he is not a schoolmaster yet as he is young. We use our Friesians for top level dressage with one of our stallions at Grand Prix level :)

5. What time do you get up in the morning?

The horses are fed at 7am with the riding starting at 8am :)

Busy days ;) when was your last holiday?

Every day is a holiday! We get to hang out, dance, laugh and play with black stallions!!!! :):):)

6. How did you start breeding Friesians? Did you start with mares, stallions or both? And how many did you start with? We started with two stallions and one mare!! Meant to be only one of each... but I wouldn't leave without Abe, and Elko was the star to get!!!! :)

7. Is it always about the riding? I had huge dreams with my mare. We were going to be the best team of all... now, I have no desire to ride her. She's been too much for me, but I'm happy with our "ground" relationship. I'd like to think I could ride her again one day, but right in this moment, I'm happy not to. I think you answered your own question then :) What about looking into the classical in- hand work? It's all about having a passion and getting happiness out of it, whatever and however!!! :)

8. Are you always on the look out for new horses from Europe or are you focussing on your current team? Tash - Haha!!! No I don't look!!!!! If I look I will want!!!! My plan is to start a family at the end of the year and spend the next couple of years doing that, so my horses are good for now. Loes has Zeus and Dante and we have some STUNNING babies in the wings, so we have enough right now :)

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9. I was told by another Friesian owner that is was best to get my Friesian Sporthorse gelded standing, and to have him put on antibiotics until the incision in fully drained. Is this fact or fiction? Tash - Oooooh :) cool question!! I'm not a vet so I have no opinion! All I know is that all of ours are done lying down, and no medication after unless there are complications (which fingers crossed there are not!!). That’s for the foals (generally around 6 months of age) and we did a 3 1/2yo recently :) ... Loes is saying it depends on the balls!!!! Haha!!! But it probably does depend on the age of the horse, and where the testicles are and the size. It also depends on your vet’s preference - some of them have practiced one method and are more comfortable with that... so we couldn’t be of more help!!

Very interesting indeed!! I guess I'll have to ask my vet when the time comes! =) Do you recommend on gelding them earlier rather than later?

I like to geld when still on mum as mum gives them milk which I think would make you feel better, and mum also encourages them to move around which in turn helps with the drainage and the healing. But we have done a lot that have already been weaned as well if a new owner requests it (but these ones again move around as they are in paddocks with their brothers and sisters)! Like I said we have done a few at 3 and 3 1/2 when a new owner has come along and wants a gelding instead of a stallion :)

10. How much did it cost to import your horses, and what did it involve... what was the quarantine like, where was the quarantine base - in melbourne or somewhere else? Now a days I think the budget is around $25-30k depending on the exchange rate, cost of the horse - as that affects the cost of insurance; that includes the flying, quarantine and insurance. They have changed it since EI hit I think, and now there is a longer quarantine period. They do quarantine in England and in Sydney or Melbourne. But like I said it may have all changed in the last couple of years. We used IRT who are AMAZING and you can just leave it up to them and they just deliver your horse to your door! Really super company!!!! :):):)

11. Why did you call it Ebony Park?

Super question!!! It was either going to be Ebony Park or Rocklea Park when we started out. I have always liked black, so Ebony seemed to fit :):)

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Chapter Two - Training Friesians

“When a horse greets you wit a nicker and regards you wit a large and liquid eye, te queston of where you want t be has been answered” -- Autor Unknown

12. What training method do you use, to achieve the high knee action and forwardness when trotting alongside a runner (without the horse running into you or using their shoulder to barge into you, especially around corners)?

P.S i don't like chasing the horse as I want the horse to 'want' to be with me and know its safe beside me.

Cool question :) We don't do anything to change the horses movement - the action they do when trotting is just their natural movement :) This is in-hand work, the horse must know to lead off you, so if you run, the horse stays with you! If the horse falls in on the corners it helps to raise your hand and make sure the horse knows it can’t run through so he stays sitting on his hindlegs and doesn't fall in :)

13. Hi, I have a Friesian warmblood and he gets a bit narky when he's eating (he tried to kick but soon got a bucket up his backside). I now occasionally move his hind quarters from side to side, just so he can still eat but has some respect... I believe Friesians are pretty greedy... so is this 'normal' behaviour? I don't let him get away with it, but would like to make sure I'm not doing something I shouldn't... he's 18 months old and has now been well handled.

Kate - I think you are doing exactly the right thing by not letting your horse get away with the naughty behaviour, and I agree that Friesians are the labradors of the horse world - they adore their cuddles and they LOVE their food!! Natasha is always really clear on which battles we will fight... at 18 months old we just feed and leave them alone (with just basic handling) to be horses, but at the same time, the horses that are broken in, like the stallions, never get away with ANYTHING naughty!!

Thanks Kate... I do generally leave him alone to eat, but you never know if you have to do something with them, especially later on when he'll be rugged. Cheers!

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Exactly! I totally agree! So do exactly what you are doing and don't let him get away with it!! :)

Lol, not a chance... much to his chagrin. Thanks ladies, love your work!

14. What age should we start to lightly work (eg. walk and trot) Friesians under saddle and for how long at a time to begin with?

We start working our horses at around 3 years old, but it really depends on the horse, so you can start working them and see how well they cope, and then see how you go... then when we do start working them it is only for approx 15-20 minutes at a time.

15. Do you long rein your breakers or just start them on/from the lunge line?

No - we just lunge :)

16. Is there anything in particular that you do differently when it comes to training a Friesian / Friesian-x for dressage than say, a warmblood/ thoroughbred/other breed?

Cool question!!! :) The principles remain the same, they must go forward, they must go straight, they must be soft and come through over the back. Of course, with some of the Friesians you need to train the 'forward' button more than other horses, but with the hotter horses you need to train the slow down button... so all good! :)

You also MUST make sure they are really through and on the bit! Friesians can tuck their heads in pretty and look on the bit but they aren't through! They need to be on the outside rein and follow the hand down :)

17. Do you have any advice on handling my young 3/4 colt by Jorrit? He’s very well behaved at this stage, but are there certain behaviors that I should be aware of at this stage in his life? He's 6 months old...

If he is well behaved ... then sounds like you are all good :) We let our young ones be horses. They are out in big paddocks with horses their age and a nanny horse. We only handle them as in halter on, leading etc, every 8 weeks for their worming and trims. The rest of the time they are just fed every day and checked not bleeding or lame. At around 3 is when we bring them in, handle them every day, etc...

Sounds like I'm on the right track then thanks!

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18. Just reading here that you don't really do any hands on work until 3 years old? What happens if you start earlier with light work eg. learning to stand, long reining, starting to feel weight eg saddle/ laying on their back etc? (This is done only about twice a week for 15-20 minutes max)

Everyone has their own views on when is the best time to start and the best way to do it :) I think if it works for you and the horse is happy it’s all good :)

19. My stallion has that typical friesian/baroque head/neck set... how do you encourage them to work long and low when being ridden??

You simply must get forward and off the leg first. Work on riding the hindlegs and do not touch the mouth. They can then come through, connect onto the contact and then you can lengthen the contact to as long or as low as you want :)

20. Dealing with the friesian high head carriage... I have a part bred but very much with the short high neck carriage. She likes to go hollow and short necked, her first resistance tension etc will be to do this. I do have an instructor who helps try to keep her stretching into the contact. Do you recommend any additional exercises to help with this?

No additional exercises, you simply must teach them to get out into the contact. My first dressage horse did it, so I had over 10 years practice on how to do it!!!!!!! The good news is it’s up to you as the rider, and like I said, they will give you the practice!!! :):):) Feel blessed that you are getting such an amazing riding education!!!! :):):):)

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Chapter Three - Friesian Questions

“Te essental joy of being wit horses, is tat it brings us in contact wit te rare elements of grace, beaut, spirit and fire” -- Sharon Rals Lemon

21. So, I've been very very lucky to have the chance to do my work experience with you in the coming month. I was just wondering what sort of jobs I'll be required to do? So excited and looking forward to this incredible opportunity! Weeeee!!!!!! Looking forward to playing further into the month!!!!! :) You will be required to make me hot chocolates and ... :) No!!! :) You will get to help the two grooms run the stable. So feeding, rugging, putting horses out, grooming, preparing horses to be ridden, cooling down and of course cleaning stables, sweeping, cleaning tack, all the fun stuff!!!!!! :):):) Ah! All the stuff behind the scenes! :D I'm looking forward to working with all your incredible horses.

22. Is it common to get stifle lock in young Friesians? Does this disappear with age and how can it be treated? Kate - We don't really see and of our horses with stifle lock... are you meaning just when the stifles click when they move, or a full on stifle lock where the horses leg locks and it looks lame and has trouble moving? We had a crossbred gelding with clicking stifles and had the vet come out to look... and he recommended that if we were concerned we could inject his joints as the clicking was caused by slight inflammation, but that with work and as he built up his muscles it would resolve itself... we opted to wait and see, and he was fine :)

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23. I believe Friesians 'bond' with their person, who do you cope/overcome any jealousy when one of them sees you with playing/working/cuddling another 4-legged? Kate - I know Tash is going to answer this question too, but I just wanted to add my thoughts too!! What I like to keep reminding myself is that horses aren't humans, so you can't anthropomorphize (assign a human emotion) to the way a horse is thinking and feeling. As long as you pay attention to both, and don't let them be naughty because you are working with another horse, then I think you will be ok!! :)

You're absolutely right, I think it's MY guilt kicking in as he's recently been watching me ride another horse and stands at the fence looking on (longingly in my mind!).

Tash - I always laugh as I think Abe LOVES Danielle the best as she feeds him and does nothing else!!!! I'm the one who turns up and makes him work hard in the riding :) I believe there is a bond between Abe and I, and he knows he is number 1, but it is a partnership relationship :) I'm sure when he sees me ride Jorrit he believes that is a lesser horse than him and doesn't care :) But to be honest, the only time I see a reaction from either of them is when I give treats at the end of the ride and the other wants a treat too! I think it’s like kids, you give them all love, and they all know they are special, it’s all good, and they are happy!! :)

Yes, there's a fair bit of jealousy when treats are given out, especially when I come down to the yards. He knows he's adored and I had to spend a fair bit of time with him recently for handling (he's 18 months old), so he was used to getting a lot of attention. Now (over Winter), I've turned him out to let him be a baby and take in what he's learned, but I think he still wants to be taken out, groomed, hosed, and lead around every day like he's been used to.

24. When I was in Canada it was really common for stables in Summer to keep their horses inside during the day and only let them out to graze at night (Canadians are funny about heat). Since Friesians being from a colder climate is this something you do? Do they go nuts with the heat in Summer? Or do they acclimatize to our environment nicely? Kate - Yes - in summer when it is really hot, we put the stallions out during the night, and keep them in the cool stables during the day. They tend cope pretty well anyway, and we put white cotton rugs on them in the summer that reflects the light rather than absorbing it... so in the winter we stable them at night and then have them out in plenty of rugs during the day (they would certainly cope without, but we find that if we rug them all the time, we don't need to clip them!)

Do you use misters at all?

What are misters - do you mean water misters? I guess that answers your question... :)

Lol yes water misters.

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25. Do Friesians have a similar life span to other horses or is it different due to their size? They have a similar lifespan as long as they are treated well and looked after... just like any other horse :) I would guess a similar lifespan to other heavier breeds.

26. Do you shoe your horses? Haha! Cool, yes Abe is in shoes, the others aren't. It depends how strong their feet are and if they need it (eg. are they competed regularly etc) :)

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Chapter Four - Breeding Friesians

“A horse is a ting of beaut... none wil tre of looking at him as long as he displays himself in his splendor.” -- Autor Unknown 27. I am having LOADS of trouble deciding on a stallion for my mare and I have had awesome help from Kate but it's still really tricky. I have about 5 stallions in mind - 2 being Elko or ABE. So can you guys let me know how well your stallions go over a Dutch Warmblood??? Also any info on what the crossed foals are like, do they keep the Friesian movement??? Thanks soooooo much

Tash - Ok :) First question ... what’s a dutch warmblood??? Haha!!!! I'm not up with all the tech stuff! Kate has informed me one of warmblood mares This is our Solo II mare, Solome B (Fia) was by Solo II, and another was Duelshutz. I LOVE the foals by the Solo II mare! Expressive movement and striking looks! Yes they keep the movement - obviously not as much as the purebreds, but I like how the cross lightens it up! ... It all depends on what you like :) ... What is your dream foal/horse? :)

Brilliant, THANK YOU! My dream is to have an horse, either stallion or mare doesn't bother me just as long as they have Friesian in them, lol. =)

Ahhh ok, so for eventing, we need some speed yes?!?!?!? Can I ask what your thoughts are for a Tb cross?

My mare is half TB half Dutch warmblood and she is 17.1hh. She did dressage but due to an accident is unable to even be ridden - such a waste - but I would love to have her personality and grace mixed with a This is Fia again with a foal by Elko Friesian, she is PERFECT for it. =)

I do have a 17.2 TB mare but she is being impregnated to a Cremello QH anyway. So I can't use her, lol PAGE 13 YOUR HORSE AND FRIESIAN QUESTIONS ANSWERED WITH THE EBONY PARK TEAM

So what do you like about Abe or Elko? For eventing do you want the more lighter modern style Friesian like Jorrit? :)

I must admit Elko captured my heart with everything, however I must admit ABE has a sensational attitude that is amazing. I do love Jorrit to, I love them all ! Don't you dare make this harder, LOL. It’s ridiculous, I feel I can't choose as they all have things that will make an amazing foal!

Haha I know!!!!! They are all special!!!!! And sounds like you like the big ones with two mares over 17hh!!! :) Thinking of all of the Elko offspring - I think he is your best bet :) His offspring are big, with big strides for your cross country, and they are very powerful in the hindquarters for jumping :)

Brilliant thank you so much! You have eased my mind and made me see the light, lol. Have a good night!

28. I was wondering how much you usually charge for a breeding, just so I could get an average and decide the price when the time comes? :) And also, do you allow your stallions to breed with other breeds of horses? Thank you so much. Good on you for having the Friesian dream!! As you can guess - we love them!! Of course we breed our guys to all breeds of horses!! What kind of mare do you have!? :) Feel free to email us at [email protected] for some more information on breeding at Ebony Park!! :

29. If I decided I wanted one of your stallions to be the daddy to a foal with my (soon to be possibly) Standardbred mare, would this be ok? Who would be the better stallion to cover with? Why?

I probably should elaborate on what I’m wanting. .... :) Dressage superstar in the making is what I want - tall, leggy, dark/black in colour to keep with the Friesian looks, temperament, etc as much as possible :)

Ebony Park offers a complimentary breeding consultation so that we can match your mare to one of our stallions... and of course it is ok to breed your standardbred mare to one of our boys!! We would have to see some photos of your mare, and chat with you about what you would like in a foal. When you want to match a mare with the right stallion, you want to make sure his strong points complement your mares faults, and that your mares strong points match his weaker points... I have the info on them all, got it yesterday :) but just thought I’d ask and see if there was any suggestion to get me thinking. I’m looking for a dressage baby. long legs and awesome movement. with an awesome temp able to cope with a partially disabled rider.

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30. What would you think a foal bred out of one of your Friesian stallions to a full australian stock horse mare would turn out?? We have never crossed one of our guys to a stock horse, but I'm sure it would be a lovely foal! Again, you would need to look at the mare and see what its strengths and weaknesses are and whether the stallion complements those strengths and weaknesses ...it would depend on what you are looking for in a foal...

31. Have you ever bred a Friesian to an appy? I have a 15.3hh mare I would like to breed to Abe... So were you wanting a western or cross country type ?? :) And we haven't ever bred one of our boys to an appy, although I'm sure it would be a good combination!! :) Yes I would love to have one like, I would love to get a dressage appy Well I guess then you would just cross your mare with a Friesian that would complement your mare to produce something that had all of the attributes you needed for western or cross country - so I'm guessing nothing too heavy and something that has nice long legs!! :) And dressage is what we breed our Friesians for, so you can't go wrong there!! :)

32. I’m wondering as Im in QLD do you ship fresh, frozen or both? I’m wanting the foal for Dressage, I’m not wanting to go far but I do like perfection lol My mare is 16.2hh and don’t wish to go bigger than that, smaller would be nice! Tash - I wanted to answer this as Abe is my man!!! :):):) Firstly! LOVE your mare is black!!! I am partial to black in case you didn't know!!! Yes we ship chilled all over Australia so Qld is fine :) I love you want to compete! Cool so what is your dream height? :) Hi Tash...I ♥ the blacks too but also ♥ the dilutes. My Black Standy mare gave me a Pally filly last season by my Cremello Stallion My ideal height would be 15.2-15.3hh, I’m more comfortable on a 14.2hh, but that’s a little too small! Ahhhh that sounds beautiful too!!! :) So you are looking for a smaller Friesian :) Abe did cross to a 16.1hh Tb mare and made a 15.1hh foal but he has also had 16.1hh... So with breeding you never know!!!! :)

33. What are they liked when crossed with a thoroughbred? Here’s a photo of one of our Friesian x TB mares, Anika, and click here for a youtube video of Bastian - her full brother!! :) Both are by Grand Prix stallion Ebony Park Abe out of a TB mare, and we think they are gorgeous!! :)

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34. What age is recommended for maiden mares to commence AI to have their first foal? Tash - We breed at 3 to have a foal at 4. Not any younger than that, as they are still growing themselves. Kate also says it is recommended to breed the mare by 10 years old or it can be harder to get them in foal later, but of course it can be done.

35. What colour foal would you get if you put a friesian over a palomino? And have you ever done a Friesian x Arab/QH mix? No we never have done a Friesian, arab x QH!!!!! How exciting!!! Are you going to be the first?!?!?!? :) If the pally doesn't carry the agouti gene = 50% black, 50% smoky black. If the pally carries one copy of the agouti gene = 25% black, 25% smoky black, 25% bay, 25% buckskin. If the pally carries two agouti genes = 50% bay, 50% buckskin. Hope that helps!!! :) Thank you, that helps heaps!!!! :) Yes I am! :D I would love to chat more about it, & what stallion would suit my mare etc.

36. Are you planning any pony crosses? Tash - Super question!!!! We aren't planning pony crosses ... yet ... :) When I have some children I think I will get into that so they can ride a Friesian pony!!!! :):):)

37. Have you ever done ET? /or will you ever in the future? I heard it’s starting to get quite popular. Haven't done it ... yet :) Yes we will be doing it in the future so that we can get more than one foal hopefully per year from some of our top mares, and also so that we can compete some of the mares while another mare is carrying their foal!! :)

38. Are there any indicators regarding personality types that are passed on through breeding to focus on besides just looking at conformation strengths and weaknesses? Will fathers have a greater influence on filly’s temperament and mothers on sons for example?? :) Every foal we have is unique. We breed the same mare to the same stallion 4 times and have four different personalities, however all 4 share the same temperament of being easy going and fun to work with. I think you see the same in siblings in humans. A lot has to do with how they are raised as well! It’s like the nature vs nurture debate! :) I don't have a concrete answer for you! Sorry! :) I think you can only do your best breeding to the best, and then it is up to the genetic gods! :)

39. How do you train you stallions to collect for AI and what do they wear, halters, bridles, rearing bits etc? We have a training manual over 30 pages long with video on how we train the boys to collect, so not sure I can answer that question fully here! We usually lead them in a halter and rearing bit, when they breed they are bred in a chain, so all the boys know when they hear the chain noise the FUN begins!!!!! :)

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40. Do you AI yourself or get a vet to do it? Tash - We AI ourselves - Kate trained in Colorado USA in AI and stallion collection, and myself and Phil were taught by a vet here in Aus. :)

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Chapter Five - Riding Friesians

“No hour of life spent in te saddle is wastd” -- Autor Unknown 41. What is the recommended dressage saddle for Friesians? Our 3yo Friesians seem to be very wide and are already on the maximum gullet in the Wintec Pro Stock saddle - are they easy to fit? Also do you compete in the same saddles? And what sized bridles do you use? Tash - We use normal saddles on our boys, we do have the Fryso saddles, but Loes rides in a Kieffer, I ride in a Peter Horobin Amazone, and we also use a Bates dressage saddle. Dressage saddles allow you to sit DEEP! :) If you don't sit deep you you will feel insecure! :) Practice practice practice!!!! :) All our horses are easy to fit :) All our boys are in full sized bridles - even 17.2hh Elko!!! :) And yes DEFINITELY compete in the same saddle!!!! It’s all soft to my body and I am very used to riding in it!!! :):):)

42. When riding, do you have to pay attention not to flex the jaw too much so you don't block air? Right, I'm guessing your meaning that space that gets smaller when the horse flexes at the pole. I have never had an issue with it! I always encourage the horse to come through over the back, so when I move my hand forward the horse takes the contact and lengthens the neck. Friesians do like to come short in the neck but you need to train them like a dressage horse to take the contact out :)

43. Bits? I know it depends on the horse, however, do you recommend a certain type of bit for horses just starting to ride and once they have more education eg lateral work? No we always use a normal snaffle until they are ready to compete advanced and then we have to use the double so the two bits :)

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44. Do you work all your competing horses daily or just 3-4 times a week? Do you exercise your mares when they are in foal or just let them relish their pregnant glow ;) Tash - Ya the boys in work are worked 3-5 times per week. I used to ride the pregnant mares until 5 or 6 months into the pregnancy, you can do it easily... in Holland they ride up to 9 or 10 months and then a couple of weeks after the mare foals, but I found my mares really lost the will to work, and I felt bad for them!!!! :) When I was pregnant I lost the will to work at about two months and it never came back. Lol

45. Is a Friesian different to ride opposed to other horses? I've heard they're very on the forehand, but could be wrong. Also, can Friesians jump? Cause I've never seen any in the jumping arenas lol. Tash - A friesian is like other horses as in it has four legs and a tail, and it is also different as it is so much prettier!!!! :):) Haha! Ok sorry! time to be serious!!! :) Ya they can be a little bit different, but still a horse :) I don't find them on the forehand, but they can hide behind the contact, you just need to make sure you ride the hindlegs into the hand and keep them active! They like to conserve their energy!!! :) Friesians can jump! Just not at a high level as far as I know, but I am sure someone will give it a go! I'm not a jumper so I can't really comment! :)

46. One of my major riding problems is my sitting trot. I have an illness which prevents me from riding months at a time and I really struggle with holding my seat. Do you guys have any special exercises to keep your back supple?? Tash - I have another business if you go to www.yourridingsuccess.com which is committed to helping riders be all they can be, there is a lot of free resources there for you :) ... for now here is a TV episode I recorded on how to ride sitting trot ... click here to watch it now. Let me know how you go!!!! :) Watched the video! WOW IT REALLY HELPED, I get the whole tilting pelvis now. Thank you so much I cannot wait to try this out! You guys are amazing!

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Chapter Six - Grooming Friesians

“More is heard in a whisper tan is ever heard in a shout” -- Autor Unknown 47. To achieve a fully black Friesian, besides rugging, is there any other way to do this eg food (without too much protein in their diet)? I wish I had the magic pill for this one! Unfortunately, we cheat a little bit as stallions naturally keep a short coat and black colour so it’s not anything we especially do (something to do with their testosterone)!!!! :) We ALWAYS rug, and make sure we always wash the sweat out. A balanced diet is a must!! We use Feed XL to balance our feeds ... Kate our diet extraordinaire is saying copper is important, also we feed James and Son which has a lot of different grains, including sunflower seeds which I think help :)

48. How do you get your Friesians looking as stunning as you do, and how do you get their manes and tails so long?! Tash - Thanks for saying they are stunning! :) That’s thanks to the stable team of Loes and Danielle!!! :) I think it’s a combination of everything, we rug all the time, stable at night, groom daily, exercise daily - either ridden or at least out in the paddocks, good nutrition. The manes are NEVER cut so that’s why they get so long, still it is dependent on the horse. Abe has extraordinary length and thickness to his mane, Elko at the same age isn't as long. The tails I am always cutting as they step on them when you do the rein back in the dressage test. The manes are washed and a bottle of conditioner every 2-3 weeks and then plaited, the mane is always in plaits. The tail is always loose, and never brushed except for when washed and conditioned every 2-3 weeks as well :) Hope that helps! :) I would say most important is strength training, so just as humans look better when we have muscle and are strong so do the horses, and good nutrition, and the rugging to keep the coats short in winter and shiny :) Wow you guys sure do care really well for your horses, and who could say they’re not stunning!! Are their manes plaited every day? Every how many weeks or days do you wash the horse itself? Or is that just with their manes and tails? No they stay in the plaits the whole time. So after 2-3 weeks they can look a little fuzzy! The horses are hosed or sponged - depending on how much they sweated, every time we ride with warm/hot water. The body wash with shampoo and conditioner is with the mane and tail, its timed with competitions :)

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49. I know nothing about competition. When is the mane plaited and when is it not. I assume it's only for dressage. And is there different types of plaiting for different breeds? We braid the mane for competition in dressage. For showing it depends what class you are in. If you are doing a breed class for Friesians you would have the mane out, if you were doing a rider class you would braid. With the crosses I like to pull the mane and do the typical plaits and rosettes, but you can keep it long and braid it if you want. I think clydesdales present their horses a certain way, you would look up the specifics for the breed and do it the way they want!!!! :):):):) Lightning has such a beautiful mane I don't want to pull his mane. I've never owned a horse before with such a great mane and tail! Also off topic a little, but from what level do riders stop wearing a helmet and why no helmet? I assume there may still be a possibility for these talented riders to fall off? Awww!!! That’s cute! :) We can teach you how to do the running braid then... click here for a YouTube video on how :) You compete with a helmet up to Advanced level. When you get to advanced it is optional to wear tails, and a top hat. At FEI you must wear tails, and you can wear a top hat. At Grand Prix a lot of riders are wearing helmets as it is optional to wear helmet or top hat. In Australia, we must wear helmets to the warm up and back to our floats/stable, only allowing to put the top hat on in the final warm up and for the test only. Some tests make us wear helmets the whole time. It’s a really personal choice and up to the rider and horse... also the top hat is really hard to keep on your head!!! I have elastic that goes into and around my bun, plus clips but on really windy days I wear my hemet as I don't want to worry and stress the top hat will come off - I just want to think about the test and the performance :):):) Interesting. The top hat and tails look very smart but I'm glad during warm up etc you're wearing a helmet. Thanks!

50. What do you recommend for mane growth? My boy has had to have his neck rug on due to terrible weather and it has really thinned it out :( Any supplements/potions you recommend? His feed is balanced and his mane is rarely brushed other than finger detangled...should I plait it up to prevent more loss? I did try once but he rubbed out part of the plait on a tree! Ya its so hard if they like to rub their manes! Can you fence off the trees?!?!?!? Not really where I am now - too many trees, haven't seen him rub as much here as compared to when we were in QLD... although I think a few saplings have been sacrificed to rub his backside! Hmmm can't really help except to say that we always have just the one neck rug on the boys... which does seem to help!!! Sometimes they don't understand we are trying to keep them beautiful!!!! :):) Good luck with it!!!!

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51. Talking of manes... how do you look after them... I had to basically cut off all my friesian's mane because he had rubbed so much of it out :( having to start growing it all over again!!! Does keeping it plaited help, or do the plaits just get rubbed out same as a non plaited mane????? Also it there anything I can do to promote mane growth??? I feel you!!!! :) Seems like a few of you are having this!!!! ... Firstly can you let them not rub!!!! Abe was rubbing his mane on his shelter in his paddock, so now he is in a paddock with nothing!!!!! But we can do that as we keep them out of the weather and stable. ... Is it possible for you to stable? That way the neck/mane gets a break as it doesn't have the heavy winter rugs on it, in the stable we only have a light woolen neck rug. The plaits help with the thickness as you aren't brushing the mane and pulling mane out every time you brush. With mane growth, same as us, keep it clean, maybe shampoo and condition weekly, and make sure you condition HEAPS! We use a bottle for each horse every time!!!!

52. How do you deal with sunbleaching when they are in show work, are they stabled or are they rugged - do you clip them, and what type of clip? We make sure we wash all the sweat off which can really bleach if you are not careful. They are also rugged all the time. If it is over 35 degrees they are stabled during the day and out at night, otherwise stabled at night out during the day. No we rug them well and keep them really warm so they don't grow furry coats :)

53. Do you stable them under lights to help with the coats, or just rugs? We have the lights on until night check which is anywhere between 8pm-10pm. We are not fanatical about the light timing :)

54. Now the weather is cooling down what feed are you using and what rugs? We use James and Son feeds and always feed a lot of hay. The horses have as much grass hay as they will eat. I am a rug NUT!!! In the stables at night they wear a cotton, woolen, doona and neck rug, and another woolen if its really cold! - but the stallions have short coats. Outside they wear skinny hoods, two underrugs - woolen, doona or polar fleece and a waterproof rug and neck rug over the top.

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Chapter Seven - Feeding Friesians

“Tere are tmes when te best ting you can be is a scratching post” -- Autor Unknown 55. I am lucky enough to have an Elko/Dazzle foal due in October. I was discussing feeds the other day and it got me thinking - what do you feed to keep your boys looking spectacular? Are there any dietary requirements of the breed (in general)? Tash - We give you lifetime support with your foal so Kate can always do your feeds in the Feed XL program and make sure they are balanced! :) When you take your foal we will give you the feed plan we feed your horse and if you want to change it, Kate can balance for you!!! :):):) :)‎ We love FeedXL it is so handy!!! :) We feed our stallions Lucerne hay, grass hay, pasture... then hard feed vitamin and mineral supplement equilibrium, and James and Son High E and Accomplish Horse pellets... does that all makes sense? I was just reading about it. I’m surprised to read some of the feeds like these do have their own mix of vitamins and minerals in them and say not to add anymore. But when you do say a Feed XL report they say you need to add. Doesn’t make sense why they put them in if they aren’t really enough :) just something I was reading and I thought I would ask... Maybe the vitamin and minerals are enough if you feed the recommended amount of the feed (like 6kg+ per day) but if we fed that much, our horses would be very, very fat!!!! :) So we have to feed less, meaning we need to supplement the vitamins and minerals!! :)

56. What feed do you have your Friesians on as I believe you have to watch their protein intake? Kate - We feed our horses a hard feed by James and Son... we use a number of different feeds depending on the horse... but we do like giving them protein such as in lucerne... as protein builds muscle!! :) As long as you give the horse a balanced diet, and make sure you watch any changes in behaviour when you change to a new feed - like the horse getting hotter etc. then you should be fine :)

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57. What supplement feed does a weanling/yearling need in addition to roughage? Kate - We feed our weanlings a James and Son feed... High Pro which is designed for growing horses and broodmares. So we give them about 1/2 - 1 scoop per day depending on the horse (we watch their weight pretty closely and change their diet accordingly) and then add a vitamin and mineral supplement. The Friesians that are not in work tend to get fat off the smell of grass, so it's more about not putting too much weight on them rather than keeping the weight on!! :)

58. Is there any horse feed/supplement that you use or know about that is good for enhancing black Friesian coats?? Not that I use particularly! I like oils and seeds, and the James and Son feed we use has sunflower seeds. But I think it is luck as well. The stallions are always blacker than the mares even though they are fed and rugged the same. Sorry I can't help more with this one!!! :)

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Chapter Eight - Friesian Regulations for The Friesian Breed

“Let your horse tach you about yourself, for you may be at te age where no one else can” -- Autor Unknown 59. When it comes to results in a Keuring, could you please explain how the different rankings are achieved eg ster mare, crown mare, how many second or first premies to jump to the next level? Tash - The Friesians are scored for many different things - walk, trot, the way they look, the amount of hair, etc. And receive a linear score - click here for Abe’s linear score. The shaded areas are the ideal in terms of the KFPS, and the x’s are where they judged Abe to be when they did this linear score sheet (when he was around 3yo - so the scores can and usually do change over time). From that they determine what grading the horse gets, wether that is ster, crown etc. In the linear score the shaded area is considered ideal so if your horse scores high in the ideal range for everything the horse will get a high rating. You need to remember this is up to the Friesian society and doesn't necessarily mean your horse is good or bad. Abe doesn't score brilliantly but he still made it to Grand Prix. You also use the linear score to match up to your mare to see if the stallion will help your mares weaknesses and vice versa :) ... please note that is MY understanding of it and it might not be correct!!!! I am not the Queen when it comes to these things ... I am a dressage rider!!! :):):)

60. At a Keuring, can you only do an IBOP test and no running, or is it recommended to do both to get a better score? Tsah - Super question!!! I am not the best to answer this... As far as I know my understanding is that it is best to do both... the riding IBOP test and the class when you present in hand at walk and trot :)

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Conclusion

“Whatver te mind can conceive and believe, te mind can achieve.” -- Napoleon Hil

I hope you have enjoyed this book – if you want to ask us any questions, please

contact us at [email protected]

To Your Dreams Becoming Reality,

The Ebony Park Team

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Links

Websites: Ebony Park Performance Friesians www.ebonyparkstud.com.au

Your Riding Success www.yourridingsuccess.com

Email: Ebony Park Performance Friesians [email protected]

Your Riding Success [email protected]

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