Friesian Buyers Guide

As you have read so far I'm mostly KFPS Friesian HOWEVER. I am a breeder so my goals are to produce the top line Friesians. That does not mean that every buyer should spend the extra money to get breeding stock. (market prices are listed at the bottom)

Know what you are doing with the horse for it's life. 
Are you going to show? Are you going to breed? Are you going to cross breed (purists calm down, the over priced warmbloods are cross bred animals so the Friesian breed will survive). Is this horse just for you to love and keep at home and show off in fun photos?

Show
If you are going to show you need papers from an organization that will DNA verify that your horse does in fact have Friesian DNA. You can show part bred Friesians so you don't always have to buy pure to show. But to show USEF/USDF and some smaller shows you will need paper's to prove the horse's DNA.
There are some that have 1/2 registrations and some that are pure only.
FHANA will only take mainbook (KFPS approved sires on dame and sire line) pure Friesians.
KFPS (the original dutch registry) will take Mainbook as well as b-book (non approved sires) but are for pure Frisians only.
FPVZ (german registry) will only take pure Friesians with the FPVZ or KFPS lineage.
FHH and FSH will both take pure and part bred Friesians with DNA verification. There are other registries that will take 1/2's within other breeds so you would have to look those up for those breeds. But the FHH and FSH are the one's that require there to be Friesian in the DNA.

Breed
If you are going to breed you should have DNA proof in the form of papers that you are in fact breeding a Friesian line. If you are breeding for the purpose of staying true to the breed then stay within the KFPS/FHANA mainbook breeding program. They are the foundation registry and have been devoted to the pedigrees and documentation of the breed.
If you are cross breeding for a sport horse... relax purists, remember the warmbloods.... Anyways you should stay with the best bloodlines you can start with from both sides of the pedigree. Pick the best Friesian and best other breed horse you can pair.  It may be ok to get a b-book Friesian within the KFPS because the foals can't be registered with the KFPS once you cross breed. B-book will save you about 2-4k on a horse and still keep you within the KFPS. Make sure that the original papers of that B-book foal is directly from KFPS mainbook parents. For example The sire is Theodoor Sable (KFPS Mainbook registered, but not approved, out of the approved sire Maiko 373), the Dam is KFPS mainbook registered and her sire and dam sire all have 3 digit #'s after their name. That foal would be closer to the original KFPS lines than a horse that is out of parents that don't have approved sires or were both b-book registered, or FHH or FSH registered. When breeding try to get the highest quality pedigree you can for your $.

If you don't have papers and DNA proof it's called back yard breeding and you have no proof of lineage, value, inbreeding etc. So it's not recommended. it's done, but it's not respectable. Without papers the offspring can not be shown or validated, they are limited to a life of being a pet only. There is nothing wrong with pets, however creating a life with limitations is not fair to the buyer or the animal. If you do this please fully disclose that you do not have proof that there is Friesian in the bloodlines. Sell them as a grade horse. Some people say you can't ride papers, and papers don't prove it's a good horse. That is true, BUT be honest with the buyer and sell it as a grade horse and do not try to con people into thinking it's a Friesian when you have no proof that it is.

Pleasure
If your goal is to have a pleasure horse you may save  yourself some money by getting a b-book horse. YES get paper proof that your horse was DNA tested to be Friesian. OR pay grade horse prices for the horse. It is ok to fall in love with a horse and it not too have papers or proof. BUT do not pay Friesian prices for a horse without proof of lineage with DNA verification. You can love any horse you find, but do not get duped into a higher price by someone claiming the black horse is a Friesian if they can't prove it. There are claims that you can do a breed DNA test at UCDavis. However when Friesians were tested the  Percheron gene came up. Percheron are from Friesians, so it is not an accurate test. If they used the Friesian gene to determine the Percheron validity maybe but they have it backwards by trying to ID Friesians using the Percheron gene. The ONLY true verification that a horse is a Friesian is to have pedigreed parents that have been DNA tested and then to use the DNA from the offspring to do a parent verification. That is what the registries do. Yes buy the horse you love but pay grade prices unless you are given proof of Friesian.

Pricing
what is a reasonable price for a friesian
(based on markets from 2007-2020, pre covid, so prices should come down in Europe)
KFPS papered Frisians range from 3k-500k so how do you know you are getting a good deal or over spending. Well that gets into a lot of analyzing papers. (more on Friesian papers)
Approved stallions will be 75k-350k EU/USD they come with 3 #'s after their name and you can verify their name and number and history on this blog as well as with the KFPS. They are famous in that there are only about 100-150 of them alive in the world at one time so most Friesian breeders know who they are. IF they won the stallion shows they would be closer to 350k if they are aged and not breeding they have sold for 15k. If they are the average normal approved stallion the normal price is around 100-175k usd.

For those that are not millionaires. let's break it down more
Model mares
range from 22k-50k EU/USD the younger the higher the price (they can't be model till age 7) the higher the training the higher the price (aka +Sport Status) and the more "full" the papers the higher the price. There was one that was aged and retired from breeding that was "culled" for 3k. but at that point you are giving them a retirement home, they are not breeding and riding is limited. Provisional means they have not met the requirements yet to pass up, so don't pay Model prices if they are provisional, pay what they ACTUALLY are. In foal to an approved stallion you can add 1-2k depending on the stallion stud fee, make sure that the LFG transfers to the new buyer (some do not, and you could loose the foal, so don't pay for that risk)

Kroon Mares
range from 22k-45k EU/USD they are similar to Model but can be Kroon as early as 3yo if they have completed the IBOP (caution early started horses have higher risk of joint problems) They are not required to have birthed/nursed a foal to be Kroon so you would have to look into their birthing records to confirm fertility. + Sport and more "full" papers and younger, put them on the higher range, but a horse can be kroon without their parents having accomplished anything. Provisional means that they have been considered but have not passed a portion of the requirements. Do not pay the Kroon price till that is accomplished. No seller can guarantee that the judges will promote the horse, or that the horse can pass that portion of the requirements till the judges actually pass them. In foal to an approved stallion you can add 1-2k depending on the stallion stud fee, make sure that the LFG transfers to the new buyer (some do not, and you could loose the foal, so don't pay for that risk)

Star Mares
range from 15k-28k they can be 1st or 2nd premium. 1st premium would be higher value than 2nd premium. + Sport and proven dressage scores can increase the value of the horse. Age will also affect the price. Over 17yo non breeding would likely be a retirement home price of 10-12k. However if you can find a PSG+ trained mare that is star you could be looking at 35-45k just because of the quality of training. In foal to an approved stallion you can add 1-2k depending on the stallion stud fee, make sure that the LFG transfers to the new buyer (some do not, and you could loose the foal, so don't pay for that risk)

Star Stallions
range is about 18-30k. In holland if they got start they were invited to be seen for stallion testing. Many don't make it past the first 2 rounds, about 100-300 start each year and about 2-5 get approved. Star is a nice title for a stallion, but it does not earn them more $ value unless they have higher training. BUT also be fully aware that they are sent to the tests at 2.5 yo and they are required to ride and drive in a 70 day testing. knees and backs are not closed till 5yo so you may find that they have been ridden too young to perform that well and you may have long term care requirements. IF that horse was shown for star at an older age. that is great for their joints. and if they eventually get to a higher sport and GP/PSG level of riding then that will add value up to 50k EU but please xray, get new xrays, and budget for long term joint care.

Studbook and Foalbook (non shown) mares and foals, that have or have not shown you are looking at 10-20k. pedigree will matter, age, training etc. A foal with good papers should be about 12k, some discount to get rid of them before 2yo but if you see them less than 10k worry a bit about health, papers etc. obviously these horses can go on to get sport status and  accomplish titles in the show ring that add value towards that 20k marker. A normal walk trot canter mare with KFPS papers and between 5 and 12 yo should be about 17k, if you start getting into flying changes bump them up to 22k if you get higher than 3rd level they can go up from there. being aged will drop the price down to 10. some go lower for retirement homes but the lower they go the more you will spend on vet care. be ware of discount horses/Friesians, they most likely come with medical issues that will cost you more in the long run.

Geldings.
5k-55k YES it's crazy town. In non reproducing horses. Showing geldings is an american thing. people believe they are easier to show. however Friesian mares are amazing and will give their life to save you if you are bonded with them. Do not feel you have to pay the higher Gelding price to get a quality show horse. IF you are spending over 23k for a gelding they MUST have sold proven flying changes and be able to qualify for sport status in the USA (3rd level test 1) Sport status from NL is only 2nd level and has NO flying changes. if you spend more than 30k on a gelding they must be ridden and driven. If you spend more than 35k on a gelding you should require that they have Sport ELITE status proving that they showed in 2 types of driving and got sport in dressage (this will be 2nd level in NL not US 3rd) If you spend 45k on a gelding they should be PSG min. with proven scores and tempi changes. If you spend 50k or more they better be GP proven. Now you say... but xyz farm is selling this 2nd level import for 55k ... well the american importer is taking about 30k to pocket if not more. Yes there is 8k import flight for a gelding but in europe you can get a 3rd level gelding for about 10-12k EU... SO... don't get duped into hiked up prices.

OK so now onto no KFPS prices
there are no keurings for inspecting non KPFS horses so... the market has to be base on how close the papers are to KPFS papers and how much training the horse has.
b-book foals - 7500-1100 (pre birth contracts are lower than live)
FHH/FSH foals with non KFPS parents 6000-9000
trained to ride +2000
proven shown at 1st level +3k
proven shown at 2nd level +4k
proven flying changes with scores past 3rd test 1 +10k (18-22k horse)

1/2 friesian
depending on the value of the other 1/2
a QH (common for color *** see below) x is about 3500-7500 for a foal through 4yo +1k for trained to ride
a Gypsy (higher priced x) is about 7500-12000 because the value of both parents papers is there
morgan
undocumented parent x Friesian 3500-5000
for example Morgans came from Friesians, Morgans have been breed lighter and lighter over the years. Adding Friesian back in to thicken them back is a comparable match
Gypsy crosses keeps hair with hair and quiets down the new hotter Friesian blood lines. so comparable pairing
Arabians (aka turbo Friesians) are common crosses to put stamina back in the Friesian and to add bone mass to the arab. they both have horizontal hips and short backs, but the temperament is very different with the two breeds so meet the other 1/2 to make sure the pairing is right for your goals.
***Quarter horses are vertical shoulder and built down hill, small foot, strait stifle, horizontal neck so they are built NOTHING like a Friesian. so make sure that the other horse involved in the x has a complementary frame and was not just picked for color. you will never know what you are getting if you cross 2 horses that have nothing in common.
**** crossing for color does not add value to the horse training adds value to the horse. they are still a 1/2 Friesian. YES crossing will bring color but color does not = brains and trainability. the other breed chosen must be a suitable match.

ET Orphans and the Keuring

No this is not ET phone home. This is to let all you mare owners know that your foal can still show at the KFPS keuring if you do Embryo Transfer.

The KFPS/FHANA requires you to register that you are doing an Embryo Transfer with your mare and a specific stallion. There is a fee to be paid to FHANA (last check was about $25, but can change so please check the current www.fhana.com page for more information on fees)

After the foal is born they will have to be DNA verified with the Dam and Sire that were on the ET application form. That is done when you microchip the foal and submit the hair samples at the time of registration. 

Once verified you'll be able to enter that horse for the foal Keuring. It's ok that they show with the surrogate mare. Just let the show host know. The judges will see very quickly that there is substitute mare with that foal. They are not judging the mare if you enter the foal class. Just the foal. There have also been cases where orphaned and rejected foals have show with goats, donkeys or alone in hand. By alone in hand I mean that they walk the triangle led by a handler, just like with a dam.  But the foal with no "adult" guide would be shown at the trot in hand also. If they have a donkey, goat or surrogate mom that is being led to guide them, they can be turned loose to trot out. NO judge would ask the biological mother to run with a foal that they have not accepted or raised. That is far too dangerous.
(photos coming soon)