The Annual Friesian Horse Inspection in Tuxedo, N.C.

By Michael Meissner

Every year the Friesian Horse Association of North America (FHANA) conducts “Keurings” in regional locations across North America. Like the horses themselves, the word Keuring comes from the Dutch, and it means “judging.”  The autumn 2004 “Keuring” in western North Carolina, scheduled for the same week that hurricanes were sweeping over the region, was to be something unusual for sure.

History of the Friesians

The Friesian Horse is a rare breed with its roots in the Middle Ages, when the horse was a favorite of royalty and knights in battle. The Friesian’s strength, courage, and robust nature set the breed apart. Dating back to the 1600s and traced to the northern Netherlands province of Friesland, the Friesian horse was perfect for pulling large agricultural equipment in the cool, damp climate. Most recently, Friesians have been bred taller and finer, to adapt them as a sport horse. A rich black coat, a long thick mane and tail, and feathered feet characterize the breed. Worldwide, their numbers are estimated at 30,000 purebred horses. There are only 3,000 to 4,000 in the United States.

Keurings occur annually as judges and runners (people who physically run with the horses around the ring) from the Netherlands travel worldwide to rate newborn foals, three-year-old mares, and stallions. The judging is scored on conformation (40 percent) and movement (60 percent). The horses are not ridden but are escorted around a ring by the runners, who dress in traditional white for the event.

The judges follow a tight schedule, flying in one day and out the next to another Keuring location. The misfortune this year in western North Carolina was the timing of the judges’ arrival, which coincided with that of Hurricane Ivan. Hurricane Frances had passed through only a week earlier, and, with Ivan expected to cause even more damage, the Keuring was in doubt. The judges managed to fly into Asheville Regional Airport the night before the storm rolled in. The next morning found western North Carolina reeling from the high winds and torrential rains that accompanied the storm. The barn at Camp Greystone in Tuxedo, the scheduled site for the event, was an ideal location, but, like a lot of surrounding areas, Greystone was in the dark, due to downed powerlines. With more than thirty horses ready to go, the judges decided that the Keuring would not be stopped by the foul weather. After all, these conditions apparently are common in Friesland.

After taking several detours, the judges and runners arrived at the facility and proceeded to start the inspection process. The main barn had a covered breezeway, and the foals and horses were paraded through one by one. In an inspection, the foals are first measured and then microchipped for identification purposes. Up until 1999, the mares were tattooed on the tongue and branded on the neck, but this painful process has been replaced with modern technology.

Each foal, followed by its mother, came through the breezeway.  Mares were checked for their identifying chips and compared against records, then measured at the withers. Lastly, the geldings and stallions came in with their heads held high.

This initial inspection was the easy part, since it occurred out of the rain and wind.  But, for the horses to be judged properly, they must have room to walk, trot, and move around. So everyone suited up, slickers, umbrellas, and all, and went out to the riding ring behind the barn. The runners were the ones who took the brunt of the weather. It did not take them long to be soaked to the skin and covered in mud, but they laughingly moved on from horse to horse.

The horses, on the other hand, did not like the conditions. Most of them are prized possessions that never see rain or mud. They pawed at the puddles as if the water were something completely alien. Fortunately, the majority got over it quickly and moved into their gliding trot, which can only be described as magical. These huge horses look as if they float over the ground with an occasional flick of their feathered hooves to keep the forward momentum going. Suddenly the heavy rain and wind became a minor distraction for those who watched this spectacle.

In a procession that took nearly two hours, all the horses were inspected and judged; foals received their initial grades; and mares were judged and entered into the official “stud book” for breeding. The stallions have a much harder road to travel. The judging they face is much more critical, and, once approved here in the United States, they have to go to Europe for a long and drawn-out process of training and re-judging before they are approved for breeding. Currently only 16 stallions in North America are approved by FHANA for breeding.

All this may seem a little extreme until you understand that the horse was almost bred out of existence in the late 1800s by people seeking the cherished traits of the Friesian and cross-breeding them with every breed imaginable. Great care has been taken by those who love the Friesian horse to see that this does not happen again. The annual Keurings are just a necessary step to insure the breed continues and the bloodlines stay strong. It also brings together the people who love these horses so they can compare notes, tell stories, and admire the breed all over again.

To learn more about Friesian horses, you can visit the following websites:

www.fhana.com

www.mid-atlanticfriesian.org