MEET THE FPZV

Although FPZV registered Friesians are the same breed as the Dutch registered horses, German breeding standards allow members to aggressively pursue a more performance oriented goal, bringing the Friesian horse to its full potential as a sport horse while preserving the breeds carefully developed beauty by maintaining the strict conformation standards of the Dutch mother book.

With the encouragement and guidance of the FPZV through their Judges and Breeding Director, these breeding standards are capable of and have proven to, produce significant athletic potential, which increases the value of the breed.

Success in sport has spurred the growth of the most promising new market for the Friesian horse and assures a bright future for the FPZV’s forward moving legacy in the world of Sport. .

Germany however, is the ancestral home of many of the breeds, which define and dominate the world of equine sport, and in the 1970’s, a group of German Friesian breeders found that although most Friesians exhibited the typical high stepping, up and down front animation, a minority had an up and out, or forward motion, which is necessary for sport. They believed that by pursuing a breeding program which focused on developing Friesians with this forward moving attribute, a door could be opened, allowing the Friesian to excel in a whole new world. The world of sport.

Thus, in 1979, the German Friesian Horse Breeding Registry, Friesenpferde-Zuchtverband e.V. (FPZV) was established. Since that time, the FPZV has encouraged the breeding and development of the Friesian for sport. The first Friesian to compete, and to do so with such tremendous success, at the Grand Prix level of Dressage, was the FPZV registered mare Bold Contender (Jelsche), followed shortly by the Approved German Friesian stallion Jorrit. Their incredible efforts in the early 1990’s demonstrated the potential of this breed. Today, there are hundreds of Friesians competing and winning at every level of Dressage, including FEI.

The Friesian horse is distinctive through its classic beauty and recognized by its high stepping gate and elegant, bold appearance, with its Black coat, flowing main and tail and feathering at the hoof.

Traditionally bred to be a pleasure driving horse more suited to parades and driven dressage the Friesian was not initially recognized as a prospect as a sport horse (suitable for upper level dressage under saddle).