# Morgan, Friesian,Trakehener: Pro's and cons of the breed



## Katze (Feb 21, 2011)

Well as the title says, I would love to know from some of you proffessionals out there what you think of the breeds. (yes I did a search and could find nothing) Now I do have experience as a rider, not an owner, yes I have ridden 2 traks in my lifetime (so far with 32yrs riding experience) mainly on arabs morgans, and (OT)TB's and a few mutts along the way lol. No experience whatsoever with a friesian, I have only seen pics and LOOOOOOOOOVE the look they are beautiful.

I have been breaking my head about what breed to buy, I have been vacillating between a trak, morgan and a friesian for 2 yrs now. I love the look on all three breeds, the height of the trak and the friesian. The temperment on them seems from what I have read and some personal experience good, They are all stunning BUT what is the downside? 

Anyone have any input that can help? I'm looking for a horse to do dressage (I am aiming to start competing again, but I must take it slow or I will send my poor non-horsey hubby to an early grave lol) and of course just putzing around. Please no flaming, just looking for some help and information that I cannot find anywhere else but from folks that have(had) one or all 3 of these breeds. Thanks so much in advance


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## xxBarry Godden (Jul 17, 2009)

*Making the right choice*

Katze
May I suggest to a novice horse owner looking for a first horse to buy, look after and bring on, that you don’t get too worried about the breed - even if the paperwork does appear to be genuine. At the lower levels of dressage, the breed of the riding horse is not too relevant. What is more important is the way the horse moves and responds to instruction. To find the horse that is going to fulfill your dreams is no easy task and my own opinion is that at best there is a 50/50 possibility of getting the choice right. 


Try to find a horse you can get to know before you have to make the decision to buy. See if you can find out where the horse was born and where it has been in the interim. Make sure you have it vetted and that the vet says it is neither too fat nor too slim. Be sure that it has a kind temperament and that it comes towards you, when you go towards it. 

But the biggest test of all, is one day when you mount up and sit down in the saddle with the horse snug between your thighs. At the moment when you take up the reins, give it a little squeeze and ask it to walk on, it should feel good and safe. That gut feeling only comes when your brain tells you that you have made the right choice.


In my life I have loved a palomino Irish cob; a silky shiney Welsh cob; a jet black heavy cob of indeterminate breeding; a dapple grey Irish draught mare and a bay Hannoverian gelding. Neither the colour nor the breeding really made any big difference to me (or to them) but the fact that they each willingly agreed to carry me, safely for most of the time, was the really big issue. 

Be lucky in your choice and take your time in the choosing. Remember if you get it right, then it is for the horse's lifetime.

PS Sssh, I have always had a hankering for a jet black Lusitano.


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## DressageQueen03 (May 12, 2011)

Of the three breeds you are asking about I have a lot of experience with freisians but not a lot with morgans or trekaners so I will share with you what I can. I have worked closely with a friesian breeding farm in the past and as a whole the breed is very kind, gentle and level headed. They generally have bold movement that is very easy to sit (amazingly comfortable canters). I worked with two friesiains very closely and like most breeds had some very similar characteristics but were also somewhat different. Neither of them had a mean bone in their bodies, in the months I worked with them I never saw their ears pinned. I wouldnt have discribed either of them as "hot" but the one was a bit of a spook (not really common in the breed) so every once in a while he would take off with me, he had a lot of trust issues though and he was usually spooking at a person making too quick of a movement. One thing I will say about this breed is that they can be fairly daul off the aids (one I rode with two whips sometimes, the other didnt have a problem going forward but had trouble with the lateral) and since they are a drafty type breed they are a little harder to move around into the different steps of lateral. Another thing I will say about these horses is unless you get a very athletic one they will probably max out at about 2nd/3rd level dressage. Although they can complete a lot of the movements collection and coordination can be a problem with them. I had both horses schooling upper level movements (Half pass, shoulder/haunches in, etc) but never showed either of them above 1st level because I just couldnt get them to collect (mostly in the canter) without them wanting to break. Now this could have just been my riding, but they were sent to me from their breeding farm (which had an on site trainer) where they couldnt progress past training level. Other than that I would also say that they are a very sturdy breed, neither were shoed or had lameness issues or health issues. One thing you have to watch for when taking care of the feathers is that they get fungus in them VERY easily so you constantly need to be washing them with things like iodine or spaying the feathers with microtek to try to keep the fungus under control. I would also recommend keeping mane and tail braided due to the fact that they are SOOO thick and easily tangled. Overall they are a great breed for lower level dressage, they can be a little pricey, would probably be less expensive to buy a yearling and have it broke out by a trainer. Hope this helped!


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## Katze (Feb 21, 2011)

I heard the same thing from someone else about friesians having problems in upper lvl dressage and with collecting themselves. It's good to get a second opinion, thank you so much for your input, it was very helpful 

I was planning on getting a yearling if I decide going the Friesian route, baroque type, there are some pretty good trainers out here, thier price tags can reach 30k+ once they get some training under saddle lol.


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