Friesian Stallion (Horse Club by Schleich)

A huge thank you to Happy Hen Toys and their incredible generosity to provide a sample of this horse model to me! Schleich released a new Friesian stallion as part of their 2024 Horse Club range with the item #13975. It was released alongside a foal and I hope to see a new mare join them in years to come. But without further ado, let’s discover the Friesian horse breed!

The Friesian horse is a breed that originated in Friesland, a region in the north of the Netherlands. As far back as the 4^th century there are mentions of Friesian horses in text, but they don’t appear in illustrations until about the 11^th century- a famous example would be a painting of William the Conqueror in the Bayeux Tapestry. The earliest beginnings of the breed are believed to be knight’s horses that carried them into battle- the consequent occupation and influence of other countries led to crossbreeding with other horse groups such as the Andalusian which created a lighter horse that could be adapted to urban use. This light draft horse became very popular in later centuries as it could be used for agricultural work, carriage and draft purposes, general riding, and could even be used for dressage and horse racing.

The 19^th century proved an important one for the breed- cross breeding had been taking place for centuries prior and led to a variety of body types and inconsistency in conformation. This led to divided opinions amongst enthusiasts and a movement to restore the breed to its origins began. By the turn of the 20^th century, there were only 3 “pureblood” stallions left for breeding. The creation and growing use of mechanical equipment also lent a hand to the dwindling popularity and population in the breed- WWII retracted some of the popularity of this mechanical displacement, and temporarily allowed the breed to rebound on farms. Since then, the breed has recovered and is still in use for a variety of purposes today. Whether under harness or saddle the breed is very popular in a variety of show events including dressage, driving, parades, and are even a go to breed for historical period type filmmaking.

The breed itself is notable for its conformation; considered a Baroque style horse (this means that the breed has muscled haunches, delicate legs, an arched neck, a straight or convex profile, and a thick mane and tail). This likely comes from the Iberian influence of the breed during the Middle Ages. The breed has feathering around their hooves, a long thick mane and tail that can have wavy hairs in it. The breed is active, energetic, docile, and gentle, and very willing to learn new disciplines. They stand at about 15.3 hands tall but may range from 14.2 to 17hh. Coloration is classically black and rarely have any white markings; only a small star is allowed on the forehead if the animal is to be considered for purebred registration (although this particular breed is common for crossbreeding even today). Occasionally the breed may present as chestnut as some bloodlines carry the “red” gene in their coats. There are a few genetic disorders tied to this breed- dwarfism, hydrocephalus, aortic rupture, and megaesophagus to name a few.

And now for the figure itself. This model is a stallion and is showing off the elegant movement that is often associated with the breed in a slow trot. One ear is pricked forward and the other off to the right side- as if listening to a human instructor while being trotted around a round-pen. The face has the straight profile is should and intelligent eyes, the forelock sweeping down in front of the left eye. His very curly mane flows down to the top of his right elbow, and the full tail sweeps behind him. I think this body type presents the more modern “sport horse” type (rather than the Baroque body type) with long thin legs and a streamlined body. Looking at the horse from the dorsal perspective he has narrower shoulders than his haunches just as it should, and a well-proportioned body from the side angle.

Once again, a big thanks to Happy Hen Toys for providing this sample to me to review and if you are interested in this or any other animal figure from their store- go check out their website now!