Highly prized Friesian horse breed under threat from inbreeding

A Dutch breed of horse famed for its jet black coat is becoming endangered by inbreeding and profiteering, breeders have warned.

The Friesian breed has been in high demand in the United States in the last decade, after TV host Jimmy Fallon described Frederik the Great, a stallion imported from the Netherlands in 2006, as the “most handsome horse in the world”.

Purebred Friesian horses can command prices of nearly $50,000 (€44,000), which has encouraged speculative breeding in recent years. A single vial of semen from a “super stallion” can fetch as much as €1,500.

But Dutch breeders say the emphasis on purity has led to a proliferation of genetic defects such as eye, stomach and intestinal problems.

Former breeder Wierd Peter Visser told NOS his hotline set up to report breeding-related problems had been bombarded with calls since he set it up.

“I’m worried that our descendants will no longer be able to enjoy the Frisian horse as we know it now in 10 or 20 years’ time if this carries on,” he said.

In 2022 research showed that one-third of Friesian foals were direct descendants of the 10 most popular stallions and that the breed had been showing hereditary defects for 20 years.

The Frisian horse breeders’ association KFPS is working on new selective breeding guidelines which are due to be finalised in October. A spokesman told NOS that health was a top priority.

But the association recently rejected recommendations by the independent breeders’ council that called for a limit on the number of foals that a stallion could sire and more horses from elsewhere to be used for breeding. The KFPS said the plan was likely to face legal challenges.