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Breeding black quarter horse mare to friesian stud?

11K views 22 replies 14 participants last post by  MacabreMikolaj 
#1 ·
What are the chances I will get a pure black foal if I breed my black foundation quarter horse to a friesian? Is there any way I can find out what colors she will throw with another color horse?
 
#2 ·
You could have her color tested.

Why would you cross a friesian and a QH to begin with? That has got to be one of the single most awkward crosses I've ever seen. They are complete polar opposites and the chances of ending up with something usable that isn't a "Franken-pony" are slim, at best. Plus, any friesian you breed to isn't likely to be a good example of the breed, as when a friesian is bred to a non-friesian, the friesian loses it's registration.
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#3 ·
Black horses can carry chestnut. You can test your mare for this through UC Davis or some other places, it's a simple hair pull and send in.

Given that the potential sire is a Friesian, it is unlikely you would get anything but a black foal. While it is a very real possibility your mare carries chestnut, it is very rare for a Friesian to carry it, and the lines that do are few and far between. Of course, that is assuming that your mare is indeed a black, and not a dark brown or a smoky black.
 
#7 ·
Then this is not the cross for you. A Friesian is not a dressage horse. Nor is it a hunter/jumper. They are too upright for either.

Friesians are cart horses. Sure, you can ride them and that is their most common use now. But their conformation is for pulling, not for performance under saddle.
 
#8 ·
Any crossing of breeds is a crap shoot in the extreme. There are some that usually work (QH/TB, Arab/QH), but for the most part, you'll be extremely lucky to get what you're looking for. Perfect example is my gelding and his half-sister. Both are Percheron/paint crosses (same APHA sire). My gelding has good conformation and a great mind. His half-sister has more conformation issues than not and is just a pain to work with (the saying "not the brightest crayon in the box" comes to mind).

Why not look for something already on the ground that's what you're looking for instead of risking your mare's life on a breeding that may or may not end up being what you're looking for?
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#9 ·
Horses are cheap right now, your better off buying a prospect on the ground that way you already have an idea what your getting. But that's just my opinion :). Breeding and mare care plus risk make it the easier and safer choice and often the cheaper choice.
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#11 ·
Not a fan of Friesian crosses, period. I think there are some breeds that should be kept pure, Fjords as well, and they tend to not cross well with other breeds. I have seen more BAD crosses than good. And as someone already said, it is not good conduct for a friesian stallion (or mare) owner to be crossing with other breeds as they WILL loose registration on those horses AND any good status as a member.
 
#12 ·
For a dressage prospect, I'd be more inclined towards a QH/TB cross. As a bonus, the resulting horse can also be registered Appendix QH.

Of course, I also LOVE my horse, who is a QH/Andalusian cross. He ended up looking pretty much full QH with a long mane & tail. I ride him dressage (and started him jumping over the winter, too). He's never going to be an FEI dressage horse but I'd never compete at that level even if my horse were capable! As with any cross, you never know if the resulting foal is going to be more like one breed or the other, or if they'll be some horribly put together combination of both!
 
#13 ·
Agreed. People have a lot of success with Draft x TB crosses. Except my best friend. She bought Eve as a yearling and she's 6 now and the most awkward animal I've ever seen. "Sporty" is the last word you'd use to describe her. She only ever hit 15.2hh and looks like a midget Clydesdale, complete with big head and shaggy feathers. Thankfully, her new owner is a coach and values her as a lesson horse because that's all she's ever going to be - she lacks all talent and grace for jumping even low fences. She's fanastic on the lunge though and would make an excellent vaulting horse!

Even purebred to purebred breedings can go horribly wrong if you don't have enough of a genetic stamp established. Crosses are always such an enormous crapshoot. My best friend's mare had a 17.2hh dam and a 16.1hh sire and stopped dead at 15.2hh so clearly she was pulling her height genes from some ancestoral anomaly further back! I know a woman who was full sibling Trakehners - the gelding is an almost 17hh successful 2nd Level Dressage horse and his sister is about 14.2hh and built like a bloodhound and greenbroke - but she will never be a successful show horse with her conformation. I tend to not prefer Trakehners for that reason - they aren't as established as breeds such as Dutch WB'a and those anomaly's still pop up, even though considered "purebred"!

I would buy one of your friends horses if you like the cross and she's managed to fluke out in producing good crosses! Chances are more likely than not NOT in your favor of doing the same!
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#14 · (Edited)
Couldn't agree more with everyone here -- it's NOT a good idea. Friesians are not built to jump, or do most activities you see others do. Now, you will see them out there, but not at olympic jumping levels or high dressage tests. They can and will but are NOT built for it. To cross a horse like that with a QH it's asking for trouble. The crosses I've seen like that have been some of the ugliest horses I've seen and I find it hard to call any horse ugly...

GOOD friesian breeders won't do it, it's not good for the registry especially if they're an approved FHANA stallion. They can loose that instantly like others have said, reputable breeders won't do it. So then on that note what level stallion are you going to breed her to? If he's not registered with FHANA and not part of the registry who's to say what will come out it.

I wouldn't, just no. I would buy one of hers or find a breeder of the cross that has the ugly weeded out. Even if they do have most of the "ugly" gone you can't always guarantee a good looking foal. I have seen great babies come out of the cross but there have been VERY few.

Are you doing it for looks? Because you like the cross? Not being snark at all here!
 
#15 ·
to reduce risk of franken-horses, breed a pure bred or well proven cross. for aqha that would be;

qh x thoroughbred
qh x arab

if you want to take a bit of a gamble(I don't), some draft x qh can be very nice, especially percheron, and I've seen some andalusian crosses that were nice.

better yet, buy one that is on the ground, where you can see what the conformation and attitude are like.

I HATE Friesian crosses. one of the most likely to produce franken-foals. And unfortunately Friesians are the latest fad, so every one is crossing anything with a uterus to a freisian stallion. urg.
 
#17 ·
Sorry Nokota, I don't find him "nice" at all. He's not terribly infortunate, but he does not have exemplery conformation and in my opinion has NO business being a stud. His list of "accomplishments" is basically just "we showed in some local events and maybe got a few ribbons". In short, he's done literally nothing. And his $500 stud fee only confirms that. He honestly looks like he took the worst from both breeds and is just awkward. Friesens excell as carthorses and Warmblooods excell at sport events and this guy looks like he excelle at being a pasture ornament. I highly doubt he's a better representative than either of his parents which is what you're ultimtely looking for.

This actually makes me glad a friend of ours decided against breeding her Trakehner mare to a Friesien stallion.
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#22 ·
Oooh that second stally is purrrrdy!! I noticed in your op that you are breeding for color. Never a good idea. Maybe you could find a nice well bred tb or arab that throws black foals and have an.animal more suited to you? Or as many have said, simply buy an otg horse so you arent playing horsey lottery. Less likely to lose that way. ;)
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