A Survey of the Health Issues of Friesian Horses

The Friesian is a noble and historic breed of horse which has a devoted following of breed admirers who have cared for the breed through it’s long and troublesome past, including a period of near extinction during the early 20th century. In recent years, the Friesian horse community has seen a significant number of breeding stallions dying unexpectedly at a young age. In addition, anecdotal evidence seems to show that the Friesian breed as a whole may be suffering from unexpected and premature deaths. The purpose of this study is to create baseline data through a survey of Friesian owners to determine what ailments are most common within the breed and whether any of these ailments are more frequent within the Friesian horse population than the population of horses as a whole. An online survey was distributed to the members of the Friesian Horse Association of North America (FHANA), asking about the health histories of their horses, and results compared to a baseline study in horse health by the USDA. The survey results showed that Friesians are more prone to scratches and retained placentas than the overall horse population, and have a higher death rate. Colic also showed a higher than average result, but was statistically incomparable with the USDA results. It is hoped that this study may serve as a basis for further studies on Friesian health, specifically the occurrence of colic in Friesians and the possible reasons behind their higher death rate. A Survey of the Health Issues of Friesian Horses Evans 2