Learn About Friesians. Find Your Friesian.                                                                                                                                           Last updated: 02/15/12

Click on the index below or scroll down the page.

(Photo header: Anneke on then newly saddle-trained Rudy, summer 2010, trained and sold by Anneke. Photo by John Dumford.)

• Boarding / Sale Friesians in Consignment
• Facility
• Friesian Clinics
• Lessons
• Lesson TIPS
• Lesson Friesians
• Photos
• Retreat Weekends
• Therapeutic-Style Riding/Regaining Confidence
• Training
• Visits to our Farm

Happy Valentine's Month!

• Drinks & snacks with restroom/change room on site;
• Free Friesians-101 color brochure w/ first visit;
• $25 or 10% www.TropicalRider.com gift certificate with first visit;
• Ride as much as you want, see below under 'Riding time.'
• Photos to remember.
• Q&a; ask us all your questions.

• Lessons and test rides
• Therapeutic style & regaining confidence
• Farm visits-consultations
• Why English/dressage?
• Riding time and days
• Where do we ride?
• Why us?
• Evaluation
• What we can teach you
• Lesson tips
• Lesson Friesians
• Disclaimer
• Fee schedule

• As a member of Anneke's Friesians you receive a $10 discount per lesson and pay only $35 per lesson per annual membership. Click here for membership details.
• Regular rate: $45 per lesson per person.
• Buy a package of five lessons and pay only $175 (i.e. only $35 per lesson for all five). The package is transferable if you can't use them all.
• Visits/mini clinics are $25 per person. A day visit is $75 per person.
• Rates do NOT apply to serious sale-horse customers.

• What have you done in the past: years of activity, horse experience & disciplines.
• What have you done lately? Both on horseback and other sports disciplines.
• What height and weight are you? What is your age?
• Do you  have any kind of limitation, (old) injuries, food allergies, etc.?
• What are you looking to achieve in the future?
• Are you willing to work in the saddle or need a quiet ride?
• Are you a city dweller, a country person, an English rider, a Western rider? A trained rider, an occasional rider, a livery rider? Advanced in technique or not yet died in the wool?
• Are you assertive and athletic or timid and less agile?

Happy Valentine's Month!

1. Jelle
2. Margriet
3. Meine
4. Odessa
5. O, baby!
6. Remco
7. Sanne
8. Sybren
9. Tropical Rider's Wieger
10. Weidebloem

???? x Tropical Rider's Wieger (Teade 392 sport x Rypke 321, with Anneke June 2011) x Sanne B. (Anne 340 sport x Lammert 260 pref, with Anneke bareback/bridleless March 2011). Our 2012 foal will be Wieger's 2nd foal. In 2010 a filly was born sired by him and out of the TB mom in the photo (Wieger was out as a youngster with this mare at his previous home).

• Coming soon: an 85' x 150' indoor covered arena (the Texas version of an indoor arena) with multi purpose rec/exam/wash room, foaling stall, stallion/guest stalls, and multi-purpose storage, as well as trails on site;
• 10-stall barn attached to the house (for our privately-owned horses) with a;
• covered grooming/tacking/farrier area;
• with open stalls for healthy shelter;
• a huge run-in shelter for pasture time;
• 2 outdoor riding arenas (one with night lights);
• two large pastures;
• and 3 paddocks of various sizes, two of which serve as working arenas;
• the biggest pasture we also use as an exercise track with up/downhill trail for conditioning and trail prep;
• very clean: manure gets removed several times a week, stalls cleaned daily, virtually weed-free, lots of fresh water;
• several feedings a day based on season and horse needs;
• several exercise and grooming sessions a week per horse;
• property fully enclosed;
• surrounded by quiet greenery as well as easy access to traffic training;
• various trail and event/show venues nearby. All the horses go on regular outings and get regular grooming & exercise sessions.

• Please note: we will re-open for boarding/training/saddle 'breaking'/sale-on-consignment services for approved Friesian horses;
• mares, geldings, and stallions
• at our private farm
• early 2012 (date tba) after our indoor covered arena/training facility with
• large guest 'stallion' stalls is completed.
• Great service for winter or summer breaks and vacations.
• Limited availability.
• Full privacy for you and your horse.
• Full-service board & training (all tack on site) for saddle training or continued ed is $1K per month (i.e. $33 per day). DISCOUNTED rate applies for members of Anneke's Friesians ($900 p.m., i.e., $30 per day), as well as for sale horses ($450 p.m., i.e. $15 per day), 3-month minimum required for 'breaking.' E-mail us for details.
• See also the Facility header above (click).  

• arena
• show
• trail
• traffic
• event outings & parades
• flag riding
• bareback bridleless
• one-handed
• prep for side saddle
• desensitization, gun practice, police training
• continued ed for trained horses
• 'breaking' the green horse.

• Ever notice how Friesians tend to not buck much but can be 'bolters'? As loveable, kind, trainable, and gentle the Friesian is, they are easy to wreck. Learn why, and how to prevent/retrain it at our quarterly Friesian clinics.
• Friesians require a bit of a different approach, even if they are still 'just' horses. It is easy to break a Friesian's spirit with the wrong approach and pushing them too fast too soon.
• Owners tend to focus on cutting cost, corners, and time not understanding every horse is different, the Friesian is different, and that breaking the horse is the foundation for the future. Without a good foundation there is trouble in the forecast, whether a Grand Prix trainer did it or a 'regular' trainer. There also seems to be peer pressure to get the horse from 0 to 60 in a '30-day-miracle.'
• It is a specialized skill as it can be dangerous if not handled right. Ask yourself why many dressage trainers do not want to break horses. They want the glory but not the grunt work behind the scenes, and they are experienced!
• We work based on trust, kindness, and respect.
• We also encourage participation in the process of the owner and if possible future trainer; just because we get the horse to do what we taught it (with proper, universal teaching) doesn't mean someone else will unless they have the appropriate skill level, especially when it concerns a horse new under saddle. This interest is unfortunately often lacking and we take no responsibility for such continued efforts.
• For all training horses we require a minimum commitment of 90 days in training. Depending on the horse and needs things can go faster but if there is no commitment for 90 days we cannot help you.

• Please note: we will re-open for boarding/training/saddle 'breaking'/sale-on-consignment services for approved Friesian horses;
• mares, geldings, and stallions
• at our private farm
• early 2012 (date tba) after our indoor covered arena/training facility with
• large guest 'stallion' stalls is completed.
• Great service for winter or summer breaks and vacations.
• Limited availability.
• Full privacy for you and your horse.
• Full-service board & training (all tack on site) for saddle training or continued ed is $1K per month. DISCOUNTED rate applies to members of Anneke's Friesians ($900 p.m.), as well as for sale horses (50% off, so customers know it's about the sale and not collecting a board fee but we do have to put in much effort so we do charge), 3-month minimum required for 'breaking.' E-mail us for more information.
• See also the Facility header above (click).  

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