Crossing Friesians with warmbloods is growing in popularity–both in Europe and North America. Standouts like Intermediate I winner IHF’s Maverick, Grand Prix horses Eyecatcher and Filius Apache, and the US National Champion Johnny Be Good, demonstrate the dressage talent of the Friesian cross.
“I think we’re going to see more and more Friesian crosses” said Meghan deGaray, breeding manager at ISF. “People want beautiful dressage horses with the qualities of the Friesian and the warmblood.”
IHF’s Maverick Winning Prix St. Georges and Intermediate I
IHF’s Maverick (Sir Sinclair, Keur x Pilgrim 366), is an excellent example of the Friesian cross. Maverick has numerous winning scores in the 70s at Prix St. Georges and Intermediate I with rider Nicole Glusenkamp.
Owner Wendy McKelvy purchased Maverick from breeder Judy Wildman when he was just six months old. “Training Maverick was not really complicated,” recalls Glusenkamp. “He wanted to learn. As a weanling I worked with him on the ground: manners, leading, cross-tying, farrier etc. Personal space was a big one as he always wanted to be in your pocket.”
Glusenkamp continued to work with Maverick on the ground until he was ready to start under saddle, where he progressed easily. He debuted at Training Level and the Four-Year-Old tests, winning classes and scoring in the 70s.
“Maverick is really smart and learns new things quickly,” said Glusenkamp. “As a five-year-old, he started to learn flying changes and half-passes.” So far this year, he’s won four of his five starts at Intermediate I, earning scores in the 70s at HITS Saugerties and several NEDA shows.
Maverick seems made for FEI work. “The collection is so far the easiest for him,” said Glusenkamp. “He has a lot of sitting strength. Canter pirouettes are definitely one of his highlights. He also loves the canter extensions. He knows when they come next in the test. Did I mention that he’s very smart?” Maverick’s schedule includes work three days per week, plus a day for lunging and a day for hacking. He also enjoys cavaletti and the occasional small jump.
Maverick’s full brother, Leopold SCS, is now showing Third Level with his amateur owner Amy Michelson in Colorado.
Half-Brothers Competing on the World Stage
Maverick isn’t the only Friesian cross winning in the FEI ring. Breeder Trea Mulder-Dolsma struck gold with her Friesian cross dressage horses, beginning with her mare Amazing Grace (Tietse D 428 x Farrington). Amazing Grace competed through Z2 Level (Third Level equivalent) in the Netherlands before her prolific breeding career. She has produced seven dressage horses to date, including the FEI standouts Filius Apache and Johnny Be Good.
Filius Apache, by the Grand Prix superstar Apache, Preferent (a son of ISF’s UB40, Keur), has scores in the 70s at Grand Prix. With Olympian Diederik Van Silfhout, Filius Apache finished fifth at the 2023 Dutch National Championships and represented the Netherlands in Nations Cup classes at CDIO4* Rotterdam earlier this year.
His half-brother Johnny Be Good, by Dream Boy, is another spectacular example of the Friesian cross. With Emmelie Scholtens the gelding competed in the 2019 World Young Horse Championships as a five-year-old, placing fifth in the preliminary class with a 9.18 and finishing seventh overall. He was also Reserve Champion in the 2019 Pavo Cup.
Johnny Be Good was imported to the United States and is now owned by Fritz and Claudine Kundrun. Ridden by Olivia LaGoy-Weltz, Johnny Be Good was the 2022 National Developing Horse Prix St. Georges Champion with an overall score of 73.223%.
Grand Prix Champion
Eyecatcher (Tietse 428 x Belisar) is another top Friesian cross showcasing Grand Prix talent. He was bred in the Netherlands by F. Wemmenhove and is ridden and owned by Shelley Van Den Neste. The pair was Reserve Grand Prix Champion with a 70.616% and third place in the Grand Prix Freestyle with a 74.067% at the 2022 US Dressage Finals. They were also the Grand Prix Freestyle Champion and Reserve Grand Prix Champion at the 2022 GAIG/USDF Region 3 Championships.
All these achievements are drawing attention to the Friesian cross worldwide. At Iron Spring Farm, we’ve seen an uptick in Friesian crosses. Cum Laude and Kaiman have been popular choices for Friesian mares, along with dressage champion Tjalbert 460 for warmblood mares. We too have our own Friesian cross this year, Twilight ISF (Cum Laude x Awesome ISF, Star, by Ulbert 390, Sport). With FEI success top and bottom, we’re excited to see what’s in store for Twilight.
Photo of IHF’s Maverick, by Sir Sinclair, Keur, by Q2 Photography
