World-class Friesian horse coming to Shelbyville

Dutch trainer Pieter Okkema drives the Friesian 3-year-old stallion Rinsefarmaren-state to reserve World Grand Champion status only days after the horse was purchased by Keith Johnson of Shelbyville. Rinse will compete throughout the spring in the Netherlands. (Submitted Photo) [Click to enlarge]

Keith bought a horse.

Not just any horse, mind you. Only a few days after the deal was done, his new Friesian stallion, Rinsefarmaren-state, was named the Reserve World Grand Champion in his class, the 3-year-old driving stallions. After the sale, but before the show, Keith called his wife, Suzi, back in Shelbyville.

A true surprise

"When I called Suzi, it was about 2 in the morning here, so I woke her up," said Keith, laughing. "I think she knew by the tome of my voice. 'Uh-oh, he's got another one.'"

His trainer, Arnold Warmel of Leipers Fork, was a little more excited. He knew the horse Keith had purchased -- both owner and trainer had followed the young stallion's career carefully, especially since Rinse's current trainer is the same man, Pieter Okkema, who trained their other champion, Messor.

"He's the champion trainer in the Netherlands," said Keith, comparing Okkema to David Landrum in the Tennessee walking horse world. "Arnold talks with Pieter Okkema all the time. He's very excited."

Although the Johnsons grew up with walking horses -- and they've had their share of world champions in that familiar breed -- they've also enjoyed other horses, including spotted saddle horses and racking horses. It wasn't until they saw their first Friesians at Equitana, an event held in Louisville, Ky., that showcases many different breeds, that they fell in love with the big, black Dutch horses.

Native to Friesland, a province in the Netherlands, Friesians are warmbloods -- not as big as a draft horse, nor as light and quick as a Thoroughbred -- but they have characteristics of both. They are shown under saddle and in harness, and recently, thanks to the efforts of world class rider Peter Spahn, they've been making serious headway in the dressage arena.

The Johnsons bought two Friesians in the beginning, Tomas and Messor, and both have been winning championships. Wanting to know more about the breed, and to visit its country of origin, they signed up for a Friesian tour that would culminate at the World Grand Championship stallion show Jan. 9-12. Because of an illness in the family, Suzi was unable to go, but Keith went ahead.

A different world

Keith Johnson toured several Friesian barns during his recent trip to the Netherlands. Here, he got to meet Jacob, a famous breeding stallion still lively at 28 years of age. (Submitted Photo) [Click to enlarge]

Besides touring stables and visiting classic stallions, such as the 28-year-old legend Jacob, Keith got to sample life in the Netherlands.

"I saw people actually wearing the wooden clogs," he said, "I thought it was just something they did for tourists, but I saw a man riding his bicycle, wearing them,. He'd painted them black and added a white Nike swoosh to them."

The food, he said, was wonderful, especially a croquette with a crisp pastry shell and a tender meat filling. The elegant old hotel he stayed in was "like living in a castle" -- complete with an owner who was a five-star chef.

The tour took them from village to village, and on the way, he could see the canals that spiderweb across the low country, and people skating on them.

"It's all below sea level," he said, "In the winter, they flood these fields -- the lighting is permanent -- and make all these skating rinks. It's their passion."

Their other passion -- and now his -- is the Friesian breed. The horses nearly died out more than once, and now the registry is fiercely protective of its bloodlines, allowing only the "Star" stallions' offspring to be registered in the A book -- and those stallions have to prove their own worthiness at the big January stallion show every year until they are 12. Then, even if they have been approved for those 12 years, if their foals begin to show undesirable traits, such as white markings, they are disapproved for breeding.

And as protective as they are of the stallions, the breeders are even more cautious with their mares. In the Netherlands, said Keith, breeders believe the mares contribute far more to the foals' talents than the stallion does, and a mare who throws excellent foals can be considered more valuable than the stallion that sired them.

Couldn't resist

When Keith went to visit Messor's old trainer, he was just curious about the man and his horses, including the young stallion Rinse.

"I went over there with no intentions of buying a horse," he said. "I had no intentions of buying anything."

But once he saw the young stallion, it was too much to resist. Before the stallions are shown for their ratings, they are graded over a 70-day period, where breed judges look at their temperaments, gaits, and improvement in that time period, then they score them.

"Rinse got the top scores in the 3-year-olds," he said.

But after he bought the horse, and started making plans to have him gelded and sent home (it takes less money and time to get a gelding through quarantine than a stallion) he found out that Rinse was scheduled to be in the big stallion show.

"What could I do?" he asked.

He could let the horse show, of course, and it was a good thing he did.

At first, Keith just enjoyed the spectacle.

"Everything is done in traditional costume," he said. "I sat in awe at the show. The energy is unbelievable. The music is very upbeat and everybody claps and stomps their feet and cheers."

In the harness classes, the horses are driven in until all are present, then the are examined for conformation by the judges. They leave the ring and return one at a time to show their stuff. Five are chosen, and those five are in the ring at the same time, which, said Keith, can be tricky.

"When they want them to turn around, this little man in a costume runs right out in front of the first one he wants to turn," he said.

Crowd's choice

As with the Celebration, the crowd favorite is easy to spot. The stomping and clapping and cheering increased in waves as Rinse circled the ring, and the crowd, when he was named Reserve Champion, "was just screaming," Keith said.

Because of that success, Keith will leave Rinsefarmaren-state in the Netherlands for the spring shows. (Because they were originally draft horses and hard at work in the summer, the Friesian championships are held in the winter, when the horses would have been idle otherwise.)

But Keith has plenty to keep him busy until his new star arrives on American soil. There is a "Feathered Horses" show coming up at the end of April at Calsonic Arena, where he will get to show Tomas and Messor off to the friends and family, especially those who didn't get to see their exhibition at the 2008 Celebration.

"Feathers" refers to the long hairs covering the horses;' hooves, so Friesians won't be the only breed represented. There will be Shires and Clydesdales, as well as the rare Gypsy Vanner horses.

"It's going to be a wonderful show," said Keith. "I hope everyone can come out and see these amazing horses."