My family immigrated to the United States from the Netherlands in the 50’s. Growing up I had a passion for horses, but my family could not afford one. My father worked as a blacksmith in Friesland, and loved the Friesian breed. He described Friesians as “Beauty, presence, demeanor, brains and talent, all rolled up in One BLACK dream horse!” Of course, he hoped that someday I would own one.

In 1990, I bought my daughter Anneka her first pony, needless to say we never looked back. In the late 90’s I was considering buying a horse of my own. I always admired the Friesian breed from afar in books and magazines, but due to their high price I never considered owning one. Our veterinarian, Dr. Pol, bred and raised Friesian horses and offered us an open invitation for our family to visit his farm. I turned down the invitation time and time again because I didn’t want to fall in love with a breed that was out of my reach.

My father passed away in October, 1999 and my desire to see the breed of horse he talked of so highly was undeniable. Anneka and I went to visit Dr. Pol and his Friesians, and fell in love with a 5 month old colt that became my first Friesian. His name was Walter Black Velvet and I renamed him Piet in honor of my father. I raised, trained and showed Piet to several championships in lower level dressage. Piet was literally my dream come true!

In March, 2002, Paul and I bought Sally, a beautiful Ster Friesian Mare in foal with a Bearend baby. In November, 2003, we purchased Pearl, another outstanding Ster Friesian mare.

In September, 2002, Paul and I fell in love with a cottage on Mackinac Island. Because of my passion for horses and Paul’s love of the water, we could not resist. We now have a dream location to work and play with our horses! The island has 70 miles of trails for riding--and no cars are allowed on the island. Our cottage is near Fort Mackinac, and as a cottage owner we can ride and drive our horses through town whenever we want. Mackinac Island is a truly a paradise for horses and riders.

About our horses and training

Our primary stable is in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. That's where we work with my weanlings, yearlings, and 2 year olds. Our mission is to breed and raise calm, gentle, well-mannered foals for dressage, driving, trail riding, breeding and companionship.

All of our broodmares are Ster quality, which means they are the top 5% in the breed, and we choose only those with impeccable dispositions. We breed them to the top stallions in the nation. We select each stallion to compliment the mare’s conformation. Of course, each stallion must have an excellent temperament.

When a foal is born, we immediately begin working on socialization and proper handling. We spend extensive time with every foal to set a perfect foundation. Not only are the foals imprinted at birth, they are intentionally exposed to distractions such as plastic bags, clippers, dogs and a wide variety of noises. For example, I play a CD filled with scary sounds in the barn while the horses are eating their breakfast and dinner. The CD has airplanes, cars, fire trucks, kids yelling, dogs barking and lots of other spooky sounds the horses may encounter. I try my best to provide an environment that teaches them not to be surprised or afraid of anything. By the time our horses leave our farm, they are accustomed to standing for the farrier and vet, loading, bathing and clipping, and adapting to new situations.

Our horses of riding age get the ultimate test of temperament each summer when they are transported to the Mackinac Island by cargo ship. The horses are walked into the bottom of the ship by hand and must stand quietly with me for the duration of the 45-minute trip. Sometimes there are over 30 horses in the hull, and there are no stalls or partitions to separate any of them. This is not a place for a spooky horse!

When the boat arrives, the horses must be led through the middle of town where they are likely to encounter people of all ages, bicycles, driving horses with carriages, and countless distractions. My horses take it all in stride.

On the Island, we work the horses with one of the best driving trainers in the country, Don Eckhardt. Don and his wife Lisa are from the state of Washington and summer on Mackinac Island. Lisa works closely with Don and is an accomplished dressage rider and instructor herself. You can see more about Don and Lisa at www.thedrivingtrainingcenter.com.

One of my most memorable accomplishments working with Don was after I bought my second Ster Friesian mare, Pearl. The seller told me that Pearl knew how to drive. I had never driven before, but if Pearl already knew how to do it, I was willing to give it a try. I took Pearl to Don and she immediately remembered how to drive. Don worked with Pearl and me during the summer, and I learned how to harness and drive in a very short time. I vividly remember the first time I harnessed Pearl with no supervision and went out driving alone. Pure exhilaration!

Our dressage training is done under the accomplished guidance of Sue Thome at Winter Spring Farms in Carson City, Michigan. You can read about her at www.winterspringhorses.com. She is a Bronze medalist with USDF and recently acquired her L Judge certification with USDF. During the fall, I spend 3 days per week as a working student in exchange for Sue’s knowledge and instruction.

Our horses get a real test of their character and training when we ride them through town. I started the “The Friesian Force,” which is a group of Friesian owners who ride through the middle of town once a week to exhibit the breed to residents and visitors. It's very uncommon for horses to be ridden rather than driven through town because of the endless variety of spooky things they might encounter, such as flags flying, muskets going off, cannons and bicycles, to name a few. Needless to say, The Friesian Force has become one of the island's favorite attractions.

If you would like to visit Friesians on Mackinac, we would love to meet you. Please contact me for more information and to make an appointment to meet our amazing Friesians.