Welcome to the site featuring Gail's Friesian   

 "Sjaantje, Ster"

   She was imported from the Netherlands with the help of Rick & Ellen of Pleasant View Friesians as the foal part of my 3 in 1 package. In June of 2005 I retired from a teaching career, and with the extra time in my daily schedule, it seemed only natural that I fill it with more Friesians! She is registered with both FHANA [the Friesian Horse Association of North America] and the Dutch FPS [Friesch Paarden-Stamboek (Friesian studbook)], which is the world-wide authority on the Friesian horse and recognized as the European Mother Studbook of the Friesian Horse.
    Sired by Tsjerk, her dam, "Wietske Janke V,  is a  "ster" Ritse Friesian mare. When Sjaantje arrived here at Dreams Come True Farm, she was still nursing. As a weanling, she was put together nicely, leggy, friendly, and very pretty. See her pedigree.
     In her yearling year, as she grew, we thought that her foal 3e did not do her justice, so we took her to the 2005 Coatesville Keuring where she earned a 2e and the admiration of the crowd. From then on Sjaantje only improved in beauty, conformation, and movement. In January of 2008, she went to Swiegart's Stable for a few months, where Brook started her driving, came home that summer, so I could get her started under saddle and hand walk her as keuring prep, and then went back to Sweigart's for 3 weeks of tune up for her 3 YO keur. I had been successfully using Parelli Natural Horsemanship techniques, and although I rode bareback as a child, now being 57 YO myself, I could not envision myself riding w/o a saddle, as the Parelli advocates do, but had been  toying with the idea. My dear friend, Gloria, who also had a young Friesian mare that needed to be started, provided the example and the encouragement, so we spent the summer of 2008 successfully starting our young Friesian mares w/o saddles!
    In 2008 Sjaantje was keured at Leesburg, VA, and when she was awarded her 2nd Premium, the judges said she was the prettiest and best built mare there! In 2009, Sjaantje was  professionally trained to show drive, so went to several shows and earned her first World and National Titles. In 2010 Thomas and I showed her in the east, and in 2011 Suzy Stafford trained Sjaantje for the driven IBOP test and gave me a weekly driving lesson. 2011 was the year of driving for Sjaantje---so many blue ribbons that in January 13, 2012 Thomas and  I will be attending the United States Equestrian Federation Horse of the Year Awards Banquet in Cincinatti, OH, to accept Sjaantje's 2011 USEF Friesian Driving Award.
 
Socks to keep her mane full
I'm riding bareback--just like a kid!
  
Gloria and Sjaantje
Action and power!!!
  
Brooke Sweigart Training
 Sjaantje & Bruce Griffin May 2008
   
2008 MAFA Training Prep Clinic
2008 MAFA Training Prep Clinic
  
Winter 2007

As a little girl
    
      
      
  
 
Her 1st turnout at Dreams Come True Farm
                                     
                                       
               
                   



                                  		 
3 MO and in CEM quarantine
  
This was taken the 1st time I saw her!




Created on October 3, 2005  by Gail Aumiller, the owner/photographer, and last updated Decmeber 26, 2011.