Welcome to FeatherDance – We are an equine entertainment organization dedicated to the promotion of the Friesian horse. Our focus is to extend our love of the incredible Friesian to admirers around the world. These horses are magnificent – they are meant to be shared. We feel they provide philanthropic value to those who might not otherwise ever have a chance to experience these magical creatures. This is accomplished via performances throughout the United States and are choreographed to music, often produced to compliment a theme at various venues.

We are proud to be coordinating the entertainment at the 2008 International Friesian Show Horse Association (IFSHA) World and Grand Nationals in Lake St. Louis, MO from October 29 through November 2, 2008.

 Finally, we produce the real thing, meaning we have Friesian horses available for sale.  Purchasing a horse through FeatherDance helps support our efforts to keep these majestic creatures in front of the public eye.  We appreciate your patronage, and in return, we stand behind our horses.

Dancing into Your Heart - FeatherDance Equine Entertainment is a national entity dedicated to the promotion of the majestic Friesian horse.  Our troupes include:
• BlackPearl - Features beautiful Friesian stallions (and sometimes geldings). Most of our performers were imported from Europe. The current troupe incorporates 4 to 8 horses performing choreographed dances to beautiful music. Our brand of circensic dressage thrills audiences with Spanish walk, bow, rear, passage, piaffe, and laying down.
• CulturedPearl – Starring equestrian talent comprised of Friesian derivative offspring.  Feathers in multiple colors illustrate the sportability and viability of the Friesian crossed with a multitude of other breeds.  While the look and feel of each Friesian cross may be dramatically different, they share in common a great majestic presence and talent under saddle.
• Mother-of-Pearl – It’s been a long time coming!  Friesian mares finally get their chance to exhibit their viability as performance horses with a feminine flair for beauty.

The Horse of Kings – The Friesian was an exemplary war horse, rare and beautiful, powerful and true, ridden into battle by such nobles as Don Juan of Austria and King Louis II of Hungary.  Originating in the Netherlands from Equus Robustus, the breed was further refined by the Andalusian horse during Spanish occupation in the 1500s.  The Friesian was highly praised for its talent in dressage and was used in the Spanish Riding school in the 1600s before the Lipizzans became the horse of choice.

Feel the Power - Perhaps more than any other breed, the Friesian has illustrated his extreme versatility as a war horse, a light draft horse, a harness racing horse, a circus horse and of course, a modern dressage horse of unparalleled beauty and talent.  Known for an abundance of hair (manes can be in excess of 5 feet long), a lively and high-stepping trot, and a powerful, thundering canter, you will often “feel” the Friesian coming long before you see him!

Step Back in Time - Watching the Friesians perform, you will find yourself stepping back to ancient times and viewing one of the greatest war horses in action.  The Friesian brings about a primal memory of an ancient time where horses of grandeur were utilized to inspire awe, exemplify power, and an absolute sense of “one-ness” with their riders. One does not need to be a horse person to appreciate the beauty and presence of the Friesian and experience that awe inspiring beauty, power and presence for the first time.

About FeatherDance  - FeatherDance is the mechanism for equestrian art owned and operated by Susan Dyer-DeBoer.  Hailing originally from Minnesota, Susan now makes the beautiful State of Washington her home and base of operations.  FeatherDance was conceived of as a way to promote and share Susan’s love of the Friesian horse.  Traveling the countryside, Susan not only performs with the BlackPearl on her keystone performance stallion, Marco, but she also provides clinics on a variety of topics including horse hair care, nutrition, and trick training basics.  A photography enthusiast, Susan offers artistic media services for horses of any breed and has been a featured author in many equine trade publications. 

For more information regarding these beautiful and talented horses, or our upcoming events and services, please email us at contact@featherdance.org.

Website and email address
http://www.featherdance.org
featherdance@centurytel.net

HOK Q & A

Number of years involved in the breed:
We have been involved with Friesians for eight years now and have loved every minute of it.

Number and type of baroque horses you own:
FeatherDance is the proud steward of care for five beautiful Friesians.
Pilgrim 336 (Bendert x Wypke). Now 20 years old and enjoying retirement, this studbook stallion is the king of our operation. Pilgrim performed with the BlackPearl for many years and has been such a wonderful gift in our lives.
Marco (Jurjen x Mark). Our 12 year old keystone performance stallion is the quintessential baroque Friesian, gentle and kind, brave and powerful. He truly enjoys his ambassadorship to the Friesian breed. He and Susan share a particularly touching bond.
Tjalline fan’t Westerskar (Gradus x Peke). Affectionately known as TJ, this 10 year old mare has been a wonderful broodmare for our program. She is now spending time under saddle. Perhaps she’ll be a Mother-of-Pearl in a future performance!
Schubert (Warn x Barteld). A BlackPearl performer, Schubert has been such a blessing. He is our steady mount for beginners, backup mount for performances, babysitter for our youngsters, and pasture mate for Pilgrim.
Beowulf of FeatherDance (Pilgrim x Pyt). Just three months old, Beowulf is an exemplary product of our breeding program. With his baroque body style, athletic movement, and beautiful features, he promises to be quite a force of his own someday.

Associations you belong to:
Friesian Horse Association of North American (FHANA) and the International Friesian Show Horse Association (IFSHA).

Who is your mentor and why:
I have been fortunate to benefit from so many mentors over the years all of whom have taught me so much about this ancient and honorable breed. I would have to say that I value the advice and opinions of Ids Hellinga, Director of the KFPS, perhaps the most. He has patiently taught me about the stallion selection process, found time to discuss the tracking of heritable characteristics of offspring, and provided instruction on the inspection process always with dignity and respect.

Proudest moment:
Through the years there have been so many moments when I thought my heart would burst with pride and love for my horses. The prevailing theme, however, is the way in which they are able to reach out and touch the hearts of others. There is something about these big black imposing beasts that takes one’s breath away! Yet, in the next moment, they are lowering their heads for a youngster to pet them, or carefully inspecting the wheelchair of a handicapped admirer. Always, they just seem to know how much their presence means to others. Once, I was at an event and an older woman stopped me on the street. She told me she came to the event every year to see my stallion, Marco. She showed me a photo of Marco and I that she kept on her cell phone as wallpaper. “You see,” she said, “I’ll never own a Friesian of my own. But I keep this photo of Marco on my phone to show people. In this way, he’s my own.” I am proud to be a part of something so heart warming and healing to others.