FELL PONIES & FRIESIAN HORSES
A Division of Laurel Highland Farm & Equine Services, LLC
Cogan Station, Pennsylvania
|
FELL PONIES & FRIESIAN HORSES |
|
|
|
Welcome to Laurel Highland Farm & Equine Services, LLC, where you will find
not only outstanding quality Friesian horses but also
very rare Fell ponies! Currently we are the largest breeder of Fell ponies
in North America. We
are also home to a full-service equine
veterinary practice that was established
back in 1987.
Our
mountaintop farm is located in north central Pennsylvania in Cogan Station (just outside
of Williamsport, whose only claim to fame is the
annual Little League World
Series!). Our farm is named after the beautiful mountain laurel -
Pennsylvania's state flower -- which grows wild in
this region and throughout the
Allegheny mountains.
|
|
|
(Above) Fell Pony and Friesian mares here in the beautiful Allegheny Mountains |
|
|
|
|
Laurelhighland Venus (Fell Filly) |
White-tailed Deer Grazing in Our Hay Fields Along the Driveway |
Friesians seem to be the rage these days, but you may ask, "What is a Fell
pony?" The Fell Pony is an ancient breed named after
the "hills" or "fells"
of northern England. Friesian horses and
Fell ponies are "black beauties" that have a lot in common -- beautiful,
suspended gaits with high knee-action,
long manes and tails, luxurious
"feather", great temperaments, intelligence and trainability. They are
sure-footed and versatile, being suitable for all
forms of riding (especially dressage)
and driving. A big difference between these breeds is about 2-3 hands! Although
the majority of Fells are black,
Fells also come in other colors like bay and
the rare grey. (Friesians previously came in other colors but through
selective breeding since 1920, all
colors except for black and the rare chestnut
have been eliminated from the Friesian breed.) White markings are not
uncommon in the Fell-- typically
in the form of a star or a little white on the
hind feet below the fetlocks, but otherwise they are usually solid color.
The only allowed marking in the
Friesian breed is the star. Fells typically
stand at 13.2-13.3 hh at maturity and are thus suitable for both small children
and average-sized adults. Both
breeds are relatively rare in North America, with
an estimated 2000 Friesians and less than 300 Fells!!
Feel free to browse our web site and learn more about these beautiful, versatile
"feathered friends". . . and while you're here, don't forget to sign our
Guest Book.
Enjoy!
This site was designed and published by Mary Jean Gould-Earley -- the "Webmaster".
For problems with this site, contact the
