Friesians — as well as other breeds — will be on display at this weekend's Utah Horse Expo

Tall, dark and handsome, Friesians are the romantic heroes of the horse world — at least, according to Annette Coester, who has owned, bred, shown and trained them for the past nine years.

"They are fantasy horses, like they're from another world, like they ought to have wings," she enthuses. Their beauty is equalled only by their temperament, she says. "They are so sweet."

For Coester, it was also a case of love at first sight.

"I was born with the horse gene," she says. "Before I could even walk, I was in love with horses. I was the black sheep of the family. I was raised in an urban setting. We didn't have horses, and my parents thought I was nuts, but I remember crying myself to sleep because I wanted a horse so badly."

She finally got her first horse at age 23. "I was five months pregnant and allergic to horses, but I still knew they would be in the web of my life forever." She got over her allergies and began training and showing horses. "I've been bitten, stepped on, trampled, but that doesn't matter. With horses, it's just about love."

Coester was at a big horse show in Kentucky when she saw her first Friesian. "I was working with Morgans at the time. I saw the Friesians and fell in love. I knew I had found my breed. This is the one I will work with the rest of my life."

Distinguishing characteristics of the Friesians include their size — registered Friesian stallions must be at least 15.3 hands by age 4 — and color: black.

In addition, they have long, thick, flowing manes and tails, as well as pronounced "feathers" or fetlock hair similar to what draft horses have.

It's also a very old breed. "It's at least 2,000 years old," says Coaster. "Friesians were used in the Crusades to carry the knights into battle."

The horses originated in Friesland, now a province in the Netherlands. The horses were mentioned — and praised — in writings dating back to the 13th century.

Friesians were brought to the New World in the early 1600s by the Dutch who settled New Amsterdam. But due to crossbreeding they eventually died out. The breed was not introduced again until the 1970s. And even now, it is carefully monitored and regulated.

Coester and her husband, Bert, own seven Friesians all together, three stallions and four mares. Chief among them is Feike 395, a stallion she imported from the Netherlands when he was 6 years old. The numbers means his is only the 395th stallion approved for breeding by the Dutch registry since it began keeping records, explains Coester.