Hannes

ACHIEVEMENTS

Lifetime Achievement Award:
Responsible for making hundreds of visitors over the years fall in love with the Friesian breed even more!

Hannes arrived at Greenbank Farm in 2015 as his owner found him too much for herself and wanted him to get some more life experience so he joined us here for some training. Hannes is a very handsome and compact Friesian with a fabulous wavy forelock and mane that has been inherited from his grandsire Fabe 348.

When Hannes arrived it soon became apparent that he was suffering badly with chorioptic mange mites which is not uncommon in Friesians and his feet were in very poor condition. He also suffered from sarcoids, the most severe one being under his eye. Unfortunately, over several months his owner failed to pay for his bills and when she broke all contact with us he became a permanent member of the family.

Before he came he had been well schooled but hacking was a very new experience to him and he soon realised there was a whole new speed, at times the brakes didn’t work and Hannes was off. Over time Hannes settled into his work and showed us he was a horse that liked to be active.

Hannes started to take part in our experience days where he has become a valuable member of our Friesian team and a firm favourite with our visitors. He proved he was a real poser and has taken part in a number of photoshoots and appeared as the front cover of a local magazine `Living`. In early 2016 we decided to get Hannes driving and he went on to teach a number of our visitors over the years how to drive.

He loves attention and is rather food orientated which means we do ask visitors not to give him treats to discourage him from trying to nibble anything and everything he sees!. Hannes has a very inquisitive side and loves human attention and will stand for hours to be pampered. He is a great companion in our unique `Stable Stays` accommodation where he will spend the night next to you but be warned he is likely to wake you early for his breakfast by pulling your blankets off or even giving the partition between you a little kick or two!

In 2019 Hannes was diagnosed with some bony changes in his front feet which we were not completely surprised by due to his feet when he first arrived, this is regularly monitored and treated. He also developed some thickening of the tendon in his hock which can sometimes flare up if he has done a bit too much. The sarcoid under his eye also continued to grow and needed treating. We ran a successful fundraiser which allowed him to receive chemotherapy injections around his eye and laser treatment which thankfully appears to have halted any further growth.

Hannes returned back to the farm after his treatment and will continue to be a part of `The Friesian Experience` team but he will only be doing the occasional hack with visitors and will be retired from schooling and driving work. He will still be a part of `Stable Stays` and photoshoots and will always be up for a cuddle or two when you visit us.

You can watch Hannes' journey on our Social Media pages and through the online training programs we offer.