Testimonials

she is a very sweet filly and very excepting. 

 tonight i just worked on haltering her, rubbing all over her body and picking up her feet. 

i am so happy. by the way Lieke is such a sweet and nice gal-- who you have working for you.  i can't say enough good things about her.  thanks a bundle and i will keep in touch.  we were all so impressed with the horses you had in your barn.  they were all so gorgeous.

we love our girl.

thanks,

paula in idaho

Hi, Janna -He arrived safe and sound.He is extremely pretty!  He is extremely sweet! He is extremely graceful!  I am very glad we are his new "parents."Thanks for all your help in getting us together!
......In the message I sent after Jens arrived, I said he was extremely pretty.  At that time, I had only seen him in the dark.  After seeing him in the daylight, and groomed, I have to revise that: he is stunning!  I don't think we have ever seen a more beautiful horse, and that includes quite a few approved stallions.  "They" say that no horse has perfect conformation, but I don't think "they" have seen Jens. And he does have a really sweet disposition. I must say that his gaits are awesome!!  I have been to three Friesian Extravaganzas, so I have seen a lot of Friesians, and I haven't seen any that I like better. I decided that I would ride him.  His transitions were easy and calm in both directions.  You said that his canter was rated very highly, and I must agree.  It is just wonderful.  The canter is by far my favorite gait when it is nice, and Jens's canter is bliss! He is a very calm and sensible horse.  In short, he is everything I hoped he would be. 

 We love him deliriously already! Thanks for bringing Jens into the U.S.A. so we could buy him!! 
Jens has been an almost exemplary horse since we received him almost three weeks ago.  He is obedient, easy to ride, and mostly calm and unspooky. 
Update...
I got back to Idaho last night and met our new boy Jens.  He's sensational!!!  Not only is he gorgeous, but he's lovable too; he comes up to us constantly for attention. 
Update...
I LOVE Jens!! He is very sweet and friendly, and he is really fun to ride. We really appreciate you as a business associate and as a friend. Jens is a fabulous horse, and we are developing a special bond.  We are working on First Level stuff, and I plan to take him to his first show soon.

Update...
I am attaching some pictures that Julie took at Jens's first show with me today.  I arrived at the show grounds two hours ahead of my ride, and Jens and I went for a walk around the place to check it out.  We strolled around, ate grass (actually, only Jens did that), and got into a somewhat relaxed frame of mind. 

Thanks Janna,

Again, it has been a pleasure working with you. Orchid seems to be doing good. She is a sweet girl and is making herself right at home. I'm excited to hop on, she looks like she's going to be a great riding horse with a good head on her shoulders. Orchid is doing great. We had the vet out this afternoon and he was very impressed at what a nice horse she is. She's continuing to look great everyday as I work her. I rode her yesterday and she is so fun to ride! She has a lot of go!!

Brechtje (Orchid)  foaled!  Everything went like clock work and we have a BEAUTIFUL, strong filly we are going to name Anke.Here are a few pics of the little girl.   She definitely has attitude!

Sharon in Oregon

thanks so much!
Hielke is settling in nicely and Nicole (who rode at BSF when attending Berkley) has been so sweet to help me get to know him!
3 months later...
Hielke is doing wonderfully and is so very happy. He is beautiful and going so well. Hielke got a 1st place ribbon in his training level 2 class(61.8 score) yesterday and scored 64.8 in his training level 4 class with his peers including 14 riders(5 trainers and famous dressage riders like Hilda Gurney). I was SO proud of him. Dressage Judge, Jennifer Roth, spoke very very highly of him.

Hielke was the Dressage Hack Champion at Rainbow Royal!!

3 years later...
The Fiesta was two weeks ago and Hielke was Reserve Champion of In Hand Gelding and the Show Hack Champion! He also got the IFSHA High Point trophy!!!

Shari

We are absolutely in love with our sweet Dakota and she is doing really good. We are so excited to welcome the little one into our family.
Thanks for all your help!
Dakota is within a month of having the baby now and she is such a pretty pregnant mommy. She is an absolute dream! We love her so much.

Dakota had her baby at 9pm on Mother's Day! Baby Grace is a beautiful, healthy, long legged babe! I call her Baby Grace and was thinking of her registered name being something like Sterling Star of Grace. The Sterling part of the name in honor of you and the wonderful baby you are responsible for bringing to this world and to our lives.
They are both doing great. Dakota is the perfect mother. I had cameras installed and captured the entire birth on video even though she waited until everyone left to have her. I showed the video to the vet and he wants a copy of the DVD to use as a learning tool for the students at the vet school because Dakota did a "textbook" perfect job. The vet must have asked me five times "She is a maiden mare?" He just could not believe what a good job she did. Life is fascinating!
Thanks again Janna. I just can't seem to say it enough times to do justice to our gratitude and the honor we feel about owning Dakota and Grace.

Dakota is such a good mommy and they both did spectacular at their judging. Grace took a 2nd Premier and the judges really liked her movement. She was as big as the yearlings there and she is only 4 months old. She has these long legs!

Grace just had her 1 year birthday on Mother's Day this last Sunday. She is getting so big, aprox 14.3 hands already and is the queen of the pasture. She is an incredible mover and I think she has a good shot at getting her star in a few years. We are thinking about taking her to the Santa Barbara show for the filly in hand class on the 4th of July. Dakota was in Park Pleasure Open class at the Spotlight Show and she messed up in front of the judge the first day so she got 2nd but came back the next day to win the Grand Champion ribbon. She is amazing, everyone thinks she is a boy.

2 years after purchasing Dakota.............................................

She just gets more beautiful every day, and just keeps on amazing me. Grace will show in the yearling in hand class at the IFSHA Grand Nat'ls in St Louis. We are so excited about this [IFSHA Grand Nat'l] show. We did get to the Ventura Friesian day and she won her class. Here is a great show picture of Dakota from the Del Mar show. Dakota is looking right at the camera and loving every minute. It is like she knows she was born to be a show girl!
I just can't thank you enough for giving me the opportunity to care for such a fine animal. We love her so much! 

I wanted to take a moment to say thank you for your help with the Tietse straws. We should have three mares pregnant by the weekend with any luck. I will send you pictures next year when the babies are born. Thanks for your help!

Alicia in Texas 

Hi Janna -
It is so nice to hear from you! Dior and I are doing very well - we have really bonded and she is such a sweet baby.... Much more like a black lab dog than any horse I have ever seen.
I really can't say enough about her (as you can tell) ! ! !
A bunch of girlfriends and I are going to the beach for a week with the horses - leaving Friday morning and really looking forward to it .
Tell Ron "Hi" for us too !
XOXO and Thanks always -
Ann in Canada

Dior Made STER and became the GRAND CHAMPION MARE AT THE KEURING IN OREGON!!! There are Friesian Importors nearby that were bragging about how their Mare would take the championship, but NO...... it was a very reasonably priced, HIGH quality,BSF mare that walked away with STER and the GRAND CHAMPIONSHIP Title:)
Congrats Ann and Dior!!!!

He is just fabulous all around - what a gift, says my trainer, she is in LOVE with Lauren's.

Micaela in Mass

Excerpt from the Jan 1, 2008 Equine Journal [all friesians sold by BSF!!!]:

"Micaela Garzoni's beautiful Ate van de Wittewijk came home with the Friesian World Championship in the Amateur Saddle Seat English Pleasure class with Deanna Shepherd. Ate also earned Reserve World Championship title in the Open Saddle Seat English Pleasure Championship. Lauren's ut 'e Mieden and Shae Mary Scanlon took top honors in the Junior Exhibitor Pleasure FHANA World Championship. Laura Spengler had a great showing with a Reserve Championship win in the Amateur Saddle Seat English Pleasure behind Ate. Micaela guided Karts (Kosmo), her third friesian from BSF, to Reserve Championship in the Hunter Seat Pleasure FHANA World Championship. "

*****All of Pine Feather Farms's winning Friesians have come from Black Sterling Friesians******

Kept trying to get around to getting in touch with you about how great Schmoozer is. I just couldn't be happier-what a solid citizen he is. We dressed him up for the holidays..at one point he had everything from ribbons, bells, a wreath, and blinking lights hanging on him-he doesn't care what you do as long as it includes paying attention to him! He also safely takes my fairly novice boyfriend out for some quiet 'clip clops' around the neighborhood.
Thanks Again, i love my horse.
Thanks for bringing 'Schmoozer' into our lives, he's as good of a pal one could hope to have! When I read a testimonial where someone said "he dropped his head & stuck his head in the halter" I thought "yeah , right". Well, Schmooze made a believer out of me.
Just the other day, there was a scene of pure mayhem. ..a dirt bike w/ no sound suppression, a big diesel truck, little girls trying in vein to catch ponies, 2 dogs running back and forth freaking out, all of this was going on at one time on a very narrow road and the Schmooze just looked around with his ears perked up, amazing. Don't these guys ever spook? Oh yeah, he's so handsome all the girls melt when they see him. Cars passing by stop to stare. He's a lotta fun!
Donovan (the novice boyfriend)

3 Years Later....
Hi Janna,
TJ/Schmoozer is doing great- I still ride Tj for my dressage lessons and do quite a bit of trail riding in Briones park. The park is very hilly. I think climbing those long steep hills has been very good for his hind end. Wanted to thank you again for being so kind with the friend that I brought up to look at your horses. I know she raves about your barn to any horse person that she meets and to everyone at the barn she boards at.

I bought Tjeerd aka TJ from you back in September 2004 when he was a 6 year old. I've never had a moments regret. From the moment I met TJ at your facility in Sonoma it truely was love at first site. You showed several other spectacular horses to me when I came to look but 'it had to be him' I'll never really know why but I had eyes for no one else. He is truely a delight. He tries very hard to please no matter what is being asked of him. He concentrates very hard and is very serious during my dressage lessons. He is very relaxed and happy when the younger boarders at the stable dress him up as a Christmas tree or as a pirate for Halloween. He is loved by all that meet him and is one of the barn favorites. Thanks for pairing me up with the BEST horse ever.

Thanks again for bringing such wonderful horses to the U.S. and thank you for being such a pleasure to deal with. I will continue to follow your activities ( I came to Las Vegas and watched you wipe out the competition in every single class/division) GO JANNA!!! TJ is such a great horse.  My trainer Mia rode him yesterday in a Sue Curry clinic and Sue thought he was just great and very smart.  

Joan

Hi Janna,
Dirk is wonderful... he is everything you promised. 

He's very sweet and curious. I'm sure we'll have a long wonderful time together. I can't wait until I can have him at home in my own barn. The house is in it's final stages so I've been very busy with that. I'm really looking foward to just taking him out whenever I feel like it.

 He's beautiful. Thanks for everything Janna.

Sally in Nevada

Hi Janna , 

I got my baby!   I love him ! He is so sweet ! I am just so suprised how sweet he is.

We have renamed him " PITCH" for pitch black. I like Wikkert ,but everyone says it sounds like weaker. Thank You , so much!

Update...
Pitch (Wikkert) is doing great! I am very surprised how sweet he is. No matter where I go, if I turn around we are eye to eye. Very loving!

Update...
I LOVE HIM!!!   

Update 3 years later... I bought this friesian, as a 6 month old foal, from you about 3 years ago. He is wonderful & we're deeply in love,lol. Here's a recent picture & a big thank you !

Jenny in S.C.

The “boys” arrived  and we were there to greet them.  The van was beautiful and Watse and Imke were standing proudly inside, right inside the open door.  They were in excellent condition.  The gentlemen on the van were wonderful.  
The horses are gorgeous and we all fell in love with Imke as well as Watse.  They acted as though they had been there forever, loved us all, we love them, and we are all totally happy.  
Becky is ecstatic with Imke.  Good job Janna!!! He is beautiful. Watse was very calm and playful and wanted to keep looking at himself in the 4 mirrors that were in the arena.We are so surprised at their alertness, yet gentleness and calmness.  So well mannered.  We are just in awe… as was everyone at the stables.  

They arrived beautiful, shiny, looking gorgeous, blankets perfect … like out of a dream.  Tons of love and happiness … and to Barend too!

Jody and Becky in Oregon

Thanks so much for allowing us to buy one of your beautiful friesians!

We will highly recommend you to all of our friends and those at our barn.
I have a couple of friends that are currently looking for friesian horses,. We have been looking directly to the Netherlands as we were thinking it would be more cost effective to do this.  However, we are very happy with the way the sale of Luxor went and have suggested they also look (at BSF) as well.

Luxor is safe and sound in Ontario...he travelled perfectly!!!...he is such a sweet young man!!!...we are so happy to have him....Rachel is ecstatic :)
 
Thanks for your help.

Thanks,
Rachel & James in Canada

Hi Janna,

Sonny, now called and registered as Sirius Black, is doing great. He has grown tremendously and loves attention. He is a very vocal fellow; always gives a whiny when we drive up after being gone somewhere. I even heard him do it yesterday, when the school bus pulled up to drop off my 14 year-old son. I have attached a picture of him at his keuring in Ocala. He was awarded a 2nd premie and Reserve Champion Colt.

Deborah in Fla

CONGRATS to Harold, who was crowned STER, and GRAND CHAMPION at the Santa Rosa keuring, AND chosen  for Central Proving, on his way to becoming an.....

APPROVED STALLION!!!!

We try to import the BEST, and Harold [fondly called Apollo by his new owners] is PROOF  in the pudding.
At the 2007 Santa Rosa keuring, the Champion gelding, Germ, was sold by BSF, AND the CHAMPION  stallion, Harold, was sold by BSF and selected for the central proving (70 day test).

Our horses are quite simply, the BEST!!!

Antsje is doing great!!!

i am currently just showing her first level. her canter, as you know, is to die!  at first we had the damdest time trying to cross the diagonals with out her throwing in a flying lead change:) we have good extension in the neck--- out and curved she has scored consistently  first place at all of our shows.

she is a very quick leaner.

 I am very happy with her and will move her up to second level if we can master the canter serpentine with out a lead change,  which she will definitely give you if asked. 

we took her to Topsfield and she beat out all the big name farms and riders in the level one tests!!!

Photo:THIS IS FROM THE LAST SHOW I RODE ANTJSE IN THIS SUMMER

Karolyn in Conn