Native to the Netherlands, Friesian horses are beautiful with their shining black coats, powerful muscles, and flowing manes. And Friesian mare Queen Uniek provides a perfect standard of the breed. So when it came time for the Queen to birth her first foal, owner Yvonne was over the moon.
But as Queen Uniek’s labor progressed, she flared her lips and sunk to the ground, the pain almost more than she could bear. Something was wrong. When the vet examined Queen Uniek, he could feel a head but no feet, and feet should come first during the birth of a foal. Yvonne and her team worked hard to keep the stressed mom as calm as they could. But for all their efforts, the little colt was stillborn. Uniek and Yvonne were crushed.
From Tragedy Comes Joy
Yvonne shared a video of the birth on YouTube, where her channel, Friesian Horses, boasts more than 360k followers, and explained, “He is a star in heaven now…so we call him Star!”
But poor Uniek was left bereft by the loss of her son and “still trying to lick Star awake.” And when he was gone, she kept looking for him. The next day would bring some light back to Uniek, though.
Yvonne received a call from her friend Eef, and she had heard of a foal left orphaned after the death of his mother. This baby needed a mom, and perhaps Queen Uniek could be the one for him.
“Of course, we want to try that,” said Yvonne.
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And when Uniek caught her first glimpse of the colt, she began calling for him right away, her heart filling with love for her new son. So happy to meet him, she couldn’t help prancing. Under the watchful eyes of the team, the little one began to nurse, and everyone knew the relationship was a success as Uniek didn’t refuse him!
After death robbed these horses of their family, Queen Uniek and her adopted son, Rising Star, found joy after their tragedies.
“It really is amazing,” said Yvonne. “For mare and colt.”
“So sad we lost Star. But we are so glad Rising Star JK is now here with us.”
In a video from The Dodo, Yvonne shared, “Queen Uniek and Rising Star are “onafscheidelijk [inseparable].”
And more than two years after their meeting, Queen Uniek and Rising Star are still happy together with Yvonne at their Friesland, Netherlands, home. For more horse majesty, subscribe to Friesian Horses on YouTube.
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Feature Image: Friesian Horses/YouTube