— A letter from the family
Thirty years, and
a fond farewell.
— The Letter
To the friends of the estate.
Written by Lieke de Vries, with Marieke and Hendrik. Spring 2026.
Many of you have known our family for a long time, and many of you are reading this for the first time. To both — thank you for being here. We owe you all the honest version.
In the spring of 2025 my mother, Marieke, was given a diagnosis. We will not go into the details here — the particulars are ours — but it asks for her full attention, and for ours. As a family, around the kitchen table, we made the decision together: we will bring the estate to a close.
We are not a program that can be done at half-pace. The horses we breed and the people who buy them deserve more than that. If we cannot give it, we will not pretend to.
The 2026 breeding book closed the same week. We are no longer accepting new horses for training or boarding. The breeding mares will be retired or carefully placed in homes where their lines can continue. Sjoukje’s great-grand- daughters will be among the last we send out the gate.
What this means for the horses still on our property
Every horse listed on the site is here, in our care, looking for the right next chapter. With the closure, we have made three commitments:
- Prices are no longer listed. We invite offers from every serious enquirer. The family will consider what feels fair — to the horse, to the buyer, and to us.
- The right home matters more than the right number. We have turned down higher offers before; we will turn them down again. We are placing horses, not selling them.
- Aftercare stands. Our one-year support to new owners is honoured in full. Transport, vet records, trainer introductions — every commitment we made will be kept until the line is no longer open.
If you have known us, or known a horse of ours, please come see them while you can. Coffee is still on the stove. The gates remain open through 2026.
With gratitude,
The de Vries Family
— What we hold to
Four things, in this order.
01
Soundness
Every remaining horse is sound. Vet records are open from the first conversation.
02
Temperament
A Friesian should be a gentleman. We have never sold one that wasn't. We won't start now.
03
Match
The right horse for the wrong rider is a wrong horse. We will turn down a sale we don't believe in — even now.
04
Honour
We honour our word to every buyer who has bought from us. The line is still open.
— A short history
Thirty years, in eight lines.
- 1994
The first mare
Marieke imports Sjoukje — a 3-year-old Ster mare from Friesland. The estate begins, by accident.
- 1999
First Ster predicate produced
Our first home-bred filly receives her Ster predicate at the FPS keuring.
- 2008
Move to Wellington
We relocate the program to South Florida, closer to the East Coast sport circuit.
- 2014
Imports begin in earnest
We start importing one or two carefully-selected sport prospects from the Netherlands each year.
- 2021
Second generation
Marieke's daughter Lieke completes her young-horse training certification and joins the program full-time.
- 2024
Thirty years
We mark thirty years and twelve Ster-predicate horses produced. The breeding book is open for 2026.
- 2025
Marieke's diagnosis
In the spring, Marieke is given a diagnosis that requires our full attention. The 2026 breeding book closes the same week.
- 2026
The estate dissolves
The decision, made together as a family: each horse will find a home, then we close the gates.
— The family
The people in the barn.
Marieke de Vries
Founder
Born in Friesland. Thirty years a breeder, twenty-five a competitor. Now resting, with the dogs, in the house she has loved since 2008.
Hendrik de Vries
Operations & Imports
Handles the logistics, the contracts, the visitors. Marieke's husband for thirty-five years; her hands and back, every day of the closure.
Lieke de Vries
The transition
Marieke's eldest. She is the voice you will reach when you call now, and the rider you will see when you visit. She is bringing every horse to its next home.
— Come and see them
While the gates remain open.
We are still hosting visitors by appointment, every week. If one of these horses might be yours — or you simply want to say goodbye to a stable you have known — please come.