Stallion rides to social media stardom

His name is Frederik the Great and he is decked out in black, with hair coifed in long manly locks that he shakes in the wind, turning heads ashe walks through New York.

He is debonair, known first and foremost for his devilishly good looks and the fact that as a consummate stud — a stallion — he makes more money and has more fans than most human counterparts.

Sometimes called the “Kardashian of horses,” this well-known Friesian, who earns close to $20,000 a month according to owner Stacy Nazario, was recently in New York for a prestigious horse show and latenight TV appearance.

With his enviable social media presence and soon shampoo line and TV series, the equine star has become a veritable cash cow.

It wasn’t always all glitter and glam for Frederik, however, whose stellar career has just as much to do with Nazario’s marketing skills as the horse’s resemblance to Black Beauty of literary fame.

After viewing thousands of pictures of Friesians — a breed that comes from the Friesland region of the Netherlands — Nazario, a former construction company owner, bought Frederik in 2007, bringing him from Europe to the rural US state of Arkansas.

After inviting a professional photographer to a photo shoot she quickly realized her new stallion was extremely photogenic.

“Right from the start he was performing like a true model, looking straight into the camera, a true showman,” said Nazario during the horse’s recent visit to NewYork.

“He is a gentle giant, he can put his nose down on a newborn without hurting him,” she said.

Soon she created an online presence for the horse — posting his photos on the internet, building a website and starting a Facebook page and Twitter account.

And little by little, the internet—with its insatiable appetite for animal photos and videos— took notice.

With many baptizing the creature “the world’s most beautiful horse,” the YouTube clicks multiplied, climbing all the way to 15 million views.

And Nazario, who now manages Frederik’s busy career full-time, knows how to feed the machine, scheduling photo and video session every two to three months to refresh his online presence.

Frederik’s number one asset, his mane, is subject to the most care, requiring daily combing and braiding sessions.

AFP Frederik the Great, a show horse that has gained internet fame, performs during the 2016 Rolex Central Park Horse Show in New York.