Maremmano
| Maremmano | |
|---|---|
Maremmano with buttero and typical shepherd's equipment |
|
| Important data | |
| Origin: | Maremma |
| Main breeding area: | Maremma |
| Distribution: | almost only in Italy |
| Stick measure : | approx. 160 cm |
| Colors : | Tan |
| Main application area: | Shepherd horse |
The Maremmano is a horse breed from the Maremma in southern Tuscany , which was previously used as a carriage and shepherd horse, but has been further developed in recent years with a view to a riding horse.
Background information on horse evaluation and breeding can be found under: Exterior , interior and horse breeding .
Exterior
The external appearance is not very impressive with this classic "rural" economic image. They are of medium size with a compact build. The head is often ramsnose, the neck is short and weak. The hindquarters also appear weakly muscled.
However, the horse has limbs with adequate bone strength. The hocks do not appear to be well developed in this breed of horse; however, they are sufficiently available to make this horse very agile.
Most of the horses of this breed are so-called "browns", but there are also black horses and, very rarely, white horses.
interior
Maremmano horses are considered horses with a calm character, which are very persistent and whose characteristics make them very suitable as shepherd horses for cattle. They are considered to be very off-road and enduring as well as horses that can cope with any soil and any weather.
These properties, which made this horse as hats Horse of Tuscan cattle herders so popular also help that this breed of horses in the trail riding is used.
Breeding history
For a long time, there was no set breeding goal for the Maremmano breed. Even so, this typical farm horse continued to develop, as it was bred in a relatively small region in order to obtain a durable and reliable shepherd horse. Spanish horse breeds that were crossbred over the centuries improved the quality of the original breed and, above all, influenced the size of this horse breed. Also were crosses Berber , to which one returns the patient character as well as the hardness and the motivation of the Maremma. In the 19th century, the English breed of Norfolk Trotter was purposely crossbred to increase gait and resistance.
In 1979 the "National Association of Horse Breeders of the Maremma Breed" was founded in Italy. A year later a stud book was established. Since 1993, stallions of the Maremmano breed have been subjected to a performance test.
Duration
The population of Maremmano horses has increased in recent years. Most of the horses are kept in the province of Grosseto and Viterbo . In 2005 their number was around 4,000 horses, with 2,000 broodmares being distributed among a total of 1,200 owners.
