Murgese
| Murgese | |
|---|---|
Two and a half year old Murgese stallion born in 2010 (fifth in the Martina Franca breed show); of the heavier type |
|
| Important data | |
| Origin: | Apulia |
| Main breeding area: | Italy, Apulia, area around Murgia , Puglia |
| Distribution: | hardly outside of the breeding area |
| Stick measure : | 150-168 cm |
| Colors : | mostly black horses, occasionally carrots |
| Main application area: | Back work, police horse, riding tourism |
The Murgese is an Italian horse breed that can be counted among the baroque horses
Background information on horse evaluation and breeding can be found under: Exterior , interior and horse breeding .
Exterior
Medium-sized, the Murgese is a tough economic horse. The head is very large, rammed and carried by an extremely strong and high neck. The shoulder is of sufficient length, but is sometimes a little steep. The withers and topline are usually not optimal, but the croup is well muscled and knocked off. The compact fuselage has sufficient width and depth. The stable legs have strong joints and tubular legs , with few hangings and good hooves .
The breed standard is defined as follows:
The head should be of a flat profile or slightly ram-headed, a large forehead with a lot of forehead, even ears, large and expressive eyes as well as wide and flexible nostrils are desirable. The neck should be muscular, well carried and well set and thus have a lush mane. The shoulder should be slightly sloped and muscular.
The withers should be well developed and well set on the shoulder, the back should be horizontal and well carried according to the breeding goal. A short and muscular loin is sought; the croup should be proportioned and muscular, moderately sloping and tending to be slightly higher in the lower back than the withers.
The chest should be large and muscular, the thorax well developed. All limbs should be solid with a forearm of medium length, the joints far and wide. A relaxed, confident step and a cadenced trot are the goals of gait . The position should be regular at; feet regular, well aligned and with a firm and black hoof.
The breed standard aims at a height of 155–168 cm (male) or 150–162 cm (female) at the age of 30 months . For males of this age, a chest circumference of 180 cm and a cannon bone circumference of 20 cm is the goal; for female animals of the same age, the goal is 172 cm (chest circumference) and 19 cm (cannon bone circumference).
In addition to many characteristics that should apply to all horse breeds, the required strong muscling, a rather flat back, a slightly overbuilt croup and cadented trot can be seen as typical.
interior
The Murgese is considered to be bound, sure-footed and persistent in its movements, its riding qualities are excellent, especially - as with all baroque horses - its compact structure enables it to gather high and can also suggest a suitability for schools above the ground (depending on the temperament).
According to the breeding goal, the Murgese should have a balanced and lively temperament.
Breeding history
The Murgese is a very old breed that can be traced back to the time of the Staufer Emperor Friedrich II (1194–1250). He founded the first hippological university in Naples and also owned three farm studs in Bari , in which he bred Berber black horses.
During the Renaissance , the Neapolitan was highly valued as a school horse . According to a theory of the banker Mauro Aurigi , the Murgese is the legitimate successor of this breed, previously described as extinct, which despite its rural breeding and use as a meat supplier has retained many of the rideability characteristics, including its suitability for falconry .
The Murgese comes from the Apulia region , especially the province of Bari, and is hardly known outside of this area even today.
In the late 19th century, breeding was given to the farmers and the horses were used for agricultural purposes. Originally, two types of the breed should have existed, a light pack animal - and a heavier work type. Both were considered to be as good as extinct around 1900.
In 1926 the Italian Ministry of Agriculture decided to revive the breed and for this purpose introduced a strict selection at the Foggia stud , which was supposed to improve it. The horses officially registered today can be traced back to 9 stallions and 46 mares. The now important stallion lines Araldo , Granduca and Nerone were only founded after the Second World War .
Mauro Aurigi found interest in this breed, which was almost extinct at the time, in the 1970s and, thanks to his personal commitment, helped the Murgesen to become more popular. At the end of the 20th century the Murgese found its place in the Italian forest guard as well as in equestrian tourism and in the mounted police, so that the efforts of Mr. Aurigi for the continuation of the breed can be seen as successful in the long term.
The breeding association for Murgese and the donkey of Martina Franca is based in Martina Franca . There are annual breeding shows in Martina Franca and Noci . The first letter of the horse's name depends on the year of birth, with 2007 starting again with “A”.
See also
literature
- Alberto Soldi: The great nature guide - horses . Kaiser Verlag, Klagenfurt 2003, ISBN 3-7043-1365-3 .
- Jasper Nissen: Encyclopedia of Horse Breeds . Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-440-09723-4
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Thyl Engelhardt: The Murgese - a true Neapolitano? In: Riding School , 1/2011, p. 28
- ↑ anamf.it ( Memento of the original from November 16, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ aurigi.net
- ↑ Silvestrelli Buonavolantà: Il Murgese . Ed. Equestri, Milan 1986
- ↑ aurigi.net
- ↑ anamf.it ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Breeding show in Martina Franca
