Murgese Horse

The Murgese evolved in the dry limestone hills of the Murge district of Southern Italy. Like the harsh Slovenian karst, the heartland of the old Lipizzaner, this area produces animals with good, dense bone, hard feet, and a sound constitution. In the 15th and early 16th centuries the horses bred in this region were in great demand as cavalry remounts. Then, about 200 years ago, interest in the Murgese died out, and the breed almost disappeared.

It was revived in the 1920s, but the modern Murgese horse probably does not bear any direct relationship to the old breed. The new version is basically a light draught horse, of a sort similar, but inferior, to the Irish Draught. The best specimens fulfil a useful role as light agricultural horses that can also be ridden. The mares provide a good basis for cross-breeding, for like the Irish Draught they are roomy and of substantial build. A good stamp of riding horse can be bred by putting Murgese mares to Thoroughbred or half-bred stallions, and the mares also produce the strong mules that are still needed in the area.

The Murgese has a coldblood foundation with a trace of oriental influence, but its ancestry is undetermined. There is also a lack of uniformity in the type, a characteristic of Italian light horses, because their breeding is not subject to controls or breed society regulations. There are certain conformational faults, such as flat withers overloaded with muscle, and upright shoulders, and these inhibit free movement. Nonetheless, within the limitations of its structure, the Murgese is fairly active and energetic, and is amenable, even-tempered, and economical to keep. It stands between 1.52 and 1.63 m (15-16 hh), and the usual coat colour is chestnut.