Italy is known for good food, good wine, and wonderful vacation spots. What most do not know: Italy has – next to the Lipizzaner and the Friesian – one of the most beautiful baroque horse breeds in the world, the Murgese.
In this article, we have put together everything you need to know about the Murgese horse breed.
Breed description
The Murgese is a stately baroque horse and – like the beautiful Friesian – is predominantly black. It is one of the oldest horse breeds, but little known outside of Italy.
The stately, muscular baroque horse comes from the Murgia region in Apulia and is therefore a true southern Italian.
The Murgese is an excellent riding horse, but due to its stately stature, it is also used in its homeland as a back horse when harvesting wood, as a forest and police horse.
Size: 150 – 168 cm
Weight: 650 – 700 kg
Origin: Italy
Lifespan: 25-30 years
Color: Rappen
Suitable as: Dressage, leisure, draft horse
Origin and breed history
The origin of the Murgese goes back to the 13th century. As a direct descendant of the legendary Neapolitans, the Murge, a region in the stony, dry mountains of Apulia, located in the very south of Italy, developed not only beautiful but also robust horse breeds.
Even today, the Murgese is mainly bred in this region.
The story of the Murgese
The then Staufer Emperor Friedrich II, who ruled over the Roman Empire between 1212 and 1250, is decisive for the development and breeding of this breed.
Always looking for a strong and reliable warhorse to breed horses in the tough and uneconomical region. He hoped for horses that were strong, robust and equipped with particularly strong legs and hard hooves.
Within a very short time, Friedrich the Second founded three stud farms in the Murge, on which he bred the Murgesen with a lot of love and enthusiasm.
However, not only the selection of the breeding horses played a major role in making the Murgesen the horses they are today, but the rearing of the horses.
The rearing of the Murgese
In the barren, stony, and mountainous area, the horses in herds grow up semi-wild for two and a half years.
It is also the landscape that gives the Murgese its surefootedness, strong hooves and strong legs, its resilience, courage, and endurance.
If the horses were to grow up on lush green meadows or well-tended pastures, the character of these magnificent baroque horses would be lost. Murge makes them what they are: proud, amiable, and somewhat wild Italians.
The Murgese today
As a warhorse, the Murgese has already fought in wars and carried his rider reliably and persistently through the most impassable terrain.
Breeding of the breed was passed into the hands of the farmers in the 19th century, as the Murgese was mainly used in agriculture at that time.
Two strikes are said to have existed at this time: the heavy work strike and the lighter strike.
At the beginning of the 20th century, however, both types of horse breeds were almost extinct, and the breeding of these beautiful and powerful horses stagnated.
The intervention of the Italian landscape ministry in 1926 to preserve the old and beautiful horse breed and strict selection in the pure breeding at the Foggia stud succeeded in saving the breed.
In 1948 the first breeding association for the Murgesen was founded, which was completely reorganized again in 1990 and is responsible for the breeding shows. Foals only receive their papers if they have been presented to the association at a breed show.
Today almost all Murgesen go back to three of the most important stallion lines – Granduca, Nerone, and Araldo. These three stallion lines date from the time of Frederick the Second.
The appearance of the Murgese
The Murgese is of the so-called economic horse type. The height is between 150 cm and 168 cm, so the Murgese is a medium-sized horse.
The big, beautifully shaped head with the Ramsnose, the dark, intelligent and expressive eyes and – as with the Frieze – the high set and very strong neck are striking in the Italian Murgese.
The neck merges into a slightly sloping shoulder of sufficient length. The withers are well set, the back straight and well carried, the chest broad and muscular.
The croup is well proportioned and strong. The body is compact and has sufficient depth and width. The legs of the black beauties are also striking.
They are stable, have large, strong joints, and hooves that are tough, well-aligned, and black.
The mane and tail are lush and black.
In terms of coat color, the black horse is predominant. Only around 3 percent of all animals are black-headed mold. Badges are not welcome.
Temperament and essence
The Murgese is a real Italian – amiable in character, proud in appearance, and somewhat wild in demeanor. The Murgese is characterized by a friendly, balanced character and a lively temperament.
The Murgese are known for their absolute surefootedness, endurance, and the joy of running. The movements are bound. The riding abilities of the Murgesen are excellent, the possible uses for the wonderful horses are diverse.
They can be used as a reliable carriage horse, as a forest and police horse, or as a leisure horse.
Due to their high ability to gather, they also cut a very good figure in dressage riding.
The Murgese is good-natured, intelligent, and has a high willingness to work – in short, a true all-rounder and the ideal leisure partner.
Husbandry and nutrition
This robust horse breed does not have too high demands. The Murgese should be moved and worked regularly. It is just as suitable for boxing as it is for the open stable.
It is important to have a good and intense relationship with these horses; this is the only way they can develop into the wonderful, obedient, and good-natured horses for which they are known.
When feeding your horse, you should pay attention to high-quality and balanced feed.
Many horse owners mean it too well. Since the Murgese is a workhorse in its home country, i.e. it is used in agriculture and forestry or is regularly used as a police horse, the feeding of these horses is adapted to their use and “calorie requirement”.
As a recreational horse, the murgese, which is a good feed processor, is not demanded so often and regularly.
If your horse receives too much feed, it can quickly become fat. Feeding that is adapted to the circumstances and not too protein-rich is therefore advisable.
Education and care
Upbringing
Murgesen are intelligent horses who are willing to work. Thanks to their cleverness, they learn quickly and happily. The Murgese, however, is a horse that cannot get involved with every rider or owner.
The Murgese basically needs a “long-term partner” whom he can trust and get involved with. However, once you have established a relationship with your Murgesen, he will unconditionally follow you through thick and thin.
The Murgese is a calm horse that can concentrate extremely over a long period of time. If you use a loving, gentle consistency in the upbringing, the upbringing of this great horse breed is child’s play.
Maintenance
Care is a special part of keeping horses. With regular care, you strengthen the bond between you and your Murgesen. It learns that it can trust you and it is good for it.
Taking care of your horse is also important to prevent skin or hoof diseases and to identify them more quickly. When grooming, brushing, or combing, injuries will also catch your eye more quickly.
Of course, you need the right accessories for maintenance. For the head you need a soft sponge or a very soft head brush.
For the body and legs you need a harrow, a brush for coarse dirt and a grooming brush. For the hooves a hoof pick and hoof fat. Leave out the sensitive or bony areas with the harrow.
You can get the accessories in every specialist shop.
So that the lush mane of your Murgesen does not get tousled or even matted so quickly, you can braid it.
Health and Typical Diseases
The Murgese is a robust and healthy horse. He owes this to his origins and his rearing. Typical horse diseases will not be found in a Murgese.
However, even a robust horse can get sick. The hooves of the Murgesen are hard and firm, but should always be kept clean and dry in order to prevent malaise, which can occur in every horse.
Life expectancy
The beautiful and proud Murgese spends his first two and a half years in a herd. Half-wild horses can enjoy their freedom in the barren, uneconomical region of Apulia.
This difficult landscape with freezing cold in winter and dry, hot summers makes the Murgesen strong, robust, and resistant to diseases.
With proper husbandry and good care and nutrition, a Murgese can loyally stand by your side for 25 to 30 years.
Buy Murgese horse breed
There are no breeders for Murgese in Germany. There are stables and farms that offer Murgesen, but these horses are usually imported directly from Italy.
You can find a Murgese through classifieds and at the corresponding horse markets. Many horse markets usually also list their horses for sale online so that you can make a preselection in advance.
If you have the opportunity to pick up your horse over a longer distance, you can get a Murgese directly from a breeder in Italy.
The prices for one of these beautiful black pearls start at around $6,000. To get a “real” Italian, look carefully at the papers of your future horse. A purchase examination by a veterinarian is advisable every time you buy a horse.
Decision support
The Murgese is a spirited, robust and beautiful horse with ahead of its own. He’s not stubborn or stubborn, just a little reserved at first. The Murgese wants a person all to himself, a kind of “long-term partnership”.
He is good-natured, friendly, and very willing to work and learn. Provided you’ve gained his trust and a relationship with him.
At the beginning of your relationship, the murgese will use its energy sparingly, it can happen that you have to repeat commands two or three times before it reacts.
If you then vehemently demand obedience, it can happen that your horse refuses completely. But if you have convinced the Murgesen of yourself with a lot of love, patience, and gentleness, you have a horse that will accompany you with stoic calm.
The Murgese is an ideal leisure horse, ideally suited for dressage, a reliable, calm carriage horse, and recommended for forest and agricultural work.
