Horse riding

Horse riding is very popular in Sardinia and horse breeding is one of the most renowned and developed businesses.
The horse has always been part of our history, as a work companion and a symbol of proud in religious and sports events.
No wonder the best world horse – jockeys are from Sardinia.

Some of the most famous are: Andrea Degortes, nicknamed Vinegar; Massimo Coghe, nicknamed Massimino; Peppino Pes, nicknamed Il Pesse; and finally Frankie Dettori, who run the Siena Horse Race and is considered the best and most famous jockey all over the world.
The love for these animals and the warm climate encouraged the development of horse breeding in Sardinia.

One of the best results of this activity is the Anglo-Arab Horse breeding, mostly carried out in Sardinia, where 85 to 90% of the total national Anglo-Arab horse births take place.
This particular breed was established and improved in Sardinia. It took longer than a century to complete its selection process.
Wild grazing still takes place in Sardinia and in some areas such as the Giara plateau and Aritzo’s forest, flocks of wild horses are still found.

The Giara Pony

The Giara Pony takes its name after the homonym basalt plateau where it lives wild, in the south-western region of Sardinia.
The origins of these horses are still uncertain. They could be Asian; but it is almost sure they are not from the Island. Probably they were imported by the Phoenicians or the Greeks around the V-IV century BC. Until the late Middle Ages large flocks lived wild all over the Island.
According to some recent studies, the Giara Pony, with North African genetic influences, is considered a "living fossil". For this reason, it is object of study and scientific interest all over Europe.
The name Giara or Jara was established by the local inhabitants, maybe taking inspiration from the rock of the basalt plateau. It extends over an area of 4,500 hectares at an altitude of about 500-600 meters above the sea level. The steep mountain slopes make connections difficult with the surrounding valleys and prevent the ponies’ migration.
Even if its height could make us think it’s a pony, it is a real miniature horse. The harsh and wild Giara environment over the centuries naturally selected strong and wild animals, with a bold character.
After a long time, in the last years the horse population has being increasing, thanks to the joint action of the breeders and of the Istituto Incremento Ippico della Sardegna (Institute for the Increase of the Horse Population in Sardinia).
The Giara Pony has a bay, sorrel or chestnut coat; a squared head with abundant tuft and mane around a very muscular neck. Withers are not very developed; its back is low and flat; its loins are slightly long; rump is short with a low tail. The chest is narrow, low and not very deep. Limbs usually appear thin and feet small. Its stride is short, energetic and

confident. It has a medium size and reaches around 140 cm of height at withers.

The Sarcidano Horse

The Sarcidano Horse has to be considered a special case among the different horse breeds in Sardinia, as not classified in the National Horse Registry.
Several studies though show that it should be rightfully classified, being much more genetically characterised than other breeds.

The origins of this horse population date back to twenty thousand years ago, when the modern horse was born.

Thanks to its concentration in a single farm in Laconi, the genetic heritage of this breed could be kept intact until the Modern Age.

Today it is a very important source of information for the scientific research on the development of the horse itself.

The DNA studies prove that this breed is not related to the other Italian horse populations and confirm its ancient origins. Thus, it is essential to protect this horse for the sake of horse breeds biodiversity.
Also the Sarcidano Horse has a bay and sorrel coat; it is rarely grey. Its head is slightly heavy with a straight profile and developed jowls, wide forehead, regular and very mobile ears, big and expressive eyes, large and mobile nostrils.
It has a muscled neck, well fixed on the shoulder, and roughly fixed to the head. Its shoulder is not very tilted, with a medium length and abundant mane.
It has quite developed withers, well connected to neck and shoulder; short but muscled rump; muscled breast; a well developed and deep chest; solid and short limbs; large and solid joints.
Its stride is lively and confident. It has a quite regular position of legs and a cylindrical-like foot shape.
It’s a spirited temper horse and easy to domesticate. It is adaptable to the main horse sports activities. It has a medium size and a withers-height of 140 cm.

Aggiungi questo sito ai tuoi preferiti

[ Back ]