Siciliano Indigeno

Last updated
Siciliano Indigeno
Conservation status
  • FAO (2007): not at risk [1] :70
  • DAD-IS (2024): at risk/critical [2]
Other names
  • Cavallo Siciliano
  • Sicilian
Country of originItaly
Distribution Sicily

The Siciliano Indigeno or Cavallo Siciliano is an Italian breed of light riding horse native to the Mediterranean island of Sicily in southern Italy. It derives from cross-breeding of local mares with stallions of Oriental and North African type. In the twentieth century there was substantial intromission of Thoroughbred and Anglo-Arab blood, resulting in a marked increase in average height. [3] :503 [4] :147

Contents

It was officially recognised as a breed in 2024. [5] [6] It is one of three Sicilian horse breeds, the others being the Purosangue Orientale and the Sanfratellano.

History

The history of Sicily over the three millennia preceding the Unification of Italy in 1861 is one of repeated conquest and strife, with many different peoples and powers achieving total or partial dominance over the island for a time. These have included the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, Ostrogoths, Byzantines, Muslim North Africans, Lombards, Normans, Swabians, Angevins, Aragonese, Spanish and Bourbons. It is likely that many of these invaders brought horses with them – from the Middle East, from North Africa, from the Iberian peninsula and from Northern Europe. [4] :141 The Muslims who were present in the island from 827 to 1091 brought very large numbers of horses of Oriental type, [4] :137 while the Lombards brought heavy war-horses. [4] :141

Characteristics

Height at the withers  : Stallions: 155-160 cm Mares: 153-158 cm Chest Circumference Stallions: 178-185 cm Mares: 175-187 cm Cannon bone circumference 18-21 cm

Use

It is one of the many breeds used by mounted regiments of the Carabinieri. [7]

The breeding association has declared that only horses born in Sicily will be considered for registration as “Siciliano Indigeno”. This policy virtually guarantees that the horse will not become of International or even national significance, as it will be impossible to breed outside of Sicily. This is perceived by the breed's admirers as an unfortunate decision, because the animals are considered beautiful and useful. [8] :70

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ukrainian Riding Horse</span> Ukrainian breed of warmblood sport horse

The Ukrainian Riding Horse or Ukrainian Saddle Horse is a modern Ukrainian breed of warmblood sport horse. Breeding began in the years after the Second World War at the stud farm of Dnipropetrovsk in central Ukraine – at that time in the USSR – and later expanded to three other state stud farms. It derives from cross-breeding of Hanoverian, Thoroughbred and Trakehner stallions with local mares or with Hungarian Furioso, Gidran Arab or Nonius mares. It incorporates the last bloodlines of the extinct Orlov-Rostopchin or Russian Saddle Horse. It was bred to compete in show jumping, three-day eventing and dressage, but is also suitable as a general riding horse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zaniskari</span> Indian breed of horse

The Zaniskari or Zanskari is a breed of small mountain horse or pony from Ladakh in northern India. It is named for the Zanskar valley or region in Kargil district. It is similar to the Spiti breed of Himachal Pradesh, but is better adapted to work at high altitude. Like the Spiti, it shows similarities to the Tibetan breeds living on the other side of the Himalayas in neighbouring Tibet. It is of medium size, and is often grey in colour. The breed is considered endangered, as there are only a few hundred alive today, and a conservation programme has been started at Padum, Zanskar, in the Kargil district of Ladakh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murgese</span> Breed of horse

The Murgese is an Italian breed of riding horse. It is named for its area of origin, the plateau of Le Murge in southern Italy, most of which lies in the region of Puglia. It was formerly used as an agricultural or military horse; selection for a lighter type more suitable for riding began in the second half of the twentieth century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lundy Pony</span> Breed of pony

The Lundy Pony is a British breed of pony bred on Lundy Island in the twentieth century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swedish Warmblood</span> Swedish breed of horse

The Swedish Warmblood or Swedish Half-bred is a Swedish breed of warmblood horse. It was originally bred as a cavalry horse at the Strömsholm, Ottenby and Flyinge studs. In the twentieth century it became a general-purpose riding and sport horse. It performs well in dressage, show-jumping and three-day eventing, and also as a harness horse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swiss Warmblood</span> Swiss breed of horse

The Swiss Warmblood or Schweizer Warmblut is a modern Swiss breed of warmblood sport horse. It was created in the mid-twentieth century by merger of the Einsiedler – which had been bred for centuries at the Benedictine Monastery of Einsiedeln in the Canton of Schwyz – with the Swiss Halfblood and with traditional local breeds including the Ajoie, the Erlenbacher and the Entlebucher. It is sometimes known as the Neue Einsiedler. The Swiss Warmblood is bred at the Haras National Suisse at Avenches, in the Canton of Vaud.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brazilian Sport Horse</span> Brazilian breed of horse

The Brazilian Sport Horse or Brasileiro de hipismo is a modern Brazilian breed of warmblood horse. It was bred as a sport riding horse for competitive equestrian sports, particularly show jumping, dressage and three-day eventing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vladimir Heavy Draft</span> Russian breed of draught horse

The Vladimir Heavy Draft is a Russian breed of heavy draught horse. It was bred in the early twentieth century in farms and collectives in Ivanovo Oblast and Vladimir Oblast, to the east of Moscow. The most important influence on the development of the breed was from three Clydesdale stallions foaled between 1910 and 1923. The Vladimir was officially recognised in 1946.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russian Heavy Draft</span> Russian breed of draught horse

The Russian Draft or Russian Heavy Draft is a Russian breed of draft horse. It was bred in Imperial Russia in the second half of the nineteenth century, and until after the Russian Revolution was known as the Russian Ardennes. It is one of a number of draft breeds developed there at approximately the same time, others being the Lithuanian Heavy Draft, the Soviet Heavy Draft and the Vladimir Heavy Draft; it is both the oldest and the smallest of them. The present name dates from the Soviet era, and was used from 1952.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sanfratellano</span> Italian breed of horse

The Sanfratellano or Razza di San Fratello is an Italian breed of riding horse. It originates in the comune of San Fratello, in the Nebrodi Mountains in the province of Messina in north-eastern Sicily. It is one of three Sicilian breeds or types, the others being the Purosangue Orientale and the Siciliano Indigeno.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sardinian Anglo-Arab</span> Italian breed of horse

The Sardinian Anglo-Arab or Anglo-Arabo Sardo is an Italian breed of riding horse from the Mediterranean island of Sardinia. It derives from cross-breeding of local mares with stallions of Arab, Anglo-Arab and Thoroughbred stock. Breeding began in 1874; the breed was officially recognised in 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bardigiano</span> Breed of horse

The Bardigiano is a traditional Italian breed of small horse. It originates in the region of Emilia Romagna and takes its name from the town of Bardi, in the province of Parma. It is strongly associated with Bardi, the Valle del Ceno and the Val di Taro, and surrounding areas of the Tusco-Emilian Apennines of Parma.

The Hirzai is a rare Pakistani breed of riding horse. It derives from cross-breeding of Baluchi horses with Arab stock. It is usually grey; other colours occur infrequently. The average height is 152 cm. In the twenty-first century it is an endangered breed.

The Vlaamperd is a South African breed of light draught or harness horse; it is also suitable for riding and is used in dressage. It was bred in the Western Cape region of South Africa in the early twentieth century, and resulted from cross-breeding of local mares with imported European stallions, particularly Friesians. The horses are usually black, though mares may be dark seal brown. A stud-book was started in 1983.

The Purosangue Orientale or Puro Sangue Orientale (PSO), is a horse breed developed in the Kingdom of Italy by Royal Decree n° 2690 of 19 September 1875, which created a stud book dedicated to the breed. Beginning in 1864, the Italian Government had sent emissaries into Syria and Mesopotamia to purchase desert bred Arabian horses directly from Bedouin tribes. Numerous stallions and mares were purchased and brought back to Sicily, many being destined for the Royal Remount Station in Catania. The breeding of Arabian Horses in Italy, therefore predates the Crabbet Park Stud which only started in 1878. Furthermore, the Crabbet Park Stud obtained most of its horses from the stables of Abbas-Pasha in Egypt, and therefore Africa, whereas the horses obtained from the Italian Government came directly from the Syrian Desert, and therefore from Asia and Arabia. One must also consider that the financial resources of a major European government must also surpass those of a private individual and a government can certainly afford to purchase much more expensive horses, since the purpose was to improve cavalry remounts and therefore national interest was at stake. Lastly, the Italian Government could also rely on the expertise of Carlo Guarmani, who was born in Italy in 1828, but whose family moved to the Middle East, where he was raised. He was fluent in Arabic and had a passion for horses, and spent 16 years traveling in Syria, Palestine, Egypt and Northern Arabia. He knew the Bedouins of the Syrian desert well and spent much time with them. He was commissioned to acquire Arab stallions for the stables of Napoleon III and for the then king of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II. Although he had been to Egypt, he headed for the Syrian desert when he needed to purchase horses. His knowledge and direct contact with the Bedouins of the Arabian desert was far greater than that of Lady Anne Blunt, the founder of Crabbet Park Stud.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scandinavian Coldblood Trotter</span> Scandinavian breed of horse

The Scandinavian Coldblood Trotter consists of two closely related and interconnected breeds of trotting horse: the Norsk Kaldblodstraver or Norwegian Coldblood Trotter and the Svensk Kallblodstravare, the Swedish Coldblood Trotter or North Swedish Trotter. Coldblood trotters are the result of cross-breeding native coldblooded farm horses – in Norway the Dølehest, in Sweden the North Swedish Horse – with lighter and faster horses. Although the Norwegian and Swedish coldblood trotters are substantially considered a single breed, two national stud-books are maintained, and registration requirements differ in some respects between the two countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schleswig Coldblood</span> Breed of draught horse from Germany/Denmark

The Schleswig Coldblood is a breed of medium-sized draught horse originally from the historic Schleswig region of the Jutland Peninsula, which today is divided between modern Denmark and Germany, and from which its name derives. It is found primarily in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, and also, in smaller numbers, in Lower Saxony. It shares the origins, ancestry and much of the history of the Danish Jutland breed, and shows some similarity to the British Suffolk Punch. It is used in agriculture and forestry, and to draw coaches and wagons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kiso Horse</span> Japanese breed of horse

The Kiso or Kiso Horse is one of the eight indigenous horse breeds of Japan. It is the only native horse breed from Honshu, the principal island of Japan. Like most other Japanese native breeds, it is critically endangered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belgian Draught</span> Belgian breed of horse

The Belgian Draught, Dutch: Belgisch Trekpaard, French: Trait belge, is a Belgian breed of draught horse. It originates in the region of the Low Countries that is now central Belgium, and may also be called the Brabant after the former Province of Brabant in that area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lavradeiro</span> Horse breed from Roraima, Brazil

The Lavradeiro or Wild Horse of Roraima is a Brazilian breed or population of feral horses of Colonial Spanish type in the state of Roraima, in northern Brazil. The name derives from the lavrado or savannah terrain in that region.

References

  1. Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN   9789251057629. Archived 23 June 2020.
  2. Breed data sheet: Cavallo Siciliano / Italy (Horse). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed June 2024.
  3. Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. ISBN   9781780647944.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Daniele Bigi, Alessio Zanon (2008). Atlante delle razze autoctone: Bovini, equini, ovicaprini, suini allevati in Italia (in Italian). Milan: Edagricole. ISBN   9788850652594.
  5. [s.n.] (14 March 2024). Cavallo Siciliano: un passo da gigante (in Italian). Bologna: CavalloMagazine. Accessed June 2024.
  6. [s.n.] (30 March 2024). Cavallo Siciliano: un passo da gigante (in Italian). Newsletter: A cura dell'Ordine dei Veterinari di Mantova. Mantova: Ordine dei Veterinari di Mantova. Protocollo 164/24.
  7. Non tutti sanno che... (in Italian). Arma dei Carabinieri. Accessed June 2024.
  8. Gianni Ravazzi (2002). L'encyclopédie des chevaux de race (in French). Paris: De Vecchi. ISBN   ISBN 2732825948  Parameter error in {{ISBN}}: invalid character.