Mangalarga Marchador Horse

The Mangalarga Marchador is a horse breed that is relatively rare throughout the world. In Brazil, which is their homeland there are approximately 350 000 registered horses.

They are owned in other countries around Brazil and the world as well, but are still the most popular in their homeland. The breed is considered the country’s domestic horse breed and is known for their specific gait which is comfortable and called the Marcha.

The Breed’s history begins with Francisco Gabriel Junqueira, a baron in the country after the colonial period. Through the Spaniards Francisco had access to a large herd of Barbary horses and other domestic and Spanish horses.

His pride was an Alter real stallion, which he decided to use to breed with the herd he had. The better confirmation horses he sold to friend on a farm outside of Rio de Janeiro, called the Mangalarga.

The horses were sold in and around the farm resulted in the horses getting the nickname Mangalargas as the breed grew in popularity. It was believed that the breed standards were set by the Baron Francisco and continued by his descendants up until 1910.

The official breed club was formed in 1934 for the Mangalarga Breeders Association. Those who started the club had the objective of improving the breed. Many breeds, both from USA and Europe were cross bred to test the performance on the race, including the Thoroughbred, Morgan Horse, Lusitano, American Saddlebred, Anglo Arab and Trakehner.

To maintain the quality of the extra gait the breed was crossed with trotting horses of the breed Hackneyhastar. In the end the breeders took the noblest Arabian horses and bred them for their stamina and to give the horse a more noble appearance.

Many farmers protested against the change and in 1938 they started their own branch of the club, The Mangalarga Marchador Association. They wanted to keep Baron Francisco’s ideas and lines running and were unhappy with the cross bred horses that were called Mangalarga as they felt it adulterated the original standards.

Their intervention was the addition of the Marchador to the breed.

The Farmers were also political connections when they created a new herd. The veterinarian and zoologist Geraldo Carneiro, who’s neighbour and friend would be the next Brazilian president Juscelino Kubitschek, promised to ensure that the old breed would be maintained and protected.

Attributes

The Marcha has a specific gait for which the breed is well known for. The gait has 3 hooves on the ground at the same time which is quite rare in other gaits.

The Mangalarga Marchador is a fairly small and thin horse, but it is surprisingly strong and sustainable. The coat is silky and shiny and the race has a nice and stable temperament.

The head is noble and triangular with large eyes. In the Mangalarga Marchador horses the Spanish influence is seen very clearly with a straight or sometimes slightly outwardly curving nose profile.

The extra gait of the Marcha is very similar to the trot or amble which is a two beat pace however their pace is a three beat pace, having a three hooves on the ground at the same time.

U.S. breeders are increasingly interested in the breed and the horses are now bred in several places in the United States including Arizona, California, Ohio and Tennessee. It is estimated that there are approximately ten animals of the breed in each state so far.