Murgese Horse

The Murgese is an Italian horse breed. It is native to the Murge, a region of Puglia, hence the name. This is an inhospitable terrain, which gives this breed a great rusticity. The habit along a steep and rocky path meant that over time this animal’s hooves and sturdy limbs develop very solidly, suitable for moving quickly and safely despite their massive physique.

Its tranquility, coupled with the pride and stamina are some features that distinguish the murgese horses, in addition to the characteristic black coat which, if exposed to the sun, appears shiny and uniform.

Murgese height varies from 1.48m to 1.70m. Its head is of medium length and is light in color, but absolutely never coarse. It has a ram profile (for the more traditional lines) or straight, never snubbed. It has soft, bright eyes and a wide forehead. Its nostrils are wide and ears are medium sized and very straight. Its withers are broad and slightly pointed, with a dial-lumbar spine almost always correct.

It has a good skeletal frame and well developed muscle mass. Its clogs are very strong and black, with nails strong and compact. The mantle generally of the Morello is raven 13:34, 25 August 2009 (UTC), and more rarely gray-iron with dark brown.

The white star on his forehead is absolutely not tolerated, as is no other white mark. The raven-black horse coat bag (i.e. uniform) is the result of centuries of selection that led to establishing the very dark shoes (no socks legs).

These were the most likely to step on the stony soil of the Murge. Moreover, the mantle of the Morelli was the only one up to the 50s, when a Lipizzaner stallion (NEAPOLITANO steak), used the Lipizzaner breed, in itself a relative, to pass down the female line the mantle edge which does not affect the functionality of the horse but adds to the charm of a pure-bred and millennia.

With careful selection and efforts by farmers to keep the breed pure, over the years, this horse has shown to have good attitudes, so that today the breeding of this breed is growing strongly. Moreover, the specimens of bred horses are docile murgese that you easily get used to being used for English riding.

Precisely for this reason, they are very suitable for tourism and equestrian riding in the countryside. Moreover, their proud bearing and exuberance, combined with a fast learning ability, make them particularly spectacular when used in carousels and manifestations of equestrian art. Despite its nobility, (it was the horse of the Apulian nobilotti in the sixteenth century), it is a horse of few pretensions, very sturdy and durable and is a hard worker by nature making it also ideal for attacks.

Some bloodlines are ideal for the attacks, others performing well in dressage and high school. Some people are almost living fossils since they meet in full the requirements of the horse already during the Baroque period. For example, the wonderful stallion named “Ferrari”, “Ninconanco” or “Qualimbo” are visible in Puglia.

Other bloodlines have a rather more “modern” air and retain more warmth, but equally are willing to work and learn whilst looking incredibly noble and proud (ie stallions Paisiello and Nesio).

The Murgese horse lends itself well for the production of “milk”, because from testing in 2001 at the Department of Animal Production Faculty of Agronomy of Bari on a sample of multiparous mares (4th to 7th lactation) raised on farms in the Murgia Bari, it was found to have an average daily production of milk at the end of the first month, 13 kg/ animal production decreased to 9 at the end of the third month and to 7.03 at the end of the sixth month.

In terms of quality of milk from the Murgese mare, 30 days confinement includes a content of 16.4% solids, 2.38% protein, 1.04% fat and 6.94% lactose.

To see the best players you must go to murgesi during the first days of December each year to see reviews of Martina Franca (province of Taranto) and nuts (in the province of Bari).

Murgesi is also among the protagonists of Fieracavalli, the largest equestrian event in Italy which is held every year in Verona in early November.